Historical Dictionary of United States Intelligence

ORGANIZATION, MANAGEMENT, AND CONTROL

The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act now endows the

DNI with the authority to control and direct the U.S. intelligence com-

munity, including most of its money and personnel. The director of cen-

tral intelligence (DCI), who was the titular head of the intelligence com-

munity (IC) for 58 years, stays on as the head of the CIA, which is part

of an intelligence community of 15 departments, bureaus, and agencies.

The IC today, as in the past, is an informal confederation—more a car-

tel, really—of autonomous agencies with a structure intended to divide

authority among them. Indeed, the organization of American intelli-

gence reflects the dominant political culture—that it is desirable to “di-

vide and rule” an establishment that potentially could affect freedoms

and civil liberties. The IC today comprises 15 separate entities:

• Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA)


• National Security Agency (NSA)


• Intelligence units of the army, navy, air force, and marines


• National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA)


• National Reconnaissance Office (NRO)


• Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and, separately, the
  Coast Guard, part of the Department of Homeland Security


• Counterintelligence unit of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)


• Intelligence division of the Department of the Treasury


• Intelligence division of the Department of Energy (DOE)


• Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) in the Department of State


• Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

These agencies are organizationally scattered throughout the execu-

tive branch, further fragmenting the community. In addition, their dis-

parate and specialized missions, structures, and institutional affiliations

guarantee that they all compete against each other to secure benefits for

themselves. For example, the DIA; NSA; army, navy, air force, and ma-

rine intelligence; NGA; and NRO all fall under the Department of De-

fense (DOD) and therefore reflect the missions and priorities of the mil-

itary establishment. The other intelligence units—with the exception of

the CIA—either are or belong to a cabinet-level policy department in

INTRODUCTION•li

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