United States Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security | |
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![]() Seal of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security | |
![]() Flag of an Under Secretary of Defense | |
United States Department of Defense Office of the Secretary of Defense | |
Style | Madam Under Secretary |
Reports to | |
Nominator | Secretary of Defense |
Appointer | President of the United States with Senate advice and consent |
Formation | 11 March 2003 |
First holder | Stephen Cambone |
Succession | Fourth in Secretary of Defense succession |
Deputy | Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security |
Salary | Executive Schedule, Level III |
Website | ousdi |
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. [1]
In 2019, Congress renamed the office from Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence (USD(I)) to Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security as part of the FY2020 National Defense Authorization Act. [2] [3]
The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security (OUSD(I&S)) is the principal staff element of the DoD for all matters regarding intelligence, counterintelligence, security, sensitive activities, and other intelligence- and security-related matters. As the SecDef's representative, the USD(I&S) exercises oversight over, among others, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), the National Security Agency (NSA), and the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA). In addition, the under secretary is also dual-hatted, serving as the Director of Defense Intelligence (DDI) under the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI); [4] in this capacity, the under secretary is the principal defense intelligence and security advisor to the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). [3] With the rank of under secretary, the USD(I&S) is a Defense Intelligence Senior Executive Service (DISES) Level III position within the Executive Schedule. Since January 2020, the annual rate of pay for Level III is $181,500.
The position of Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence was originally created by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003 in the aftermath of the September 11 terror attacks to better coordinate Department-wide intelligence and security activities. It also became second in the line of succession for the secretary of defense, after the deputy secretary of defense, following an executive order by President George W. Bush on 22 December 2005. When it was created, the legislation described it as taking precedence in the Department behind the under secretary for personnel and readiness (USD (P&R)). [1] [5]
On 23 November 2005, a DoD directive was made by SecDef Donald Rumsfeld that stated that the under secretary shall serve as the secretary's primary representative to the ODNI. It also stated the under secretary shall provide policy and oversight on the training and career development of personnel in the DoD's counterterrorism, intelligence, and security components. The under secretary has the duty of finding candidates to be nominated to serve as directors of the DIA, NGA, NRO, NSA, and DCSA, and directly overseeing their performance.
The additional position of the USD(I&S) acting in the capacity of Director of Defense Intelligence as the primary military intelligence and security advisor to the DNI follows a May 2007 memorandum of agreement between SecDef Robert Gates and DNI John Michael McConnell to create the position. [4] In 2006, the incoming Gates eschewed the idea of "off-line intelligence organizations or analytical groups". [6]
Officials reporting to the USD(I&S) include:
Directors for Defense Intelligence (DDI):
Others:
![]() | This section needs to be updated.(April 2022) |
The under secretary heads the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security (OUSD(I&S)). A unit of the OSD, OUSD(I&S) exercises planning, policy, and strategic oversight over all DoD intelligence, counterintelligence, and security matters. OUSD(I&S) serves as the primary representative of the Defense Department to the DNI and other members of the United States Intelligence Community.
The work of OUSD(I&S) is conducted through its several staff directorates, including:
![]() | This section needs to be updated.(April 2022) |
The annual budget for the USD(I&S) is contained in the Office of the Secretary of Defense's (OSD) budget, under the Defense-Wide Operation and Maintenance (O&M) account.
Line item | FY10 actual | FY11 estimate | FY12 request |
---|---|---|---|
Core OSD Operating Program [8] | |||
Civilian Pay and Benefits, USD (I) | 32,516 | 38,406 | 32,891 |
Program Structure [9] | |||
Intelligence Mission | 55,461 | 85,796 | 74,315 |
International Intelligence Technology | 11,519 | 80,643 | 80,548 |
Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System | 4,198 | 2,392 | 2,047 |
Joint Military Deception Initiative | 2,840 | 3,064 | 4,458 |
Travel | 1,458 | 1,750 | 1,571 |
Overseas Contingency Operations [10] | |||
OCO OUSD (Intel) | 57,849 | 0 | 0 |
Totals | |||
Total budget | 165,841 | 212,051 | 194,416 |
Portrait | Name | Tenure | SecDef(s) served under | President(s) served under |
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | Stephen Cambone | 11 March 2003 – 31 December 2006 | Donald Rumsfeld Robert Gates | George W. Bush |
![]() | James R. Clapper | 15 April 2007 – 9 August 2010 | Robert Gates | George W. Bush Barack Obama |
![]() | Michael G. Vickers | 16 March 2011 – 30 April 2015 [12] | Robert Gates Leon Panetta Chuck Hagel Ashton Carter | Barack Obama |
![]() | Marcel Lettre | 1 May 2015 – 20 January 2017 | Ashton Carter | |
Todd Lowery (acting) | 20 January 2017 - 5 June 2017 | James Mattis | Donald Trump | |
![]() | Kari Bingen (acting) | 5 June 2017 - 1 December 2017 | James Mattis | |
![]() | Joseph D. Kernan | 1 December 2017 – 10 November 2020 [13] | James Mattis Mark Esper | |
![]() | Ezra Cohen (Acting) | 10 November 2020 – 20 January 2021 | Christopher C. Miller (acting) | |
![]() | David M. Taylor (Acting) | 20 January 2021 – 1 June 2021 | Lloyd Austin | Joe Biden |
![]() | Ronald Moultrie | 1 June 2021 – 29 February 2024 | ||
![]() | Milancy Harris (Acting) | 1 March 2024 – Present |
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