WASHINGTON, Aug 28 (AFP) - The US government is heeding the September 11 commission's call to reform US intelligence and will take measures to improve its ability "to find, track and stop dangerous terrorists," President George W. Bush said Saturday.
In his weekly radio address, Bush -- highlighting measures in four executive orders and two presidential directives he signed on Friday -- noted that since the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, "America has remained on the offensive against terrorist enemies wherever they hide and plot."
He said the bipartisan Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States concluded that these efforts, as well as others reorganizing intelligence and law enforcement agency cooperation, "have made America safer.
"They also concluded that America is still not safe. I agree with both of those conclusions," said Bush.
"And so my administration is taking additional actions to reform our intelligence services and improve America's ability to find, track and stop dangerous terrorists."
Bush said he has asked the head of the Central Intelligence Agency "to perform the functions of the National Intelligence Director within the constraints of existing law, until Congress establishes that position."
Appointing a director to oversee all US intelligence programs was one of the September 11 panel's key recommendations.
"America needs a single official to coordinate the foreign and domestic activities of the intelligence community, with authority over personnel budgeting and policy," Bush said, adding that he is urging Congress to "act swiftly" on approving his nomination of Congressman Porter Goss to head the CIA.
Bush said that he has ordered the establishment of a national counterterrorism center that will "become our government's central knowledge bank for information about known and suspected terrorists."
The center will also "help ensure effective joint action across the government so that our efforts against terrorists are unified in priority and purpose."
Bush said he is also making sure that all government agencies "share vital threat information," and he has ordered the CIA director "to ensure that we have common standards and clear accountability measures for intelligence sharing."
"In all that lies ahead, America will stay focused and determined, and we will prevail," he declared.
The September 11 panel last month issued a report detailing problems in US intelligence that allowed the devastating 2001 attacks to occur, and called for a sweeping overhaul of US intelligence. Legislation on the matter will be complete in about one month, congressional leaders said Thursday.