nat quiz 3 Flashcards
18 members of intelligence community
The ODNI headed by the DNI (Director of National Intelligence);
- 1 fully independent intelligence agency, the CIA;
- 9 intelligence agencies/branches within the Department of Defense;
- 7 intelligence agencies within other, civilian Departments:
o two are part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
o two are part of the Department of Justice (DOJ); and
o three are in three other departments (State Department, Department of Energy
and Treasury Department)
Three major changes were triggered by the 9/11 terror attacks in the ODNI:
The creation of the Department of Homeland Security
The establishment of a new Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI)
The designation of the DNI (Director of National Intelligence) as the new statutory advisor to the NSC
ODNI Tasks
Operational Control
Control over intelligence budget
Military Intelligence Program
CIA
The CIA is an independent agency. It does not report to any executive department.
The CIA is involved in all phases of the intelligence cycle: it collects, processes, analyzes and
disseminates intelligence. It is also responsible for carrying out covert operations
Focus on HUMINT
Focus on abroad
created in 1947 national security act
There are currently 5 “Directorates” within the CIA (the fifth one was added in 2015):
- Directorate of Operations (DO, which was briefly renamed National Clandestine Services
under President George W. Bush):
o It is responsible for (i) intelligence gathering and (ii) covert action - see
description below - Directorate of Analysis (DA):
o The DA Interprets raw information and turns it into useful intelligence. Its
sources are:
Open sources (OSINT);
Human sources, who collect HUMINT, such as CIA case officers and the
agents they run;
High tech equipment which collect COMINT, IMINT, etc. such as satellites,
drones, and other tools for electronic communication interception, etc. - Directorate of Science and Technology (DST)
o The DST designs and develops technology to aid the CIA’s intelligence collection
(and counterintelligence) efforts as its analytical task; - Directorate of Support
o It is in charge of management and administrative tasks, including payroll,
headquarters security, etc. - Directorate for Digital Innovation (DDI)
o This is a relatively new addition, created in 2015. The DDI is tasked with
intelligence activities (defensive and offensive) involving IT, cybersecurity and
cyberwar, social media, etc.
o A subunit of the DDI is the Open Source Enterprise, one of the main collectors of
open source intelligence
Chief of station
Abroad, the CIA’s Chief of Station is in charge of intelligence operations in the area under his
jurisdiction, and has various case officers (now called Operations Officers) working for him. The
COS is often housed in a US embass
Five tasks of CIA operation officers
Identifying potential assets, i.e., foreign nationals that could be turned into secret
agents working for the CIA;
2. Running the secret agents (“assets”) they have recruited. These agents collect
intelligence and report it to their CIA contact. They may also engage in other activities
on behalf of the CIA;
3. Operations officers also gather intelligence on their own;
4. Supporting the CIA’s counterintelligence activities (activities aimed at protecting the US
from foreign intelligence services);
5. Engaging in covert operations or supporting covert operations carried out by other US
personnel.
DOD houses 9 intelligence agencies:
Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA):
o Its director is the principal advisor on intelligence matters to the Secretary of
Defense and the JCS (Joint Chiefs of Staff)
o The DIA supervises the military attachés posted at US embassies abroad
- National Security Agency (NSA):
o One of the largest and most expensive of the intelligence agencies.
o The NSA has a particular focus on SIGINT (signals intelligence) which includes
communications intelligence (COMINT).
o It is responsible for “Information assurance” i.e. protecting US government
communications from intercepts, hacking, sabotage, etc. by hostile actors
(including criminal organizations and foreign powers)
- National Reconnaissance Office (NRO)
o Responsible for developing, launching and managing America’s intelligence
satellites.
- The four armed services (Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines) and the Space Force each
have their own intelligence and counterintelligence capabilities
Department of Justice
FBI
DEA (The DEA has the largest contingent of operators abroad of any US law enforcement agency)
Department of State:
The State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research (“INR”): conducts research,
prepares reports
The State Department benefits from the large amount of regular intelligence reporting by the
US foreign service officers (FSOs or diplomats) assigned to US Embassies overseas
Other intelligence agencies/capabilities
Department of Homeland Security:
- Office of Intelligence and Analysis (OIA)
- US Coast Guard Intelligence
Department of the Treasury:
- Office of Intelligence Analysis (“OIA”, it’s within the Office of Terrorism and Financial
Intelligence).
Department of Energy (DoE)
Iron Triangles
Iron Triangles may induce the government to pursue policies and make budget determinations
that do not benefit the country as a whole but are advantageous to groups who have a
disproportionate influence on the formulation of those policies.
Military Industrial Complex
Executive departments and federal agencies, including the Defense Department, the
CIA, etc.: they benefit from more supplies, better funding, improved equipment and
more advanced technology;
2. Private businesses, including defense manufacturers and security firms: they profit from
government procurement (i.e., government purchases of their products and services);
and
3. Legislators, including members of congressional committees with jurisdiction over
foreign and national security policy: these policymakers’ state or district may include
defense industries and military bases. In addition, the policymakers may be sensitive to
the gratitude of the relevant private company donors as well as the loyalty and
friendship of the top agency officials they oversee.
The key phases of the intelligence cycle are:
- Planning and direction (aka “requirements”)
- Collection
- Processing
- Analysis and production
- Dissemination
The three principal groups of actors in the intelligence cycle are:
- The policymakers
- The collectors
- The analysts
