U.S. President-elect Barack Obama officially named on Friday his intelligence team, including new CIA Director Leon Panetta and National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair.

"Good intelligence is not a luxury. It is a necessity," Obama said at a press conference in Washington, D.C. as he presented his choices for the two key posts.

"The men and women of the intelligence community have been on the front lines in this world of new and evolving dangers. They have served in the shadows, saved American lives, advanced our interests, and earned the respect of a grateful nation," he said.

Panetta, 70, sat in the House of Representatives for California from 1976 to 1993, and started to serve as the chief of staff to former President Bill Clinton in 1994.

His nomination draw criticism from intelligence community and the Congress, citing his lack of experience in spying.

However, Vice President-elect Joe Biden has defended the choice of Panetta, describing him as "a consumer of intelligence for a long time," who "understands the agency well."

Blair, a retired Navy general, was known for his position as the chief of the U.S. Pacific Command during the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, making him an intelligence Czar, literally.

If approved by the Senate, Blair is expected to lead 16 intelligence agencies fighting at the front-line of the anti- terror war, and oversee hot spots across the world concerning the U.S. security, including Iraq, Iran and DPRK.

He is also supposed to inherit the controversies including those over torture in interrogation and wiretapping without law- demanded warranty.

With no more than two weeks before his inauguration ceremony on Jan. 20, Obama vowed at the press conference that his new administration would observe the Geneva conventions in treating war prisoners.

"I was clear throughout this campaign, and have been clear throughout this transition that under my administration, the United States does not torture, we will abide by the Geneva conventions, that we will uphold our highest values and ideals," he said.

"I think it is important for us to do that not only because that's who we are, but also ultimately will make us safer. And will help in changing hearts and minds in our struggle against extremists," he added.

(Xinhua News Agency January 10, 2009)