Obama Announces National Security Team

And we know that to be truly secure, we must adhere to our values as vigilantly as we protect our safety with no exceptions. I'm confident that Dennis Blair and Leon Panetta are the right leaders to advance the work of our intelligence communities. They are public servants with unquestioned integrity, broad experience, strong management skills, and the core pragmatism we need in dangerous times.

Together, they will form a team that is uniquely qualified to continue the good work that is being done while making the changes we need to stay ahead of nimble threats and sustain the trust of the American people.

Admiral Dennis Blair has seen the diverse uses of intelligence from many different perspectives. Over several decades in uniform, he learned firsthand the necessity of good intelligence for our men and women in uniform. As commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific, he developed a deep understanding of the critical importance of Asia and carried out a major offensive against violent extremists.

And as a former NSC staffer and the first associate director of Central Intelligence for Military Support, he is uniquely qualified to bridge -- to build bridges of cooperation among our national security institutions.

OBAMA: As DNI, Dennis will be the leader and manager of our intelligence community. He will have my full support as he develops our capabilities, strengthens information gathering and sharing, enhances cooperation with foreign governments, and provides policy makers with the information we need even if it's not always the information that we want.

As someone who has handled intelligence as a sailor at sea and a strategic thinker in Washington, he was have the expertise and authority to ensure that our 16 intelligence agencies act with unity of effort and of purpose.