The Honorable Mike Rogers and C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger to receive 31st William Oliver Baker Award

The Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA), a nonprofit, nonpartisan association focused on intelligence-related issues, announced on January 20 that the  Honorable Mike Rogers and C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger have been selected to be co-recipients of the 31st William Oliver Baker Award.

From 2011 to 2014, Rogers (R-MI) and Ruppersberger (D-MD) were chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the U.S. House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI), the committee primarily responsible for congressional oversight of the U.S. Intelligence Community. Together, their stewardship of the HPSCI was widely applauded for a bipartisan, pragmatic approach that promoted national security interests and minimized political posturing. Beginning in 2011, the pair worked together to pass five intelligence authorization bills over the next four years, following a six-year period without one. “We reengaged in serious oversight, and we could do that because we had the credibility of passing an authorization bill,” Chairman Rogers told NPR’s Robert Siegel in December.

Rogers retired from the U.S. House of Representatives at the conclusion of the 113th Congress after representing Michigan’s 8th Congressional District for 14 years. He was also a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee. Congressman Rogers is currently the host of the nationally-syndicated programSomething to Think About with Mike Rogers on Westwood One. He is also a CNN national security contributor.

Congressman Ruppersberger, who in 2003 became the first Democratic freshman ever appointed to the HPSCI, also left the committee at the conclusion of the 113th Congress. His 12-year term on the HPSCI is the longest in the committee’s history. The Congressman continues to serve Maryland’s 2nd Congressional District, which is home to the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command at Fort Meade.

“It’s an honor to receive this year’s William Oliver Baker Award for excellence in intelligence and national security activities from the Intelligence and National Security Alliance,” Rogers said. “Providing for the resources and tools the intelligence community needs to keep us safe has been the highest priority to me during my career. This award is an inspiration for me to continue engaging on the important issues of defense, intelligence and American exceptionalism in my post-Congressional life.”

Congressman Ruppersberger said, “I want to thank the Intelligence and National Security Alliance for this honor. I am truly humbled to accept this year’s William Oliver Baker Award, and especially honored considering my co-recipient, Mike Rogers. Early in our leadership positions, Mike and I agreed that there is no room for politics when it comes to our national security. It is gratifying to see that our commitment to bipartisanship and responsible oversight did not go unnoticed.”

Msgrs. Rogers and Ruppersberger will be the first co-recipients of the Baker Award, which INSA presents annually to recognize outstanding leaders for their sustained contributions to the intelligence and national security communities. Recipients are selected by the Baker Award Selection Committee, which is comprised of members from INSA’s leadership, Board of Directors and Board of Advisors.

INSA Chairman Ambassador John Negroponte said, “INSA is pleased to recognize two outstanding public servants in Congressman Rogers and Congressman Ruppersberger and the bipartisan spirit they brought to our national security mission. Under their leadership, the House Intelligence Committee provided essential oversight and support to intelligence agencies and policymakers. They truly embody the statesmanship ideal that William Oliver Baker stood for and are deserving recipients of an award in his name.”

Source: INSA