PrintRequired Reading
Read Lowenthal's Chapter 3: "The US Intelligence Community" in Intelligence: From Secrets to Policy.
As you read, think critically and ask yourself:
- As a CIA executive coming from the analysis and production community, what cultural filters does Lowenthal bring to his discussion? What might this chapter look like if a covert operation or geospatial intelligence professional wrote it?
- Is the organization of the US intelligence community the best way to do business, or can you think of alternative approaches?
- Geospatial intelligence is concentrated in the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (formerly the National Imagery and Mapping Agency and formerly the Defense Mapping Agency (as its core)). Is this the best way to organize the geospatial intelligence contribution? In a later lesson, we will discuss in detail the evolution of the NGA and why it evolved as it did.
From the Armed Forces to the NSA to the Treasury Department, PostTV breaks down the 16 different agencies and organizations that collect intelligence for the U.S. government—and the 17th office that oversees them all. Watch the video below. (Davin Coburn / The Washington Post)
Video: America's intelligence community, explained (2:11)
There are 16 different federal agencies gathering intelligence for the US government. In 2004, a 17th Office of the Director of National Intelligence was set up to oversee them all. Here's what to know about America's intelligence community and how the different branches operated.
Start with the Armed Forces. Each service has at least one major intelligence organization to support its information needs. Then there are intelligence departments. Those are the offices embedded in other government agencies to enable their missions. The office of National Security Intelligence, which analyzes major drug cartels and facilitates counter-narcotics efforts. The Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence, which provides analysis on foreign nuclear weapons and global energy issues. The Office of Intelligence and Analysis, which focuses on domestic threats. The Bureau of Intelligence and Research, which provides analysis for the Secretary of State and ambassadors, and the Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, which focuses on international economic issues.
Finally, the National Agencies that help advise the Director of National Intelligence. Those include the CIA, which collects and analyzes foreign intelligence to inform policymakers. The NSA, which mostly monitors foreign information systems for signals intelligence, collecting data including cell phone and email traffic for intelligence and counterintelligence purposes and sometimes sweeping up information about Americans in the process. The Defense Intelligence Agency, which focuses on foreign military intelligence. The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which charts and maps the physical earth and human activity for national security purposes. And the National Reconnaissance Office, which designs, builds, launches, and maintains US spy satellites.
Then there's the FBI's counterintelligence unit, which helps protect the American homeland from foreign intelligence operations here. For the 2015 fiscal year, the White House requested sixty billion dollars for two programs that fund all of these agencies combined, but that's known as the black budget because the breakdown beyond that top line is classified. Earlier this year, to help Democrats introduce legislation that would force the White House to reveal more details about how that funding is actually spent.
Knowledge Check
Prepare for the quiz by answering the following questions.