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The National Intelligence Board (NIB), formerly the National Foreign Intelligence Board and before that the United States Intelligence Board [1] is a body of senior U.S. Intelligence Community leaders currently led by the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). [2] The Board is tasked with reviewing and approving National Intelligence Estimates (NIEs).
The first incarnation of the Board was the United States Intelligence Board, a forum of intelligence agency leaders convened to advise the Director of Central Intelligence on intelligence matters established by President Eisenhower in 1957 upon the recommendation of the Presidential Board of Consultants on Foreign Intelligence Activities (now the President's Intelligence Advisory Board). [1]
A quotation from a 1999 report entitled A Consumer's Guide to Intelligence, published by the Office of Public Affairs in the CIA describes the NFIB as:
"the senior Intelligence Community advisory body to the DCI on the substantive aspects of national intelligence. This Board advises the DCI on production, review, and coordination of national foreign intelligence; interagency exchanges of foreign intelligence information; arrangements with foreign governments on intelligence matters; the protection of intelligence sources and methods; activities of common concern; and such other matters as are referred to it by the DCI. It is composed of the DCI (Chairman) and other appropriate officers of the Central Intelligence Agency, Department of State, Department of Defense, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the National Security Agency. Representatives of other agencies, including the Department of the Treasury, the Department of Energy, the National Reconnaissance Office, the National Imagery and Mapping Agency, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation participate as necessary." [3]
Both the NFIB and NIB are chaired by the directorial head of the Intelligence Community (IC); however, the dominance of the Central Intelligence Agency and Director of Central Intelligence as IC heads ended with the 2004 establishment of the position of Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and Office of the DNI as head, overseer, and coordinator of the IC (and FBI) in accordance with recommendations from the 9/11 Commission. [4] The CIA remained prominent in foreign intelligence, especially foreign human intelligence (HUMINT). [1]
The NIB is supported by ODNI's National Intelligence Council (NIC), which also acts as its Executive Secretariat.
An Intelligence Community Directive (ICD 202) effective July 16, 2007 lists the following as members of the National Intelligence Board:
NIB members represent the members of the Intelligence Community and are their agencies' heads. If the DNI/Chair of the NIB is absent, they are replaced by the PDDNI/Vice Chair; if both are absent, the NIB is chaired by the DNI's chosen representative.
In addition, if the NIB discusses a topic relevant to the portfolios of the below officials, they or their chosen representatives may attend:
Lastly, the following may attend NIB meetings as observers:
The director of national intelligence (DNI) is a senior, cabinet-level United States government official, required by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 to serve as executive head of the United States Intelligence Community (IC) and to direct and oversee the National Intelligence Program (NIP). All IC agencies report directly to the DNI. The DNI also serves, upon invitation, as an advisor to the president of the United States, the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council on all intelligence matters. The DNI, supported by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), produces the President's Daily Brief (PDB), a top-secret document including intelligence from all IC agencies, handed each morning to the president of the United States.
Mike McConnell is a former vice admiral in the United States Navy. During his naval career he served as Director of the National Security Agency from 1992 to 1996. His civilian career includes serving as the United States Director of National Intelligence from 20 February 2007 to 27 January 2009 during the Bush administration and also seven days of the Obama administration. He is currently Vice Chairman at Booz Allen Hamilton.
The United States Intelligence Community (IC) is a group of separate United States government intelligence agencies and subordinate organizations that work both separately and collectively to conduct intelligence activities which support the foreign policy and national security interests of the United States. Member organizations of the IC include intelligence agencies, military intelligence, and civilian intelligence and analysis offices within federal executive departments.
The Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) is an intelligence agency in the United States Department of State. Its central mission is to provide all-source intelligence and analysis in support of U.S. diplomacy and foreign policy. INR is the oldest civilian element of the U.S. Intelligence Community and among the smallest, with roughly 300 personnel. Though lacking the resources and technology of other U.S. intelligence agencies, it is "one of the most highly regarded" for the quality of its work.
National Intelligence Estimates (NIEs) are United States federal government documents that are the authoritative assessment of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) on intelligence related to a particular national security issue. NIEs are produced by the National Intelligence Council and express the coordinated judgments of the United States Intelligence Community, the group of 18 U.S. intelligence agencies. NIEs are classified documents prepared for policymakers.
The under secretary of defense for intelligence and security or USD(I&S) is a high-ranking civilian position in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) within the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) that acts as the principal civilian advisor and deputy to the secretary of defense (SecDef) and deputy secretary of defense (DepSecDef) on matters relating to military intelligence and security. The under secretary is appointed as a civilian by the president and confirmed by the Senate to serve at the pleasure of the president.
The Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence (OICI), also abbreviated IN, DOE-IN, DOE/IN, I&CI, or OIC, was established in 2006 by the merger of pre-existing Energy Department intelligence and security organizations. It is an office of the United States Department of Energy (DOE) responsible for all intelligence and counterintelligence activities throughout the DOE complex; due to this central role, OICI is designated DOE's Headquarters Intelligence. As a component of the United States Intelligence Community in addition to the Department of Energy, OICI reports to both the Director of National Intelligence and Secretary of Energy.
The National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) leads national counterintelligence (CI) for the United States government. It is part of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).
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The Public Interest Declassification Board (PIDB) is an advisory committee established by the United States Congress with the official mandate of promoting the fullest possible public access to a thorough, accurate, and reliable documentary record of significant U.S. national security decisions and activities. The Board is composed of nine individuals: five appointed by the President of the United States and one each appointed by the Speaker of the House, House Minority Leader, Senate Majority Leader, and Senate Minority Leader. Appointees must be U.S. citizens preeminent in the fields of history, national security, foreign policy, intelligence policy, social science, law, or archives.
The Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) is the civilian national intelligence component of the United States Department of Homeland Security and one of two statutory members of the United States Intelligence Community (IC) within DHS, the other being Coast Guard Intelligence. It is the only member of the IC tasked with providing intelligence to State, Local, Tribal and Territorial (SLTT) governments, and private sector entities, and developing national intelligence products from information collected by SLTT entities.
United States Intelligence Community Oversight duties are shared by both the executive and legislative branches of the government. Oversight, in this case, is the supervision of intelligence agencies, and making them accountable for their actions. Generally oversight bodies look at the following general issues: following policymaker needs, the quality of analysis, operations, and legality of actions.
The Schlesinger Report, originally titled A Review of the Intelligence Community, was the product of a survey authorized by U.S. President Richard Nixon late in 1970. The objective of the survey was to identify and alleviate factors of ineffectiveness within the United States Intelligence Community (IC) organization, planning, and preparedness for future growth. The report, prepared by James Schlesinger, Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), was submitted to Nixon on 10 March 1971.
At various times since the creation of the Central Intelligence Agency, the Federal government of the United States has produced comprehensive reports on CIA actions that marked historical watersheds in how CIA went about trying to fulfill its vague charter purposes from 1947. These reports were the result of internal or presidential studies, external investigations by congressional committees or other arms of the Federal government of the United States, or even the simple releases and declassification of large quantities of documents by the CIA.
The CIA publishes organizational charts of its agency. Here are a few examples.
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