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　　U.S. President Barack Obama has chosen the Defense¹ Department's head of intelligence to oversee² the nation's 16 intelligence agencies. Retired³ Air Force General James Clapper is the president's choice to be the new Director of National Intelligence.
美国总统奥巴马挑选国防部情报负责人监督美国16个情报机构的工作。美国空军退役将军詹姆斯.克拉珀是奥巴马总统新任国家情报总监的人选。
President Obama says General Clapper is one of the nation's most experienced and most respected intelligence professionals.
奥巴马说，克拉珀将军是美国最有经验，也是最受尊敬的情报专业人士之一。
"He has improved information-sharing, increased intelligence support to our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, upheld civil liberties, and he played a key role in our effort to update and reorient our intelligence community to meet the threats of our time," said President Obama.
他说：“他提高并增加了驻阿富汗和伊拉克美军的资源共享和情报支持，维护了公民自由。他还在我们更新和调整情报机构，以适应当前这个时代的威胁中发挥了关键作用。”
If approved by the Senate, Clapper would be the fourth Director of National Intelligence. Retired Admiral Dennis Blair resigned last month after a series of conflicts with the White House.
如果获得参议院批准，克拉珀将是第四任国家情报总监。退役的海军上将丹尼斯.布莱尔在与白宫发生一系列冲突后于上个月辞职。
Mr. Obama introduced his nominee⁴ Saturday in a brief speech in the White House Rose Garden.
奥巴马星期六在白宫玫瑰园发表简短讲话，介绍了他提名的人。
Clapper spoke⁵ for only 40 seconds, saying nominees⁶ for Director of National Intelligence (DNI) are "better seen than heard."
克拉珀只发表了40秒的讲话。他说，国家情报总监提名人“做出让人有目共睹的工作比夸夸其谈重要”。
"We have the largest, most capable intelligence enterprise on the planet, and it is the solemn, sacred trust in the DNI to make that enterprise work," he said.
他说：“我们有全世界最大、最有能力的情报机构，对于国家情报总监庄严而神圣的信任使得这个机构能够运转。”
Clapper has spent several decades in military intelligence. He led the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which analyzes⁷ images taken from above. He also headed the Defense Intelligence Agency, which often works closely with the CIA.
克拉珀从事了几十年的军事情报工作。他曾领导美国国家地球空间情报局。该机构负责分析从上方拍摄的图像。他还曾担任国防情报局负责人。这个机构常常与美国中央情报局开展密切合作。
Clapper is known for being blunt and direct. His manner has won praise in the military, but some of the lawmakers who will decide whether he is confirmed say he is not cooperative enough.
克拉珀因他的直率和不拐弯抹角而闻名。他的这一行事作风在军中赢得赞扬，但是将决定他的任命能否得到确认的一些国会议员表示克拉珀的态度不够合作。
President Obama says Clapper's no-nonsense style will be an asset in his new job.
奥巴马说，克拉珀严肃的风格将是他新工作中的一大优势。
"He possesses a quality that I value in all my advisors⁸: a willingness to tell leaders what we need to know, even if it is not what we want to hear," added President Obama.
他说：“他拥有一种品质，这也是我对我所有的顾问非常重视的一点，那就是愿意告诉领导人们我们需要知道的东西，即使那并不是我们想要听到的。”
Mr. Obama admits that coordinating⁹ the activities of 16 U.S. spy agencies is a major challenge, but he believes Clapper will be able to do so.
奥巴马承认，协调美国16个情报机构的活动是一项重大挑战，但是他相信克拉珀将能够胜任这份工作。
"In short, our intelligence community needs to work as one integrated team that produces quality, timely and accurate intelligence. And let us be honest, this is a tough task. But this will be Jim's core mission, he is eminently¹⁰ qualified¹¹, and he has my complete confidence and support," Obama explained.
奥巴马说：“总而言之，我们的情报机构需要作为一个一体的团队，收集高质量的、及时的和准确的情报。让我们坦率地说，这是一项艰巨的任务。但是这将是吉姆的核心任务。他绝对有资格胜任这份工作，他拥有我完全的信任和支持。”
The president says the U.S. intelligence community has vastly improved since the terrorist attacks on New York and the Pentagon in 2001. But he says December's incident in which a Nigerian man boarded a jet headed for Detroit with explosives hidden in his underwear shows that more work lies ahead.
奥巴马总统说，美国的情报机构在2001年对纽约和五角大楼的恐怖袭击后已经获得了重大的改善。但是他说，去年12月一名尼日利亚男子将爆炸物藏在内衣里登上一架飞往底特律的班机的事件显示，还有更多的工作摆在面前。
Mr. Obama is calling on the Senate to quickly approve General Clapper's nomination¹².
奥巴马呼吁参议院尽快批准对克拉珀的提名。