department, renamed it the Department of Defense, and withdrew the
cabinet-level status of the three military secretaries.
Five units within the Department of Defense collect intelligence
information. The National Security Agency (NSA) collects,
processes, and reports signals intelligence (SIGINT). The Defense
Intelligence Agency (DIA) oversees an all-source collection effort to
ensure that current and future Department of Defense military re-
quirements are met. The National Reconnaissance Office(NRO)
manages the government’s space-borne reconnaissance system. The
Defense Airborne Reconnaissance Office (DARO) operates the De-
fense Department’s airborne reconnaissance program, including
manned and unmanned aircraft and their ground processing stations.
Finally, each of the military services maintains its own collection ef-
forts within its areas of specialization.DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (DHS).Established
by the Department of Homeland Security Act of 2002, the DHS is the
executive agency with a mandate to protect the security of the Amer-
ican homeland by preventing terrorist attacks within the United
States, reducing the country’s vulnerabilities to attack, and minimiz-
ing the damage from natural disasters and attacks within the country.
The DHS incorporated 23 federal entities that previously were scat-
tered throughout the government.
The department is organized around five directorates. The Border and
Transportation Security directorate brings under one roof all domestic
agencies that deal with perimeter and transportation security, including
the Customs Service, the Transportation Security Administration
(TSA), and parts of the former Immigration and Naturalization Service
(INS). The Emergency Preparedness and Response directorate oversees
training for disaster readiness and coordinates the government’s re-
sponse. The Science and Technology directorate employs scientific and
technological techniques to oversee defensive methods and counter-
measures. The Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection di-
rectorate analyzes intelligence informationreceived from other intelli-
gence community (IC) agencies and prepares threat assessments
intended for the secretary and other senior policymakers. The Manage-
ment directorate provides overall guidance and direction to the entire
department.52 • DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY05-398 (2) Dictionary.qxd 10/20/05 6:27 AM Page 52