President Barack Obama wants the Senate to act quickly to approve his nominee to head the nation’s spy agencies. He says his choice of Pentagon intelligence official James Clapper must not fall victim to Washington politics.
On June 5, 2010 President Barack Obama nominated James Clapper to replace Dennis C. Blair as United States Director of National Intelligence. On June 4, 2010, multiple news agencies reported that United States President Barack Obama was planning to nominate Clapper as the next Director of National Intelligence. Despite the report that Clapper was suggested to President Obama by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, both Chairwoman Diane Feinstein and Vice-Chairman Kit Bond of the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence have offered reservations regarding his appointment. Clapper was officially nominated by President Obama on June 5, 2010.
James R. Clapper, Jr. is a retired Lieutenant General in the United States Air Force and serves as Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence – USD(I). He is also dual-hatted as the first Director of Defense Intelligence within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Clapper has held several key positions within the United States Intelligence Community. He served as the director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) from September 2001 until June 2006. Previously, he served as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) from 1992 until 1995.
