activity report_2010.pdf

ROMANIA THE ROMANIAN INTELLIGENCE SERVICE REPORT on the Activity of the Romanian Intelligence Service in 2010  CONTENTS CHAPTER I BENCHMARKS OF INSTITUTIONAL MODERNIZATION PROCESS CHAPTER II PARAMETERS OF THE ACTIVITY II.1. Intelligence Activity II.2. Making use of intelligence II.2.1. Informing the decision makers II.2.2. Specific Preventive Measures II.2.3. Notifying law enforcement authorities II.3. Protection against terrorist risks and threats II.4. Protection of classified information CHAPTER III NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION III.1. Inter-Institutional Cooperation III.2. International cooperation III.2.1. Multilateral cooperation III.2.2. Bilateral cooperation CHAPTER IV THE COORDINATION AND OVERSIGHT OF SRI’S ACTIVITY IV.1. Strategic coordination of the activity by the Supreme Council for National Defense IV.2. Democratic Oversight IV.2.1. Parliamentary Oversight IV.2.2. Legal Oversight IV.2.3. Financial Oversight CHAPTER V COOPERATION WITH CIVIL SOCIETY V.1. Relations with Civil Society and Security Education V.2. Relations with Public and Media V.3. Transfer of the Securitate files CHAPTER VI RESOURCES MANAGEMENT VI.1. Human resources management VI.1.1. Parameters of SRI's human resources management VI.1.2. Training and Professional Development Activities VI.2. Financial and logistics resources management CHAPTER VII PRIORITIES FOR 2011 VII.1. Benchmarks of future development VII.2. Objectives for 2011 2 CHAPTER I BENCHMARKS OF INSTITUTIONAL MODERNIZATION PROCESS Year 2010 marks the successful completion of the reform process initiated under the Strategic Vision 2007-2010. The Romanian Intelligence Service is now a flexible organization with an operational capacity that can meet present and future security challenges and opportunities, which is recognized as a valuable and trusted partner of the counterpart Euro-Atlantic structures. General Benchmarks The institutional reform process (launched in 2007) had the following objectives:  ensuring effective response capability to meet security challenges specific to a country located at the external border of the EU/ NATO;  adapting to patterns of action and performance standards of similar Community bodies;  creating a flexible organizational framework to facilitate enforcement of the future national security legislative package;  ensuring proper conditions for implementation and use of new technologies in current activity, including by further computerizing the Service;  improving planning tools and activities;  efficiently capitalizing on human, material and financial, technical and information resources. Activities performed to achieve these objectives were conducted in several phases:  2007: elaborating the concept of transformation and starting implementation;  2008: setting up and making structural changes operational, respectively adapting organizational processes to new institutional realities;  2009: developing work methodologies, focusing on the procedural dimension and launch of integrated planning cycle;  2010: improving the national legal framework, making the functional and organizational formulas operational, assessing results, and operating necessary adjustments. At the end of the process, the following results can be highlighted:  reorganization and increased flexibility of the Service, both in terms of organizational structure and processes of internal communication/ coordination;  optimization of operational activities;  reconfiguration of the activity planning system considering a multi-annual perspective;  strengthening analytical processes in order to increase information processing and exploitation capacity;  enhancing international cooperation and harnessing it as an important information resource. Significant Developments in 2010  Strategic Dimension: - the Information Strategy, a document guiding SRI's activity, was completed and approved (by CSAT); - the Information Estimate 2010 on risks and threats to Romania's security, which outlines their stage and development prospects, was elaborated. Operational Dimension: - operational capabilities were adapted, based on the correct hierarchy of security threats and risks, focus on priorities and differentiated allocation of available resources; - the qualitative side of activity was consolidated, efforts being pragmatically channelled and risks and threats pro-actively addressed; - horizontal cooperation was developed, by extending the teamwork model; - process of improving efficiency of HUMINT activity continued, based on national security needs; - IT & C capabilities were developed; - legal support was provided to all activities, adequate protection being simultaneously ensured to activity and staff. Analytical Field:  Service's analytical capacity was enhanced on both operational and strategic dimension;  the process of information analysis standardization continued by developing, adapting, or using tools similar to those used by the Euro-Atlantic Community;  progress was made in terms of professional expertise of analysts, by  harnessing both internal (specialized professional training, teamwork and cooperation, respectively exchange of experience and good practices) and external potential (by the participation of SRI analysts in various national and international cooperation activities in the field);  briefing of local customers was streamlined;  the quality of information documents improved, as reflected by mostly positive reactions of legal beneficiaries. Technical Dimension:  secure IT & C systems to support information processes became operational, pilot projects for electronic document management being implemented and collaborative platforms that facilitate communication and analytical processing of information developed;  specialized communication systems for proper management of EU and NATO classified information were developed and accredited;  the National CYBERINT Center became operational;  capabilities to perform technical investigations, conduct documentation/ research activities and provide scientific and technical expertise were enhanced;  ability to design, develop, and manufacture specialized technical equipment was developed. 3 Cooperation Field: a) volume and depth of inter-institutional cooperation increased significantly at national level:  strong exchange of information was made with defense, public order and national security institutions;  cooperation with criminal prosecution bodies intensified, as reflected by the significant increase in the number of briefings or notifications, respectively joint actions carried out;  cooperation within the National Intelligence Community intensified;  secure electronic communication mechanisms were improved, allowing increased communication speed and more flexible cooperation systems; b) SRI enhanced its profile of valuable and reliable partner in international cooperation, which materialized in:  gaining recognition as a member of the European intelligence community;  enhancing cooperation with intelligence services of European countries and of other countries of strategic importance to Romania;  actively contributing to the intelligence process reform within NATO;  strengthening its profile within the EU and confirming the status of holder  of security expertise in consultation processes at national, respectively Community level;  supporting national efforts in processes relevant to security issues;  developing partnerships and initiating intelligence diplomacy actions to promote national interests. SRI implemented measures aimed at rethinking human resource management, such as:  reorganizing and merging components of human resource management activities in order to implement coherent staff selection, training, and promotion policies;  completing the draft SRI Career Guide;  ensuring effective distribution of positions to operational and functional areas, close to optimal model (70% - 30%);  revising the "Mihai Viteazul" National Intelligence Academy (ANIMV) curricula, starting ANIMV's re- accreditation process under the Bologna criteria;  reviewing regulations in the field to adapt activity to modern requirements of selection, training, and promotion;  establishing the National Institute for Intelligence Studies, which will conduct research on security and intelligence issues. 4  CHAPTER II ACTIVITY PARAMETERS II.1. Intelligence Activity The period under review was marked by operational performance as a result of a pro-active approach and activity efficiency, with the following peaks:  substantiating the Supreme Council of State Defense (CSAT) Decision no.69/2010 on preventing and combating tax evasion and bringing a substantial contribution to activities carried out by the Inter Working Group (GLI) and operational working groups established under this CSAT Decision. SRI has provided the GLI with information that led to dismantling of economic and financial crime networks and prevention of potential damages to national interests;  dismantling - in cooperation with the DNA and DIICOT - complex smuggling, organized crime and corruption networks;  preventing illegal immigrants from conducting activities likely to pose risks to the national security of Romania, respectively of allied countries;  developing analytical products on topics of high interest (such as the economic crisis, developments in areas of strategic importance to Romania, etc.) for key state decision makers to substantiate initiatives and measures in order to properly manage challenges associated to them. Activities followed the positive trend of previous years, the emphasis placed on the qualitative dimension and the focus on major cases with impact on national security ensuring efficient use of available information resources. As a result of increasing concern for relevance and focus on important issues, the amount of information saw a slight decrease, but increased quality allowed a sustained briefing of decision makers and - as shown in the dedicated subchapter - a substantial increase in the volume of completed cases by providing information and notifications to criminal investigation and prosecution bodies. SRI's efforts were correlated with the evolution of risks and threats, special attention being paid to economic issues, where crisis effects further posed significant challenges to achieving security goals. Besides, this section saw the most significant upward trend in terms of share of the total information volume with an increase of about 4% - a fact reflecting the connection between the Service's action priorities and national stage goals. At the same time, action was taken to monitor developments with impact on support for national efforts to manage the crisis, such as:  tax evasion with severe impact on state budget revenues;  moves associated with large scale organized crime;  forms of corruption or deficiencies in the functioning of administrative/ authority mechanisms. There were also increases in the share of information on risks and threats in the classified information protection, respectively the cyber field (including as a result of the National CYBERINT Center establishment, which allowed strengthening of capabilities to monitor and identify such threats). On the other hand, although the share and therefore the amount of information decreased, fields such as preventing and countering terrorism, counterespionage, or protection of constitutional order and values represented areas in which the Service achieved major operational successes, reflected also in the briefings or notifications disseminated to criminal investigation and prosecution bodies. At the Service level, distribution of information - in relation to national security issues - had the following structure:  economic security - 28.35%;  protection of constitutional order and values - 24.41%;  cross-border threats - 15.87%;  counterespionage and promotion of security interests - 14%;  terrorism prevention and countering - 12.33%;  protection of classified information - 3.16%;  IT&C risks and threats - 1.88%. II.2. Harnessing Information II.2.1. Informing the Decision Makers Reporting reflected the dynamics of security risks and threats, being aimed at avoiding surprises. Practically - as resulting from the feedback provided by customers and the analysis of their reactions - the Service managed to meet the information needs of the decision makers by:  connecting information objectives to priorities of the period, based on the Information Estimate and taking into account Romania's social and economic as well as foreign policy goals;  permanently monitoring and assessing the dynamics of threats and opportunities that allowed prompt implementation of operational adjustments necessary to get useful information to support decision  making;  implementing strict quality and opportunity standards, as a crucial element for information products. The information process was permanently connected to national security needs, through steps focusing on:  optimizing the strategic component of information and thus providing decision makers with analytical documents containing an important predictive component;  developing the dialogue with beneficiaries and capitalizing on it to adjust the focus of activities;  properly organizing efforts - at intra-institutional level and also within the framework of inter-institutional cooperation - to quickly respond to developments with potentially important impact on national security. 5   Strengthening the predictive component of information documents contributed to development of forecasts on the evolution of risk factors to national security.  On the other hand - similar to the previous year - SRI developed and disseminated to national beneficiaries, at their request or depending on the needs arising from the evolution of operational situation, complex assessment documents on the dynamics of security threats, triggering and predisposing factors, respectively the way in which the risk dynamics was reflected in the information documents provided by the Service over time.  Feedback provided by the decision-makers who benefited from SRI's analyses followed last years' upward trend, reflecting the positive results of information activity. Feedback volume increased by 8.2% (from 536 in 2009 to 580 in 2010) and the share of reactions containing positive assessments on the quality and timeliness of briefings received from SRI reached 91.89% (as compared to 82.84% in 2009). In terms of the national security issues addressed, the information documents disseminated to legal customers focused on:  economic security - 37.21%;  protection of constitutional values - 24.48%;  support for Romania's foreign policy objectives - 26.76%;  terrorist- and organized crime-related vulnerabilities / risks - 4.72%;  complex cross-sector analyses on security issues - 6.83%. On the whole, the total number of documents provided to government customers showed a relative decrease as compared to the previous year (4.36%), as a result of:  increase in complexity of information documents submitted due to information activity focus on major security problems;  dissemination of information documents to local administration customers, in the context of decentralization process. In 2010, SRI provided 2,291 integrated information documents to legal customers at central level (by 4.75% more than in 2009), materialized in 3,794 briefings. Documents intended for members of the Executive (55.12%) and Romania's Presidency (34.62%) accounted for the greatest share in the information volume, a distribution consistent with responsibilities to manage priorities of the stage Romania experienced. As in 2009, the volume of information documents for local administration customers (2,966 documents, of which 2,353 were provided to prefects, 541 to county council presidents, and 72 to both decision makers) saw a further increase (by 5.14%). Similar progress was made in terms of feedback from customers at local level, its volume increasing by 169.62% over 2009 (up to a total of 2,823). In the overwhelming majority of cases (99.5%), their reactions confirmed usefulness and appropriateness of the issues approached. Information documents provided by the Service resulted - in 524 cases - in measures taken by decision- makers at local level that were aimed at solving the problems, conducting checks or imposing penalties. II.2.2. Specific Preventive Measures To prevent or counter risks in its area of responsibility, SRI implemented 5,739 preventive measures, showing an upward trend (about 1%) as compared to 2009. According to legal responsibilities, those measures resulted in:  actions to determine some persons to give up activities generating potential security risks;  proposals to deny entr