Obama announces key intelligence appointments

Jan 9, 2009, 15:42 GMT

Washington - US president-elect Barack Obama named former Clinton White House chief of staff Leon Panetta to head the CIA and nominated a retired Navy admiral to oversee the entire intelligence community.

Dennis Blair, the chief of US Pacific Command from 1999 to 2002, will become the director of national intelligence, a so-called czar for coordinating the espionage activities and analyses of the nation's 16 intelligence organizations.

In addition to the CIA, those include the Defence Intelligence Agency and the super secret National Security Agency, as well as outfits in the Army, Navy, Air Force, State Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The choice of Panetta, 70, has been questioned because he does not have direct experience in the intelligence field, but also reflects the difficulty of finding seasoned candidates untainted by President George W Bush's harsh interrogation policies in the war on terrorism.

The CIA has been criticized for its use of waterboarding on a handful of terrorist suspects and other allegations of torture.

'I was clear throughout this campaign and have been clear throughout this transition that under my administration the United States does not torture,' Obama said. 'We will abide by the Geneva Conventions, (and) we will uphold our highest values and ideals.'

'That is a clear charge that I have given to admiral Blair and to Leon Panetta,' he said.

The selections fill out the most senior national security positions for the Obama cabinet. The Senate must confirm both nominees.

Obama, in December, named former rival Hillary Clinton as secretary of state, and said that he was keeping Defence Secretary Robert Gates in the post. Former Marine General James Jones will serve as his national security advisor.

Blair, 61, will be responsible for providing the president with daily intelligence briefings, usually the first order of business every morning, and ensuring Obama receives a broad array of perspectives from the various agencies.

Some Democratic and Republican senators have criticized the choice of Panetta for his lack of experience and for it being leaked to the media before members of Congress were briefed. But it is widely expected that Panetta's nomination will clear the Senate.