US intelligence agencies overview
Director of National Intelligence
National Intelligence Strategy
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY (CIA)
Assessment
Organisation
The Directorate of Intelligence
The Directorate of Science and Technology
The Directorate of Operations
The Center for the Study of Intelligence
The Office of General Counsel
Chain of Command
Role and Mission
Modus Operandi
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence
DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE AGENCY (DIA)
Organisation
Chain of Command
Mission
Modus Operandi
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (DHS)
Mission
Organisation
Assessment
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION (FBI)
Organisation
FBI Intelligence Initiatives
FBI Information Technology
FBI Headquarters Divisions
Office of the General Counsel
Office of Professional Responsibility
Office of Public and Congressional Affairs
Chain of Command
Mission
Modus Operandi
NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY (NSA)
Organisation
Chain of Command
Intelligence oversight
Mission
Modus Operandi
The US Intelligence Community consists of a dedicated federal intelligence agency and six cabinet-level departments with intelligence sub-agencies and/or missions, all under the supervision of a Director of National Intelligence. Elements within the Intelligence Community include:
Central Intelligence Agency
Department of Energy
Department of Defence
* Air Force Intelligence
* Army Intelligence
* Navy Intelligence
* Marine Corps Intelligence
* National Security Agency (NSA)
* Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)
* National Reconnaissance Office (NRO)
* National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGIA)
Department of Homeland Security
* Coast Guard Intelligence
Department of State
* Bureau of Intelligence and Research
Justice Department
* Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Treasury Department
* Secret Service
Director of National Intelligence TOP
The US government is carrying out the most significant reorganisation and reform of intelligence activities since the National Security Act of 1947, while simultaneously conducting a multi-faceted covert campaign around the world. Central to these efforts is the newly-created office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). Under the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, the first DNI, John Negroponte, reports directly to the president and is responsible for coordinating the diverse activities of all 15 American intelligence agencies to achieve critical national objectives. The DNI has budgetary authority over national-level intelligence activities, including the power to shift funding between agencies, and serves as the president's principal advisor on intelligence. While all the agencies under DNI oversight remain within their current government departments, the White House did give the DNI management and budgetary authorities over FBI intelligence.
Creating a DNI position relieved the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (DCI) of conflicting responsibilities as both the country's top intelligence official and the director of a key intelligence agency. The CIA director now reports to the DNI. Though the DNI is not a member of the president's cabinet, an arrangement intended to protect the position from coming under political influence, he does have regular access to the president, including the daily intelligence briefing.
A new National Counter Proliferation Center (NCPC) was established on 21 December, 2005, reporting directly to the DNI. The NCPC is designed to "coordinate strategic planning within the Intelligence Community (IC) to enhance intelligence support to United States efforts to stem the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and related delivery systems. It will work with the Intelligence Community to identify critical intelligence gaps or shortfalls in collection, analysis or exploitation, and develop solutions to ameliorate or close these gaps."
National Intelligence Strategy TOP
The office of the DNI released a first National Intelligence Strategy of the United States of America in October 2005. Mission objectives outlined in the National Intelligence Strategy are:
* Defeat terrorists at home and abroad by disarming their operational capabilities, and seizing the initiative from them by promoting the growth of freedom and democracy;
* Prevent and counter the spread of Weapons of Mass Destruction;
* Bolster the growth of democracy and sustain peaceful democratic states;
* Develop innovative ways to penetrate and analyse the most difficult targets;
* Anticipate developments of strategic concern and identify opportunities as well as vulnerabilities for decision-makers.
The aim of the strategy is to solidify the place of the ODNI at the top of the intelligence hierarchy and set the framework for a truly integrated intelligence community. Much work remains to be done to realise these objectives
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY (CIA) TOP
TOTAL STRENGTH
n/a
Assessment TOP
The CIA remains in institutional flux and heavily engaged in Iraq, Afghanistan and around the world. The agency is struggling to absorb adjustments required by an unpopular director, Porter Goss, backed by a mistrustful White House, and from being a more equal member of a newly strengthened Intelligence Community headed by a non-agency Director of Intelligence.
The CIA is also experiencing severe personnel turbulence as numerous senior officers retire, and thousands of new personnel are recruited, vetted, trained and placed on active service. Further disruption has been caused by the constant shifting of personnel since 11 September 2001 from permanent assignments to temporary duty positions required by the expanded operations in the Middle East, Central and South Asia. One result has been inconsistent coverage and unfulfilled priorities in other parts of the world, such as Latin America.
The CIA is also struggling to overcome domestic distrust in the wake of uncomfortable public exposure and debate over rendition, confinement and interrogation practices. According to press reporting, suspected Islamist extremist operatives and associates have been seized around the world, confined in a global network of secret facilities and moved around by covert flights to destinations that included third countries with a history of torture.
On the positive side, the criticism that followed the agency's failure to identify the plans for the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks has encouraged the CIA to work more closely with other countries' intelligence services. Some reports indicate that the CIA is playing an increasing role in cooperative ventures with allied security services, particularly in Europe, which are making serious inroads against terrorist threats. One report described a joint programme in France in which US and French operatives work closely with representatives from other European countries to disrupt terrorist cells.
Important among many inter-agency disagreements with the Department of Defense, the CIA has retained leading agency authority for Human Intelligence (HUMINT) activities across the Intelligence Community.
Organisation TOP
The CIA was created in 1947 with the signing of the National Security Act by President Harry S Truman. The legislation charged the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) with co-ordinating US intelligence activities and evaluating intelligence affecting national security.
The number of employees and the size of the CIA's budget have not been publicly disclosed. While classified, the budget and size of the CIA are scrutinised by the Office of Management and Budget and by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and the Defense Subcommittees of the Appropriations Committees in both houses of Congress.
2004 reorganisation: President Bush in a November 2004 memorandum ordered the CIA to adopt a number of reforms recommended by the 9/11 Commission. These include improving analysis and human intelligence capabilities, strengthening the agency's foreign language programme, seeking diversity in recruiting so that operations officers can blend into foreign cities, and building seamless interactions between human source collection and signals collection at the operational level.
The White House memorandum directs the CIA to increase the number of all-source analysts by 50 per cent, and to assign analysts "in a manner that strengthens CIA and Intelligence Community analytical capabilities focused on terrorism, proliferation of WMD, the Near East and South Asia, and other key strategic areas in Asia, while maintaining substantial analytical capabilities focused on other issues and regions." The president ordered increased investments in developing the abilities of analysts and fielding tools to help in analysis and to handle increasing amounts of all-source information.
The CIA was also ordered to increase the number of officers in the Directorate of Operations by 50 per cent, with a majority to be drawn from "diverse backgrounds" and capable of conducting HUMINT. The number of CIA officers proficient in "mission critical languages" also should grow by 50 per cent, and the agency is to develop information technology to support foreign language use. Further, the president directed the agency to double the number of officers involved in research and development of technologies to aid efforts to block terrorism, WMD proliferation and other emerging threats.
The Directorate of Intelligence TOP
As the analytical branch of the CIA, the Directorate of Intelligence (DI) is responsible for the production and dissemination of intelligence analysis on the full range of national security threats and foreign policy issues facing the US.
Headed by the Deputy Director for Intelligence, the DI provides integrated, multidisciplinary analysis on key foreign countries, regional conflicts, and issues such as terrorism, weapons proliferation, international crime and narcotics trafficking and the environment.
DI personnel are responsible for analysis of terrorist issues within the DCI Counter-Terrorism Center. The CIA doubled the size of the centre in the wake of the 11 September terrorist attacks on the US. Personnel from the FBI, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) have joined the programme.
Together with the Directorate of Science and Technology, the DI jointly manages an office, which develops new automated analytic tools. The DI operates state-of-the-art technology to analyse intelligence information drawn from clandestine and open sources.
In addition to its responsibilities to the presidential administration the DI also serves a number of Congressional committees and specialised government agencies such as the FBI, the US Customs Service, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The DI also provides support to diplomatic negotiations and military operations.
The Directorate of Science and Technology TOP
This directorate creates and applies innovative technology in support of intelligence collection. This includes:
* The development of information technology applications for data exploitation and analysis;
* The collection, processing, translation, and dissemination of information and materials of intelligence value from foreign open sources;
* Providing support for the National Reconnaissance Office in designing, building, and operating satellite reconnaissance systems to support global information superiority for the US;
* The application of state-of-the-art technologies to support the clandestine collection of vital intelligence.
The Directorate of Operations TOP
This directorate is responsible for the clandestine collection of foreign intelligence.
The Center for the Study of Intelligence TOP
Maintains the CIA's historical materials and promotes the study of intelligence.
The Office of General Counsel TOP
This office advises the DCI on all legal matters relating to his roles as head of the CIA. It is also the principal source of legal counsel for the CIA and the DCI's Community Management Staff.
Chain of Command TOP
The head of the CIA is Porter Goss, who took over in September 2004. The Deputy Director of Central Intelligence (DDCI) assists the director in his duties as head of the CIA. He also exercises the director's powers when the position is vacant or in the director's absence. The CIA is an independent agency, responsible to the president through the Director of National Intelligence, and accountable to the electorate through the intelligence oversight committees of Congress. The National Security Council (NSC) provides guidance and direction for national foreign intelligence and counter-intelligence activities, including those of the CIA. The CIA is not a policy-making organisation; it advises policymakers on matters of foreign intelligence, and it conducts covert actions only at the direction of the president.
The CIA reports regularly to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, as required by the Intelligence Oversight Act of 1980 and various Executive Orders. The CIA also reports regularly to the Defense Subcommittees of the Appropriations Committees in both houses of Congress. Moreover, the CIA provides substantive briefings to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the Armed Services Committees in both bodies, as well as other committees and individual members.
Role and Mission TOP
The CIA's mission is to support the president and the NSC by:
* Providing accurate, comprehensive, and timely foreign intelligence on national security issues;
* Conducting counter-intelligence activities, special activities, and other functions related to foreign intelligence and national security, as directed by the president.
Modus Operandi TOP
To accomplish its mission, the CIA engages in research, development, and deployment of technology for intelligence purposes. As a separate agency, the CIA serves as an independent source of analysis on topics of concern and also works closely with the other intelligence organisations.
The CIA has sought to adapt to the new security environment by:
* Creating special, multidisciplinary centres to address such high-priority issues such as non-proliferation, counter-terrorism, counter-intelligence, international organised crime and narcotics trafficking, environment, and arms control intelligence;
* Forging stronger partnerships between the several intelligence collection disciplines and all-source analysis;
* Managing services of common concern in imagery analysis and open-source collection and participating in partnerships with other intelligence agencies in the areas of research and development and technical collection.
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE TOP
Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence TOP
This office was created on 8 May 2003 to support a new Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence, charged with oversight and co-ordination of all department intelligence activities. Stephen A. Cambone was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the first Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence in March 2003. The Undersecretary represents the Department - including the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), the National Security Agency (NSA) and other activities - to the Director of National Intelligence and acts as principal staff assistant to the Secretary of Defense on intelligence. Not surprisingly, the Pentagon strongly resisted giving up control of the DIA, NSA and NRO to the new Director of National Intelligence. The creation of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence is widely considered as a move by the DoD to unify and strengthen its intelligence posture.
DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE AGENCY (DIA) TOP
TOTAL STRENGTH
Over 7,500 (civilian and military)
Organisation TOP
The DIA, which was established in 1961, is a designated Combat Support Agency and the senior military intelligence component of the US intelligence community.
The DIA is staffed by civilian and military personnel, with headquarters at Bolling AFB in Washington, DC. Major operational activities are the Defense Intelligence Analysis Center (DIAC) at Bolling, the Armed Forces Medical Intelligence Center (AFMIC) at Ft. Detrick, Maryland, and the Missile and Space Intelligence Center (MSIC), Huntsville, Alabama. DIA defence attaches are accredited to most American embassies around the world and DIA liaison officers are assigned to each unified military command.
The organisation of the DIA comprises the following:
* Directorate for Intelligence Joint Staff (J2)
* Directorate for Analysis
* Directorate for Human Intelligence
* Directorate for Measurement and Signature Intelligence (MASINT) and Technical Collection
* Directorate for Administration
* Directorate for Information Management and Chief Information Officer
* Directorate for External Relations
Chain of Command TOP
The Director of the DIA, currently Army Lieutenant General Michael D. Maples, is always a three-star military officer appointed by the Secretary of Defense. He serves as principal adviser to the Secretary of Defense and to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) on matters of military intelligence. The DIA is under the operational control of the JCS, with staff supervision exercised by the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence on behalf of the Secretary of Defense.
The DIA Director also chairs the Military Intelligence Board (MIB), which co-ordinates activities of the defence intelligence community. The MIB comprises the Senior Intelligence Officer of each service component and unified command, the directors of defense intelligence agencies, and the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence. It meets several times a month to discuss community intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance issues and intelligence analysis in order to develop community-wide positions, make resource allocation and programming decisions.
Mission TOP
The mission of the DIA is to satisfy the military intelligence requirements of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the DoD and the US armed forces. Key areas include support for combat operations, targeting and battle damage assessment, weapons proliferation, indications and warning of crises, the provision and maintenance of data bases on foreign military organisations and equipment, and biographical information on foreign military leaders.
The DIA is a major producer and manager of military intelligence. It employs specialists in military history and doctrine, regional affairs, economics, physics, chemistry, world history, political science, the biological sciences and computer science. It provides military intelligence to warfighters, defence policymakers and force planners throughout the DoD and the Intelligence Community in support of US military planning, operations and weapon systems acquisition.
Modus Operandi TOP
In carrying out its numerous missions, the DIA co-ordinates and disseminates military intelligence analysis for defence officials and military commanders worldwide, working in close concert with the intelligence components of the military services and the US unified commands.
New technical intelligence systems provide greater access to foreign military information. New software and the ability to share databases have allowed analysts to contrast, compare, and compile information more quickly and efficiently. Perhaps most importantly, an improved communications network enables efficient, rapid transmission of intelligence to and from military forces around the globe.
The DIA's Fiscal Years 2004-2009 strategic plan acknowledges the special challenges presented by the threat of terrorists and other non-state actors as well as cyber warfare. The strategy identifies agency goals in maintaining a skilled workforce, pursuing advanced and integrated collection capabilities; conducting responsive analysis and exploiting information technology.
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (DHS) TOP
TOTAL STRENGTH
170,000
Mission TOP
The mission of the Department of Homeland Security is to ensure security for the US. The DHS is intended to prevent and deter terrorist attacks; protect against and respond to threats and hazards to the country; ensure safe and secure borders; welcome lawful immigrants and visitors; and promote the free-flow of commerce. The department has issued a six-point agenda to clarify how it will implement its mission over the near term:
1. Increase overall preparedness, particularly for catastrophic events
2. Create better transportation security systems to move people and cargo more securely and efficiently
3. Strengthen border security and interior enforcement and reform immigration processes
4. Enhance information sharing with partners
5. Improve DHS financial management, human resource development, procurement and information technology
6. Realign the DHS organisation to maximise mission performance
Organisation TOP
The DHS was created following the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 by amalgamating 22 federal agencies and departments that previously shared some responsibility for protecting the country. This heralded what has been called the most significant transformation of the US government in half a century - the creation of the first cabinet-level department since the Department of Defense in 1947. The DHS consists of four divisions, all of which perform some degree of intelligence functions and require substantial amounts of intelligence from other agencies.
The Border and Transportation Security division is responsible for over 7,000 miles of land border and a shoreline that stretches for some 95,000 miles. More than 500 million people cross the border every year, two thirds of whom are not US citizens. As the sole body responsible for border security, this includes the former Customs Service (previously part of Treasury), the Immigration and Naturalisation Service and Border Patrol (previously with the Justice Department), the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (Department of Agriculture), and the Transportation Security Adminsitration (from the Department of Transportation).
The Emergency Preparedness and Response division was created out of the former Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and is tasked to limit the impact of any successful terrorist attacks or natural disasters. The division helps train emergency responders and is supposed to take the lead in case of an actual attack or disaster.
The Chemical Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Countermeasures division is tasked with taking the lead in preparing for and responding to the full range of attacks by terrorists using Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). This includes taking charge of research into all methods of WMD attack by assuming responsibility for the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and also the Plum Island Animal Disease Centre.
The final division is Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection, responsible for coordinating all aspects of threat analysis and warnings. The aim is to complement the FBI counterterrorism efforts by ensuring that information from the FBI is analysed with all other available intelligence from a DHS perspective. The DHS and the FBI have been tasked to co-operate using standardised operating procedures to ensure the free and secure flow of information and thus exchange personnel as appropriate. This division is also responsible for Critical Infrastructure Protection. The department is tasked with coordinating the protection of designated vital resources, of which 85 per cent are owned by the private sector. Resources such as food, water, agriculture, emergency services, energy, transportation and telecommunication, have all been designated as critical for the functioning of the country and the department is responsible for assessing and implementing the best possible protection of these assets.
Assessment TOP
The DHS continues trying to establish itself and bring a new level of coordination and information sharing among the various agency cultures represented. The 2004 budget request showed the administration's commitment to the new department. There was a 25 per cent increase in the budget for border security, plus a reported 16 per cent increase in federal money for the emergency services. There was also a USD6 billion allocation for defending against bioterrorism. These headline figures show that the department could have a significant impact in co-ordinating the response to terrorism.
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION (FBI) TOP
TOTAL STRENGTH
11,400 Special Agents; 16,400 support staff
Organisation TOP
From headquarters in Washington, DC, the FBI supervises and supports Field Offices in 56 major US cities, including San Juan, Puerto Rico. Each Field Office is led by a Special Agent in Charge (SAC) or, in the case of Los Angeles, New York City, and Washington DC, an Assistant Director in Charge (ADIC). Field Offices historically have a tremendous amount of operational, management and budgetary autonomy from headquarters, which has proven problematic in trying to evaluate and combat international terrorism threats. Field Offices generally tend to mistrust the operational perspective at headquarters and often suspect headquarters of trying to interfere with what they believe is much more capable local knowledge on cases, resulting in numerous examples of Field Offices failing to circulate vital intelligence or disregarding guidance from headquarters. Conversely, headquarters managers have a hard time escaping from the operational gravity at work in the Hoover Building, FBI HQ on Pennsylvania Avenue, and within the greater Washington, DC interagency "beltway".
ADICs at the larger Field Offices are assisted by SACs responsible for specific programmes, such as Terrorism or Organised Crime. SACs in the 53 other Field Offices are aided by one or more Assistant Special Agents in Charge of similar sub-areas. SACs also are assisted by Squad Supervisors in charge of investigative work and Administrative Officers, who administer support operations.
In addition to the main facilities the FBI also operate satellite offices, known as resident agencies. The number of resident agencies under each field office varies, as does the number of employees. Each of the larger resident agencies is managed by a Supervisory Senior Resident Agent, who reports to the field office that covers the area.
The FBI also operates four Information Technology Centers (ITCs) in Pocatello, Idaho; Fort Monmouth, New Jersey; Butte, Montana; and Savannah, Georgia. The ITCs provide information services to support field investigative and administrative operations.
The FBI also maintains more than 40 foreign liaison offices, each headed by a Legal Attaché or Legal Liaison Officer working out of American Embassies, including Baghdad and Kabul. These Special Agents work with US and local authorities on criminal matters within FBI jurisdiction to facilitate the exchange of information with foreign agencies on matters relating to international crime. However, such operations require the approval of the host country and co-ordination with the Department of State through the FBI's International Operations Branch of the Criminal Investigative Division at FBI HQ. This branch also is responsible for contacts with other Executive Branch agencies working abroad, with Interpol; and with the representatives of foreign police and security services in Washington, DC. The FBI also operates a training programme for foreign law enforcement agencies that includes teams of agents and specialists working overseas, and the training of foreign officials at the FBI Academy in Quantico, VA and elsewhere in the United States.
FBI Intelligence Initiatives TOP
The FBI is the largest investigative agency of the US federal government and as such has had a difficult time assuming the intelligence collection, processing and dissemination functions required by the current international terrorist threat. Though the FBI avoided much of the initial criticism in the aftermath of 11 September 2001, scrutiny has increased markedly, particularly with the release in 2005 of several reports critical of the bureau. A Justice Department Inspector General report shed new light on widely publicised failings to identify and track several hijackers who were in the US preparing for the attacks, and FBI handling of an internal memo that highlighted the possibility that al-Qaeda might be using flying lessons as attack preparations.
These and similar findings sparked additional calls for reform, and the Bush administration responded with management and organisational changes meant to boost the bureau's contributions to counterterrorism and terrorist-related intelligence activities. The White House also gave the Director of National Intelligence control over the FBI's intelligence budget and an intelligence management role. In June 2005 the Bush administration ordered the implementation of significant changes at the FBI, including the establishment of a new National Security Service to handle counterintelligence and counterterrorism missions and to take on intelligence collection, processing and analysis. An Executive Assistant Director was appointed to oversee the new service, including the bureau's counterterrorism and counterintelligence divisions as well as the Directorate of Intelligence.
However, an underlying problem at the FBI is an evolved and insular law enforcement agency culture, poorly suited for counter terrorism intelligence work, which has proven incredibly resistant to numerous reform attempts since 1996. As late as December 2005, intelligence professionals continued to leave the FBI in frustration and to express their views in the open press. During congressional testimony in 2005, the Justice Department Inspector General, Glenn Fine, noted that the FBI suffers high attrition among experienced analysts, partly due to assigning them non-intelligence related administrative tasks.
Partly as yet another attempt to address these problems, the Directorate of Intelligence was created as a professional framework with responsibility for investigating threats, developing intelligence policies and capabilities, and contributing intelligence information and analysis to national security, homeland security and law enforcement. Not for the first time, a veteran CIA officer was brought in to head an inter-agency team of counterterrorism specialists at the FBI as part of an effort to more closely co-operate with the CIA's Counter-Terrorism Center.
Other anti-terrorism efforts have taken the form of task forces, including Joint Terrorism Task Forces with state, local and other federal authorities; the National Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task Force. There is also an Office of Law Enforcement Coordination and the National Intel Sharing Project. However, even these initiatives have not been free of criticism. During the 2004 presidential campaign, FBI agents assigned to Joint Terrorism Task Forces in several cities, including Denver, were accused of harassing anti-Iraq War activists on orders from Washington and of trying to pressure them into not attending the Republican National Convention in Boston.
FBI Information Technology TOP
The state of FBI information technology is only slowly improving after nearly a decade of effort and the expenditure of enormous sums. Although the FBI has made significant progress in upgrading its information technology infrastructure, changes are still needed according to multiple government reports. The "Trilogy" computer programme, a high-speed network and user interface system known as the Virtual Case File, is intended to permit organising, accessing and analysing information from anywhere within the FBI and desktop computers are now operational. In February 2005 in congressional testimony, FBI Director Robert Mueller testified that the first two phases of Trilogy were complete and deployed, and providing the following Information Technology (IT) capabilities:
* A high-speed, secure network, enabling personnel in FBI offices around the country and around the world to share data, including audio, video and image files. Also provides secure communications with the larger US Intelligence Community;
* 30,000 new desktop computers with modern software applications, nearly 4,000 new printers, 1,600 scanners, 465 servers, and 1,400 routers;
* The FBI's Investigative Data Warehouse (IDW) software, providing Special Agents, Intelligence Analysts, and members of Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTFs) with a single access point to more than 47 sources of counterterrorism data, including information from FBI files, other government agency data, and open source news feeds, that were previously available only through separate, stove-piped systems;
* New analytical tools for use across multiple data sources, providing a more complete view of the information possessed by the Bureau. Users can search up to 100 million pages of international terrorism-related documents and other structured records such as addresses and phone numbers in seconds. They can also search rapidly for pictures of known terrorists and match or compare the pictures with other individuals in minutes rather than days. Coupled with sophisticated state-of-the-art search tools, the IDW enhances the FBI's ability to identify relationships across cases quickly and easily;
* Other critical IT improvements have enabled the FBI to proceed with unprecedented connectivity with the US Intelligence and Law Enforcement Communities. The Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information Operational Network (SCION) gives FBI personnel the ability to electronically receive, disseminate, and share compartmented sources of intelligence information among the FBI's counterterrorism and counterintelligence operations and with the Intelligence Community. SCION also provides for video teleconferencing at the top secret level.
FBI Headquarters Divisions TOP
Investigative programmes
In addition to counter-terrorism activities, the FBI's investigative efforts are organised to focus on the following areas:
* Counterintelligence
* Cyber
* Public corruption
* Civil rights
* Organised crime
* White collar crime
* Fugitives
* Illegal drugs
* Crimes against children
* Environmental
Criminal Justice Information Services Division
Headquartered in Clarksburg, West Virginia, this division provides state-of-the-art identification and information services to local, state, federal, and international criminal justice organisations.
The CJIS Division includes the Fingerprint Identification Program, the National Crime Information Center Program, the Uniform Crime Reporting Program, and the development of the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS). The IAFIS is a new, computer-based system that can store, process, analyse, and retrieve millions of fingerprints in a relatively short period of time.
FBI Laboratory
Located at the FBI Academy at Quantico, the lab offers assistance to federal criminal justice and other law enforcement entities in analysing evidence, keeping databases and other specialised technical support.
Investigative Technologies Division
Supports investigators and the US intelligence community in the areas of electronic surveillance, cybertechnology, and wireless and radio communications.
Training Division
Located in Quantico, Virginia, this law enforcement training centre manages the FBI Academy and trains FBI Special Agents and professional support staff as well as local, state, federal and international law enforcement personnel.
Police training programmes include the FBI National Academy, an 11-week multidisciplinary programme for experienced law enforcement managers; the Executive Training programme for Chief Executive Officers of the US's largest law enforcement organisations; and Operational Assistance, which trains law enforcement personnel how to respond in certain emergency situations.
In addition, FBI Academy faculty members conduct research and provide assistance to federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Another resource is the College of Analytical Studies, which offers computer system training. In FY 2002, the FBI's international training efforts resulted in training to more than 8,050 police officers and executives from 118 countries.
Office of the General Counsel TOP
The Office of the General Counsel (OGC) provides legal advice to the Director and other FBI officials. In addition, OGC personnel research legal questions regarding law enforcement and national security issues and co-ordinate the defence of civil litigation and administrative claims involving the FBI, its personnel and its records.
Office of Professional Responsibility TOP
The Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) is responsible for investigating allegations of criminal conduct and serious misconduct by FBI employees. Additionally, OPR is responsible for the adjudication of cases of administrative discipline based on its investigation, determining whether the allegations have been substantiated and making written findings and recommendations regarding disciplinary action. OPR maintains liaison with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Office of the Inspector General. It is responsible for establishing procedures regarding the disciplinary process and for monitoring its effectiveness to ensure that the ability of the FBI to perform its law enforcement and national security functions is not impaired.
Office of Public and Congressional Affairs TOP
The OPCA communicates information on FBI investigations, services, programmes, policy, and achievements to the public, Congress, and the news media. It manages relations with the electronic and print media; prepares FBI publications; answers verbal and written inquiries from the general public, scholars, and authors regarding the FBI.
Chain of Command TOP
The FBI is a part of the Department of Justice, responsible and subordinate to the attorney general of the US. The Director of the FBI was appointed by the attorney general until 1968. Since then, by law, he became subject to appointment by the president with the advice and consent of the Senate. The term of the director is limited to 10 years.
An Assistant Director heads each of the 11 HQ divisions, the Office of Public and Congressional Affairs, and the Office of Professional Responsibility. The Office of the General Counsel is headed by the FBI's General Counsel.
Assistant Directors of each division are supported by Deputy Assistant Directors (DADs). FBI HQ divisions and offices are usually arranged along broad functional lines into sections, and then into smaller, more specialised work groups known as units.
Mission TOP
The FBI's mission is to uphold the law through the investigation of violations of federal criminal law, to protect the US from foreign intelligence and terrorist activities, and to provide leadership and law enforcement assistance to federal, state, local, and international agencies. The bureau's core values include adherence to rule of law and civil rights, integrity, accountability, fairness and leadership.
The FBI has the broadest investigative mandate of all federal law enforcement agencies. Crimes that come under federal jurisdiction (for example, those committed in more than one state) are the responsibility of the FBI, which also provides assistance through fingerprint identification and technical laboratory services to state and local law-enforcement agencies.
The FBI also conducts background security checks concerning nominees to sensitive government positions.
Modus Operandi TOP
Facilities at the FBI Laboratory, which is one of the most technologically advanced in the world, include crime scene searches, special surveillance photography, latent-fingerprint examinations, and forensic examinations of evidence, including DNA testing and advanced computer forensics).
NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY (NSA) TOP
TOTAL STRENGTH
20,000 (estimate)
Organisation TOP
The NSA was established by presidential directive in 1952 by Harry S Truman to co-ordinate US cryptologic and communications activities. Since then, the NSA has gained the responsibility for information systems security and operations security training. The Central Security Service (CSS) was established in 1972 to provide cryptologic activities within the military and thereby a more unified DoD effort in this field. As a separately organised agency within the DoD, the NSA plans, co-ordinates, directs, and conducts foreign signals intelligence (SIGINT) and information assurance functions. Under a 1986 law, NSA became a combat support agency of the DoD.
Most NSA employees, both civilian and military, are headquartered at Fort Meade, Maryland, centrally located between Baltimore and Washington, DC. Its workforce includes analysts, engineers, physicists, mathematicians, linguists, computer scientists, researchers, as well as customer relations specialists, security officers, data flow experts, managers, administrative and clerical assistants. Its mathematicians contribute directly to the two missions: designing systems that will protect the integrity of US information systems and searching for weaknesses in adversaries' systems and codes.
Chain of Command TOP
The Director of the NSA, currently Army Lieutenant General Keith Alexander, is always a three-star military officer appointed by the Secretary of Defense. The Director of the NSA is under the operational control of the JCS, with staff supervision exercised by the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence on behalf of the Secretary of Defense.
Intelligence oversight TOP
The NSA has unique national authority to conduct and coordinate SIGINT collection in response to requirements levied by the armed forces and by other members of the intelligence community, including the CIA, DIA, and the FBI. An annual list of SIGINT requirements generated for NSA collection provides the NSA Director and the Secretary of Defense with the opportunity to provide guidance for the coming year's activities. By law, all collection requirements levied on NSA must be for foreign intelligence, with specific prohibitions against collecting on American citizens within the United States. This point caused considerable consternation late in 2005, when it was revealed that shortly after September 2001 President Bush had secretly authorized the NSA to collect against targets in the US without obtaining warrants as directed by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978. Congress will conduct hearings on the legality of the president's decision early in 2006. Meanwhile, one result of the disclosure is a slump in morale at the NSA, where many professionals fear the public will now challenge NSA's ethical credibility, seriously damaging its reputation and reducing public support.
Mission TOP
A primary mission of the NSA is the collection and analysis of signals intelligence. This function has been described by former Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet as 'one of the pillars of US intelligence'. Signals intelligence is vital to monitor terrorist activities, compliance with arms control treaties, narcotics trafficking, the development of WMD and for traditional Indications & Warning.
In its SIGINT role, NSA intercepts, processes, analyses and disseminates information derived from foreign electrical emissions and other electromagnetic activity to produce intelligence information for federal government leaders and military commanders. Many of these signals are protected by codes, ciphers, and complex electronic countermeasures.
SIGINT consists of three elements: Communications Intelligence (COMINT), Electronics Intelligence (ELINT), and Telemetry Intelligence (TELINT). COMINT is intelligence information derived from the interception and analysis of foreign communications. ELINT is technical and intelligence information derived from electromagnetic radiation, such as radar. TELINT is technical and intelligence information derived from the interception, processing, and analysis of foreign telemetry.
The NSA is also responsible for protecting the security of information systems of US government agencies from exploitation by foreign intelligence services and from unauthorised disclosure. This information assurance mission includes the preparation of codes and encoding devices. NSA's Information Assurance Directorate is responsible for detecting, reporting and addressing threats; developing encryption codes to allow secure information exchange; security for the US military's Global Information Grid; developing secure audio and video communications equipment; testing intelligence community systems for security and evaluating commercial software and hardware systems.
In addition, NSA is one of the most important centres of foreign language analysis and research and development within the government.
Modus Operandi TOP
The NSA is not excluded from the criticism that the 15 intelligence agencies lacked vision in how to address global terrorist networks and that a parochial mindset has kept the agencies from co-operating more thoroughly. There has been concern that centralising oversight of the intelligence agencies under a new Director of National Intelligence might wrest control of NSA activities away from the DoD. Advocates say this could allow the agency to take a fresh, non-military look at the terrorism problem, while critics say it could hurt military requirements.
National Intelligence Strategy
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY (CIA)
Assessment
Organisation
The Directorate of Intelligence
The Directorate of Science and Technology
The Directorate of Operations
The Center for the Study of Intelligence
The Office of General Counsel
Chain of Command
Role and Mission
Modus Operandi
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence
DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE AGENCY (DIA)
Organisation
Chain of Command
Mission
Modus Operandi
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (DHS)
Mission
Organisation
Assessment
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION (FBI)
Organisation
FBI Intelligence Initiatives
FBI Information Technology
FBI Headquarters Divisions
Office of the General Counsel
Office of Professional Responsibility
Office of Public and Congressional Affairs
Chain of Command
Mission
Modus Operandi
NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY (NSA)
Organisation
Chain of Command
Intelligence oversight
Mission
Modus Operandi
The US Intelligence Community consists of a dedicated federal intelligence agency and six cabinet-level departments with intelligence sub-agencies and/or missions, all under the supervision of a Director of National Intelligence. Elements within the Intelligence Community include:
Central Intelligence Agency
Department of Energy
Department of Defence
* Air Force Intelligence
* Army Intelligence
* Navy Intelligence
* Marine Corps Intelligence
* National Security Agency (NSA)
* Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)
* National Reconnaissance Office (NRO)
* National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGIA)
Department of Homeland Security
* Coast Guard Intelligence
Department of State
* Bureau of Intelligence and Research
Justice Department
* Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Treasury Department
* Secret Service
Director of National Intelligence TOP
The US government is carrying out the most significant reorganisation and reform of intelligence activities since the National Security Act of 1947, while simultaneously conducting a multi-faceted covert campaign around the world. Central to these efforts is the newly-created office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). Under the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, the first DNI, John Negroponte, reports directly to the president and is responsible for coordinating the diverse activities of all 15 American intelligence agencies to achieve critical national objectives. The DNI has budgetary authority over national-level intelligence activities, including the power to shift funding between agencies, and serves as the president's principal advisor on intelligence. While all the agencies under DNI oversight remain within their current government departments, the White House did give the DNI management and budgetary authorities over FBI intelligence.
Creating a DNI position relieved the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (DCI) of conflicting responsibilities as both the country's top intelligence official and the director of a key intelligence agency. The CIA director now reports to the DNI. Though the DNI is not a member of the president's cabinet, an arrangement intended to protect the position from coming under political influence, he does have regular access to the president, including the daily intelligence briefing.
A new National Counter Proliferation Center (NCPC) was established on 21 December, 2005, reporting directly to the DNI. The NCPC is designed to "coordinate strategic planning within the Intelligence Community (IC) to enhance intelligence support to United States efforts to stem the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and related delivery systems. It will work with the Intelligence Community to identify critical intelligence gaps or shortfalls in collection, analysis or exploitation, and develop solutions to ameliorate or close these gaps."
National Intelligence Strategy TOP
The office of the DNI released a first National Intelligence Strategy of the United States of America in October 2005. Mission objectives outlined in the National Intelligence Strategy are:
* Defeat terrorists at home and abroad by disarming their operational capabilities, and seizing the initiative from them by promoting the growth of freedom and democracy;
* Prevent and counter the spread of Weapons of Mass Destruction;
* Bolster the growth of democracy and sustain peaceful democratic states;
* Develop innovative ways to penetrate and analyse the most difficult targets;
* Anticipate developments of strategic concern and identify opportunities as well as vulnerabilities for decision-makers.
The aim of the strategy is to solidify the place of the ODNI at the top of the intelligence hierarchy and set the framework for a truly integrated intelligence community. Much work remains to be done to realise these objectives
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY (CIA) TOP
TOTAL STRENGTH
n/a
Assessment TOP
The CIA remains in institutional flux and heavily engaged in Iraq, Afghanistan and around the world. The agency is struggling to absorb adjustments required by an unpopular director, Porter Goss, backed by a mistrustful White House, and from being a more equal member of a newly strengthened Intelligence Community headed by a non-agency Director of Intelligence.
The CIA is also experiencing severe personnel turbulence as numerous senior officers retire, and thousands of new personnel are recruited, vetted, trained and placed on active service. Further disruption has been caused by the constant shifting of personnel since 11 September 2001 from permanent assignments to temporary duty positions required by the expanded operations in the Middle East, Central and South Asia. One result has been inconsistent coverage and unfulfilled priorities in other parts of the world, such as Latin America.
The CIA is also struggling to overcome domestic distrust in the wake of uncomfortable public exposure and debate over rendition, confinement and interrogation practices. According to press reporting, suspected Islamist extremist operatives and associates have been seized around the world, confined in a global network of secret facilities and moved around by covert flights to destinations that included third countries with a history of torture.
On the positive side, the criticism that followed the agency's failure to identify the plans for the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks has encouraged the CIA to work more closely with other countries' intelligence services. Some reports indicate that the CIA is playing an increasing role in cooperative ventures with allied security services, particularly in Europe, which are making serious inroads against terrorist threats. One report described a joint programme in France in which US and French operatives work closely with representatives from other European countries to disrupt terrorist cells.
Important among many inter-agency disagreements with the Department of Defense, the CIA has retained leading agency authority for Human Intelligence (HUMINT) activities across the Intelligence Community.
Organisation TOP
The CIA was created in 1947 with the signing of the National Security Act by President Harry S Truman. The legislation charged the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) with co-ordinating US intelligence activities and evaluating intelligence affecting national security.
The number of employees and the size of the CIA's budget have not been publicly disclosed. While classified, the budget and size of the CIA are scrutinised by the Office of Management and Budget and by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and the Defense Subcommittees of the Appropriations Committees in both houses of Congress.
2004 reorganisation: President Bush in a November 2004 memorandum ordered the CIA to adopt a number of reforms recommended by the 9/11 Commission. These include improving analysis and human intelligence capabilities, strengthening the agency's foreign language programme, seeking diversity in recruiting so that operations officers can blend into foreign cities, and building seamless interactions between human source collection and signals collection at the operational level.
The White House memorandum directs the CIA to increase the number of all-source analysts by 50 per cent, and to assign analysts "in a manner that strengthens CIA and Intelligence Community analytical capabilities focused on terrorism, proliferation of WMD, the Near East and South Asia, and other key strategic areas in Asia, while maintaining substantial analytical capabilities focused on other issues and regions." The president ordered increased investments in developing the abilities of analysts and fielding tools to help in analysis and to handle increasing amounts of all-source information.
The CIA was also ordered to increase the number of officers in the Directorate of Operations by 50 per cent, with a majority to be drawn from "diverse backgrounds" and capable of conducting HUMINT. The number of CIA officers proficient in "mission critical languages" also should grow by 50 per cent, and the agency is to develop information technology to support foreign language use. Further, the president directed the agency to double the number of officers involved in research and development of technologies to aid efforts to block terrorism, WMD proliferation and other emerging threats.
The Directorate of Intelligence TOP
As the analytical branch of the CIA, the Directorate of Intelligence (DI) is responsible for the production and dissemination of intelligence analysis on the full range of national security threats and foreign policy issues facing the US.
Headed by the Deputy Director for Intelligence, the DI provides integrated, multidisciplinary analysis on key foreign countries, regional conflicts, and issues such as terrorism, weapons proliferation, international crime and narcotics trafficking and the environment.
DI personnel are responsible for analysis of terrorist issues within the DCI Counter-Terrorism Center. The CIA doubled the size of the centre in the wake of the 11 September terrorist attacks on the US. Personnel from the FBI, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) have joined the programme.
Together with the Directorate of Science and Technology, the DI jointly manages an office, which develops new automated analytic tools. The DI operates state-of-the-art technology to analyse intelligence information drawn from clandestine and open sources.
In addition to its responsibilities to the presidential administration the DI also serves a number of Congressional committees and specialised government agencies such as the FBI, the US Customs Service, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The DI also provides support to diplomatic negotiations and military operations.
The Directorate of Science and Technology TOP
This directorate creates and applies innovative technology in support of intelligence collection. This includes:
* The development of information technology applications for data exploitation and analysis;
* The collection, processing, translation, and dissemination of information and materials of intelligence value from foreign open sources;
* Providing support for the National Reconnaissance Office in designing, building, and operating satellite reconnaissance systems to support global information superiority for the US;
* The application of state-of-the-art technologies to support the clandestine collection of vital intelligence.
The Directorate of Operations TOP
This directorate is responsible for the clandestine collection of foreign intelligence.
The Center for the Study of Intelligence TOP
Maintains the CIA's historical materials and promotes the study of intelligence.
The Office of General Counsel TOP
This office advises the DCI on all legal matters relating to his roles as head of the CIA. It is also the principal source of legal counsel for the CIA and the DCI's Community Management Staff.
Chain of Command TOP
The head of the CIA is Porter Goss, who took over in September 2004. The Deputy Director of Central Intelligence (DDCI) assists the director in his duties as head of the CIA. He also exercises the director's powers when the position is vacant or in the director's absence. The CIA is an independent agency, responsible to the president through the Director of National Intelligence, and accountable to the electorate through the intelligence oversight committees of Congress. The National Security Council (NSC) provides guidance and direction for national foreign intelligence and counter-intelligence activities, including those of the CIA. The CIA is not a policy-making organisation; it advises policymakers on matters of foreign intelligence, and it conducts covert actions only at the direction of the president.
The CIA reports regularly to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, as required by the Intelligence Oversight Act of 1980 and various Executive Orders. The CIA also reports regularly to the Defense Subcommittees of the Appropriations Committees in both houses of Congress. Moreover, the CIA provides substantive briefings to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the Armed Services Committees in both bodies, as well as other committees and individual members.
Role and Mission TOP
The CIA's mission is to support the president and the NSC by:
* Providing accurate, comprehensive, and timely foreign intelligence on national security issues;
* Conducting counter-intelligence activities, special activities, and other functions related to foreign intelligence and national security, as directed by the president.
Modus Operandi TOP
To accomplish its mission, the CIA engages in research, development, and deployment of technology for intelligence purposes. As a separate agency, the CIA serves as an independent source of analysis on topics of concern and also works closely with the other intelligence organisations.
The CIA has sought to adapt to the new security environment by:
* Creating special, multidisciplinary centres to address such high-priority issues such as non-proliferation, counter-terrorism, counter-intelligence, international organised crime and narcotics trafficking, environment, and arms control intelligence;
* Forging stronger partnerships between the several intelligence collection disciplines and all-source analysis;
* Managing services of common concern in imagery analysis and open-source collection and participating in partnerships with other intelligence agencies in the areas of research and development and technical collection.
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE TOP
Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence TOP
This office was created on 8 May 2003 to support a new Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence, charged with oversight and co-ordination of all department intelligence activities. Stephen A. Cambone was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the first Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence in March 2003. The Undersecretary represents the Department - including the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), the National Security Agency (NSA) and other activities - to the Director of National Intelligence and acts as principal staff assistant to the Secretary of Defense on intelligence. Not surprisingly, the Pentagon strongly resisted giving up control of the DIA, NSA and NRO to the new Director of National Intelligence. The creation of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence is widely considered as a move by the DoD to unify and strengthen its intelligence posture.
DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE AGENCY (DIA) TOP
TOTAL STRENGTH
Over 7,500 (civilian and military)
Organisation TOP
The DIA, which was established in 1961, is a designated Combat Support Agency and the senior military intelligence component of the US intelligence community.
The DIA is staffed by civilian and military personnel, with headquarters at Bolling AFB in Washington, DC. Major operational activities are the Defense Intelligence Analysis Center (DIAC) at Bolling, the Armed Forces Medical Intelligence Center (AFMIC) at Ft. Detrick, Maryland, and the Missile and Space Intelligence Center (MSIC), Huntsville, Alabama. DIA defence attaches are accredited to most American embassies around the world and DIA liaison officers are assigned to each unified military command.
The organisation of the DIA comprises the following:
* Directorate for Intelligence Joint Staff (J2)
* Directorate for Analysis
* Directorate for Human Intelligence
* Directorate for Measurement and Signature Intelligence (MASINT) and Technical Collection
* Directorate for Administration
* Directorate for Information Management and Chief Information Officer
* Directorate for External Relations
Chain of Command TOP
The Director of the DIA, currently Army Lieutenant General Michael D. Maples, is always a three-star military officer appointed by the Secretary of Defense. He serves as principal adviser to the Secretary of Defense and to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) on matters of military intelligence. The DIA is under the operational control of the JCS, with staff supervision exercised by the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence on behalf of the Secretary of Defense.
The DIA Director also chairs the Military Intelligence Board (MIB), which co-ordinates activities of the defence intelligence community. The MIB comprises the Senior Intelligence Officer of each service component and unified command, the directors of defense intelligence agencies, and the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence. It meets several times a month to discuss community intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance issues and intelligence analysis in order to develop community-wide positions, make resource allocation and programming decisions.
Mission TOP
The mission of the DIA is to satisfy the military intelligence requirements of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the DoD and the US armed forces. Key areas include support for combat operations, targeting and battle damage assessment, weapons proliferation, indications and warning of crises, the provision and maintenance of data bases on foreign military organisations and equipment, and biographical information on foreign military leaders.
The DIA is a major producer and manager of military intelligence. It employs specialists in military history and doctrine, regional affairs, economics, physics, chemistry, world history, political science, the biological sciences and computer science. It provides military intelligence to warfighters, defence policymakers and force planners throughout the DoD and the Intelligence Community in support of US military planning, operations and weapon systems acquisition.
Modus Operandi TOP
In carrying out its numerous missions, the DIA co-ordinates and disseminates military intelligence analysis for defence officials and military commanders worldwide, working in close concert with the intelligence components of the military services and the US unified commands.
New technical intelligence systems provide greater access to foreign military information. New software and the ability to share databases have allowed analysts to contrast, compare, and compile information more quickly and efficiently. Perhaps most importantly, an improved communications network enables efficient, rapid transmission of intelligence to and from military forces around the globe.
The DIA's Fiscal Years 2004-2009 strategic plan acknowledges the special challenges presented by the threat of terrorists and other non-state actors as well as cyber warfare. The strategy identifies agency goals in maintaining a skilled workforce, pursuing advanced and integrated collection capabilities; conducting responsive analysis and exploiting information technology.
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (DHS) TOP
TOTAL STRENGTH
170,000
Mission TOP
The mission of the Department of Homeland Security is to ensure security for the US. The DHS is intended to prevent and deter terrorist attacks; protect against and respond to threats and hazards to the country; ensure safe and secure borders; welcome lawful immigrants and visitors; and promote the free-flow of commerce. The department has issued a six-point agenda to clarify how it will implement its mission over the near term:
1. Increase overall preparedness, particularly for catastrophic events
2. Create better transportation security systems to move people and cargo more securely and efficiently
3. Strengthen border security and interior enforcement and reform immigration processes
4. Enhance information sharing with partners
5. Improve DHS financial management, human resource development, procurement and information technology
6. Realign the DHS organisation to maximise mission performance
Organisation TOP
The DHS was created following the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 by amalgamating 22 federal agencies and departments that previously shared some responsibility for protecting the country. This heralded what has been called the most significant transformation of the US government in half a century - the creation of the first cabinet-level department since the Department of Defense in 1947. The DHS consists of four divisions, all of which perform some degree of intelligence functions and require substantial amounts of intelligence from other agencies.
The Border and Transportation Security division is responsible for over 7,000 miles of land border and a shoreline that stretches for some 95,000 miles. More than 500 million people cross the border every year, two thirds of whom are not US citizens. As the sole body responsible for border security, this includes the former Customs Service (previously part of Treasury), the Immigration and Naturalisation Service and Border Patrol (previously with the Justice Department), the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (Department of Agriculture), and the Transportation Security Adminsitration (from the Department of Transportation).
The Emergency Preparedness and Response division was created out of the former Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and is tasked to limit the impact of any successful terrorist attacks or natural disasters. The division helps train emergency responders and is supposed to take the lead in case of an actual attack or disaster.
The Chemical Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Countermeasures division is tasked with taking the lead in preparing for and responding to the full range of attacks by terrorists using Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). This includes taking charge of research into all methods of WMD attack by assuming responsibility for the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and also the Plum Island Animal Disease Centre.
The final division is Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection, responsible for coordinating all aspects of threat analysis and warnings. The aim is to complement the FBI counterterrorism efforts by ensuring that information from the FBI is analysed with all other available intelligence from a DHS perspective. The DHS and the FBI have been tasked to co-operate using standardised operating procedures to ensure the free and secure flow of information and thus exchange personnel as appropriate. This division is also responsible for Critical Infrastructure Protection. The department is tasked with coordinating the protection of designated vital resources, of which 85 per cent are owned by the private sector. Resources such as food, water, agriculture, emergency services, energy, transportation and telecommunication, have all been designated as critical for the functioning of the country and the department is responsible for assessing and implementing the best possible protection of these assets.
Assessment TOP
The DHS continues trying to establish itself and bring a new level of coordination and information sharing among the various agency cultures represented. The 2004 budget request showed the administration's commitment to the new department. There was a 25 per cent increase in the budget for border security, plus a reported 16 per cent increase in federal money for the emergency services. There was also a USD6 billion allocation for defending against bioterrorism. These headline figures show that the department could have a significant impact in co-ordinating the response to terrorism.
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION (FBI) TOP
TOTAL STRENGTH
11,400 Special Agents; 16,400 support staff
Organisation TOP
From headquarters in Washington, DC, the FBI supervises and supports Field Offices in 56 major US cities, including San Juan, Puerto Rico. Each Field Office is led by a Special Agent in Charge (SAC) or, in the case of Los Angeles, New York City, and Washington DC, an Assistant Director in Charge (ADIC). Field Offices historically have a tremendous amount of operational, management and budgetary autonomy from headquarters, which has proven problematic in trying to evaluate and combat international terrorism threats. Field Offices generally tend to mistrust the operational perspective at headquarters and often suspect headquarters of trying to interfere with what they believe is much more capable local knowledge on cases, resulting in numerous examples of Field Offices failing to circulate vital intelligence or disregarding guidance from headquarters. Conversely, headquarters managers have a hard time escaping from the operational gravity at work in the Hoover Building, FBI HQ on Pennsylvania Avenue, and within the greater Washington, DC interagency "beltway".
ADICs at the larger Field Offices are assisted by SACs responsible for specific programmes, such as Terrorism or Organised Crime. SACs in the 53 other Field Offices are aided by one or more Assistant Special Agents in Charge of similar sub-areas. SACs also are assisted by Squad Supervisors in charge of investigative work and Administrative Officers, who administer support operations.
In addition to the main facilities the FBI also operate satellite offices, known as resident agencies. The number of resident agencies under each field office varies, as does the number of employees. Each of the larger resident agencies is managed by a Supervisory Senior Resident Agent, who reports to the field office that covers the area.
The FBI also operates four Information Technology Centers (ITCs) in Pocatello, Idaho; Fort Monmouth, New Jersey; Butte, Montana; and Savannah, Georgia. The ITCs provide information services to support field investigative and administrative operations.
The FBI also maintains more than 40 foreign liaison offices, each headed by a Legal Attaché or Legal Liaison Officer working out of American Embassies, including Baghdad and Kabul. These Special Agents work with US and local authorities on criminal matters within FBI jurisdiction to facilitate the exchange of information with foreign agencies on matters relating to international crime. However, such operations require the approval of the host country and co-ordination with the Department of State through the FBI's International Operations Branch of the Criminal Investigative Division at FBI HQ. This branch also is responsible for contacts with other Executive Branch agencies working abroad, with Interpol; and with the representatives of foreign police and security services in Washington, DC. The FBI also operates a training programme for foreign law enforcement agencies that includes teams of agents and specialists working overseas, and the training of foreign officials at the FBI Academy in Quantico, VA and elsewhere in the United States.
FBI Intelligence Initiatives TOP
The FBI is the largest investigative agency of the US federal government and as such has had a difficult time assuming the intelligence collection, processing and dissemination functions required by the current international terrorist threat. Though the FBI avoided much of the initial criticism in the aftermath of 11 September 2001, scrutiny has increased markedly, particularly with the release in 2005 of several reports critical of the bureau. A Justice Department Inspector General report shed new light on widely publicised failings to identify and track several hijackers who were in the US preparing for the attacks, and FBI handling of an internal memo that highlighted the possibility that al-Qaeda might be using flying lessons as attack preparations.
These and similar findings sparked additional calls for reform, and the Bush administration responded with management and organisational changes meant to boost the bureau's contributions to counterterrorism and terrorist-related intelligence activities. The White House also gave the Director of National Intelligence control over the FBI's intelligence budget and an intelligence management role. In June 2005 the Bush administration ordered the implementation of significant changes at the FBI, including the establishment of a new National Security Service to handle counterintelligence and counterterrorism missions and to take on intelligence collection, processing and analysis. An Executive Assistant Director was appointed to oversee the new service, including the bureau's counterterrorism and counterintelligence divisions as well as the Directorate of Intelligence.
However, an underlying problem at the FBI is an evolved and insular law enforcement agency culture, poorly suited for counter terrorism intelligence work, which has proven incredibly resistant to numerous reform attempts since 1996. As late as December 2005, intelligence professionals continued to leave the FBI in frustration and to express their views in the open press. During congressional testimony in 2005, the Justice Department Inspector General, Glenn Fine, noted that the FBI suffers high attrition among experienced analysts, partly due to assigning them non-intelligence related administrative tasks.
Partly as yet another attempt to address these problems, the Directorate of Intelligence was created as a professional framework with responsibility for investigating threats, developing intelligence policies and capabilities, and contributing intelligence information and analysis to national security, homeland security and law enforcement. Not for the first time, a veteran CIA officer was brought in to head an inter-agency team of counterterrorism specialists at the FBI as part of an effort to more closely co-operate with the CIA's Counter-Terrorism Center.
Other anti-terrorism efforts have taken the form of task forces, including Joint Terrorism Task Forces with state, local and other federal authorities; the National Joint Terrorism Task Force and the Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task Force. There is also an Office of Law Enforcement Coordination and the National Intel Sharing Project. However, even these initiatives have not been free of criticism. During the 2004 presidential campaign, FBI agents assigned to Joint Terrorism Task Forces in several cities, including Denver, were accused of harassing anti-Iraq War activists on orders from Washington and of trying to pressure them into not attending the Republican National Convention in Boston.
FBI Information Technology TOP
The state of FBI information technology is only slowly improving after nearly a decade of effort and the expenditure of enormous sums. Although the FBI has made significant progress in upgrading its information technology infrastructure, changes are still needed according to multiple government reports. The "Trilogy" computer programme, a high-speed network and user interface system known as the Virtual Case File, is intended to permit organising, accessing and analysing information from anywhere within the FBI and desktop computers are now operational. In February 2005 in congressional testimony, FBI Director Robert Mueller testified that the first two phases of Trilogy were complete and deployed, and providing the following Information Technology (IT) capabilities:
* A high-speed, secure network, enabling personnel in FBI offices around the country and around the world to share data, including audio, video and image files. Also provides secure communications with the larger US Intelligence Community;
* 30,000 new desktop computers with modern software applications, nearly 4,000 new printers, 1,600 scanners, 465 servers, and 1,400 routers;
* The FBI's Investigative Data Warehouse (IDW) software, providing Special Agents, Intelligence Analysts, and members of Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTFs) with a single access point to more than 47 sources of counterterrorism data, including information from FBI files, other government agency data, and open source news feeds, that were previously available only through separate, stove-piped systems;
* New analytical tools for use across multiple data sources, providing a more complete view of the information possessed by the Bureau. Users can search up to 100 million pages of international terrorism-related documents and other structured records such as addresses and phone numbers in seconds. They can also search rapidly for pictures of known terrorists and match or compare the pictures with other individuals in minutes rather than days. Coupled with sophisticated state-of-the-art search tools, the IDW enhances the FBI's ability to identify relationships across cases quickly and easily;
* Other critical IT improvements have enabled the FBI to proceed with unprecedented connectivity with the US Intelligence and Law Enforcement Communities. The Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information Operational Network (SCION) gives FBI personnel the ability to electronically receive, disseminate, and share compartmented sources of intelligence information among the FBI's counterterrorism and counterintelligence operations and with the Intelligence Community. SCION also provides for video teleconferencing at the top secret level.
FBI Headquarters Divisions TOP
Investigative programmes
In addition to counter-terrorism activities, the FBI's investigative efforts are organised to focus on the following areas:
* Counterintelligence
* Cyber
* Public corruption
* Civil rights
* Organised crime
* White collar crime
* Fugitives
* Illegal drugs
* Crimes against children
* Environmental
Criminal Justice Information Services Division
Headquartered in Clarksburg, West Virginia, this division provides state-of-the-art identification and information services to local, state, federal, and international criminal justice organisations.
The CJIS Division includes the Fingerprint Identification Program, the National Crime Information Center Program, the Uniform Crime Reporting Program, and the development of the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS). The IAFIS is a new, computer-based system that can store, process, analyse, and retrieve millions of fingerprints in a relatively short period of time.
FBI Laboratory
Located at the FBI Academy at Quantico, the lab offers assistance to federal criminal justice and other law enforcement entities in analysing evidence, keeping databases and other specialised technical support.
Investigative Technologies Division
Supports investigators and the US intelligence community in the areas of electronic surveillance, cybertechnology, and wireless and radio communications.
Training Division
Located in Quantico, Virginia, this law enforcement training centre manages the FBI Academy and trains FBI Special Agents and professional support staff as well as local, state, federal and international law enforcement personnel.
Police training programmes include the FBI National Academy, an 11-week multidisciplinary programme for experienced law enforcement managers; the Executive Training programme for Chief Executive Officers of the US's largest law enforcement organisations; and Operational Assistance, which trains law enforcement personnel how to respond in certain emergency situations.
In addition, FBI Academy faculty members conduct research and provide assistance to federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Another resource is the College of Analytical Studies, which offers computer system training. In FY 2002, the FBI's international training efforts resulted in training to more than 8,050 police officers and executives from 118 countries.
Office of the General Counsel TOP
The Office of the General Counsel (OGC) provides legal advice to the Director and other FBI officials. In addition, OGC personnel research legal questions regarding law enforcement and national security issues and co-ordinate the defence of civil litigation and administrative claims involving the FBI, its personnel and its records.
Office of Professional Responsibility TOP
The Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) is responsible for investigating allegations of criminal conduct and serious misconduct by FBI employees. Additionally, OPR is responsible for the adjudication of cases of administrative discipline based on its investigation, determining whether the allegations have been substantiated and making written findings and recommendations regarding disciplinary action. OPR maintains liaison with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Office of the Inspector General. It is responsible for establishing procedures regarding the disciplinary process and for monitoring its effectiveness to ensure that the ability of the FBI to perform its law enforcement and national security functions is not impaired.
Office of Public and Congressional Affairs TOP
The OPCA communicates information on FBI investigations, services, programmes, policy, and achievements to the public, Congress, and the news media. It manages relations with the electronic and print media; prepares FBI publications; answers verbal and written inquiries from the general public, scholars, and authors regarding the FBI.
Chain of Command TOP
The FBI is a part of the Department of Justice, responsible and subordinate to the attorney general of the US. The Director of the FBI was appointed by the attorney general until 1968. Since then, by law, he became subject to appointment by the president with the advice and consent of the Senate. The term of the director is limited to 10 years.
An Assistant Director heads each of the 11 HQ divisions, the Office of Public and Congressional Affairs, and the Office of Professional Responsibility. The Office of the General Counsel is headed by the FBI's General Counsel.
Assistant Directors of each division are supported by Deputy Assistant Directors (DADs). FBI HQ divisions and offices are usually arranged along broad functional lines into sections, and then into smaller, more specialised work groups known as units.
Mission TOP
The FBI's mission is to uphold the law through the investigation of violations of federal criminal law, to protect the US from foreign intelligence and terrorist activities, and to provide leadership and law enforcement assistance to federal, state, local, and international agencies. The bureau's core values include adherence to rule of law and civil rights, integrity, accountability, fairness and leadership.
The FBI has the broadest investigative mandate of all federal law enforcement agencies. Crimes that come under federal jurisdiction (for example, those committed in more than one state) are the responsibility of the FBI, which also provides assistance through fingerprint identification and technical laboratory services to state and local law-enforcement agencies.
The FBI also conducts background security checks concerning nominees to sensitive government positions.
Modus Operandi TOP
Facilities at the FBI Laboratory, which is one of the most technologically advanced in the world, include crime scene searches, special surveillance photography, latent-fingerprint examinations, and forensic examinations of evidence, including DNA testing and advanced computer forensics).
NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY (NSA) TOP
TOTAL STRENGTH
20,000 (estimate)
Organisation TOP
The NSA was established by presidential directive in 1952 by Harry S Truman to co-ordinate US cryptologic and communications activities. Since then, the NSA has gained the responsibility for information systems security and operations security training. The Central Security Service (CSS) was established in 1972 to provide cryptologic activities within the military and thereby a more unified DoD effort in this field. As a separately organised agency within the DoD, the NSA plans, co-ordinates, directs, and conducts foreign signals intelligence (SIGINT) and information assurance functions. Under a 1986 law, NSA became a combat support agency of the DoD.
Most NSA employees, both civilian and military, are headquartered at Fort Meade, Maryland, centrally located between Baltimore and Washington, DC. Its workforce includes analysts, engineers, physicists, mathematicians, linguists, computer scientists, researchers, as well as customer relations specialists, security officers, data flow experts, managers, administrative and clerical assistants. Its mathematicians contribute directly to the two missions: designing systems that will protect the integrity of US information systems and searching for weaknesses in adversaries' systems and codes.
Chain of Command TOP
The Director of the NSA, currently Army Lieutenant General Keith Alexander, is always a three-star military officer appointed by the Secretary of Defense. The Director of the NSA is under the operational control of the JCS, with staff supervision exercised by the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence on behalf of the Secretary of Defense.
Intelligence oversight TOP
The NSA has unique national authority to conduct and coordinate SIGINT collection in response to requirements levied by the armed forces and by other members of the intelligence community, including the CIA, DIA, and the FBI. An annual list of SIGINT requirements generated for NSA collection provides the NSA Director and the Secretary of Defense with the opportunity to provide guidance for the coming year's activities. By law, all collection requirements levied on NSA must be for foreign intelligence, with specific prohibitions against collecting on American citizens within the United States. This point caused considerable consternation late in 2005, when it was revealed that shortly after September 2001 President Bush had secretly authorized the NSA to collect against targets in the US without obtaining warrants as directed by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978. Congress will conduct hearings on the legality of the president's decision early in 2006. Meanwhile, one result of the disclosure is a slump in morale at the NSA, where many professionals fear the public will now challenge NSA's ethical credibility, seriously damaging its reputation and reducing public support.
Mission TOP
A primary mission of the NSA is the collection and analysis of signals intelligence. This function has been described by former Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet as 'one of the pillars of US intelligence'. Signals intelligence is vital to monitor terrorist activities, compliance with arms control treaties, narcotics trafficking, the development of WMD and for traditional Indications & Warning.
In its SIGINT role, NSA intercepts, processes, analyses and disseminates information derived from foreign electrical emissions and other electromagnetic activity to produce intelligence information for federal government leaders and military commanders. Many of these signals are protected by codes, ciphers, and complex electronic countermeasures.
SIGINT consists of three elements: Communications Intelligence (COMINT), Electronics Intelligence (ELINT), and Telemetry Intelligence (TELINT). COMINT is intelligence information derived from the interception and analysis of foreign communications. ELINT is technical and intelligence information derived from electromagnetic radiation, such as radar. TELINT is technical and intelligence information derived from the interception, processing, and analysis of foreign telemetry.
The NSA is also responsible for protecting the security of information systems of US government agencies from exploitation by foreign intelligence services and from unauthorised disclosure. This information assurance mission includes the preparation of codes and encoding devices. NSA's Information Assurance Directorate is responsible for detecting, reporting and addressing threats; developing encryption codes to allow secure information exchange; security for the US military's Global Information Grid; developing secure audio and video communications equipment; testing intelligence community systems for security and evaluating commercial software and hardware systems.
In addition, NSA is one of the most important centres of foreign language analysis and research and development within the government.
Modus Operandi TOP
The NSA is not excluded from the criticism that the 15 intelligence agencies lacked vision in how to address global terrorist networks and that a parochial mindset has kept the agencies from co-operating more thoroughly. There has been concern that centralising oversight of the intelligence agencies under a new Director of National Intelligence might wrest control of NSA activities away from the DoD. Advocates say this could allow the agency to take a fresh, non-military look at the terrorism problem, while critics say it could hurt military requirements.
posted by Marko at 5/25/2006 12:11:00 AM
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