Knowledge Tree
Intelligence Community
Also known as: U.S. Intelligence Community
Facts (68)
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The Evolution of the U.S. Intelligence Community-An Historical ... govinfo.gov 29 facts
claimIn December 1970, President Richard Nixon directed Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget James Schlesinger to recommend structural changes to the Intelligence Community to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
accountIn 1991, DCI Robert Gates initiated a comprehensive reexamination of the post-Cold War Intelligence Community following a public confirmation process that examined the CIA's analytical process.
claimThe Second Hoover Commission identified the NSC, CIA, NSA, FBI, Department of State, Army, Navy, Air Force, and the Atomic Energy Commission as members of the U.S. intelligence community in 1955.
claimIn March 1972, Director of Central Intelligence Richard Helms created the 'Intelligence Community Staff' to assist him in the daily execution of his responsibilities regarding the intelligence community.
claimThe function of intelligence as an activity of the U.S. Government is often incorrectly regarded as solely a product of the Cold War, although much of the modern Intelligence Community was developed during that period.
claimIn 1993, the National Performance Review team, led by the Vice President, reviewed the Intelligence Community and recommended rotational assignments among agencies to promote a more collegial perspective and reduce competition for programs and budget allocations.
claimThe Commission on the Organization of the Government for the Conduct of Foreign Policy, headed by Robert Murphy, completed a three-year study in June 1975 that examined the organization and performance of the U.S. Intelligence Community.
claimThe Second Hoover Commission's 1955 report formally recognized the existence of an "intelligence community" within the U.S. government.
referenceThe Intelligence Organization Act of 1992, enacted as part of the Intelligence Authorization Act for 1993, legally defined the Intelligence Community for the first time, established the three roles of the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI), defined the DCI's authorities and responsibilities regarding other Intelligence Community elements, and articulated the Secretary of Defense's responsibilities for executing national intelligence programs.
claimDuring the 1980 presidential election, the Republican Party platform asserted that the Democratic Party had impaired the efficiency of the Intelligence Community and underestimated the military strength of the Soviet Union.
referenceThe National Security Council accepted the basic findings of the 1949 Dulles-Jackson-Correa report, which concluded that the CIA was not coordinating intelligence activities in the government, correlation and evaluation functions were not well organized, other members of the Intelligence Community were not fully included in the estimates process, and the DCI lacked sufficient day-to-day contact with the work of the CIA.
claimThe Second Hoover Commission formed a sub-group headed by General Mark Clark to study the agencies of the U.S. Intelligence Community.
claimThe U.S. Congress mandated across-the-board reductions in personnel within the Intelligence Community and proposed a new structure for the community.
claimIn 1963, DCI John McCone established a National Intelligence Programs Evaluation Staff to review and evaluate Intelligence Community programs and cost-effectiveness.
accountBeginning in 1985, the U.S. Intelligence Community experienced a series of espionage cases involving Edward Lee Howard, John A. Walker, Jr., Jerry A. Whitworth, Sharon Scranage, Larry Wu-Tai Chin, Ronald W. Pelton, Richard Miller, and Jonathan J. Pollard.
referenceIn the fall of 1994, new legislation was enacted to improve counterintelligence and security practices across the Intelligence Community, specifically targeting the coordination between the FBI and the CIA.
claimThe Council of the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) consisted of a Chairman and eight National Intelligence Officers who served as the senior analysts of the U.S. Intelligence Community within their specific areas of expertise.
claimUnder the leadership of Director of Central Intelligence William Casey, the U.S. Intelligence Community experienced increased budgets and an unprecedented period of personnel growth.
claimThe 'National Intelligence Reorganization and Reform Act of 1978' included a list of restricted or banned activities, defined specific missions for each element of the Intelligence Community, and established rigorous review and notification procedures for covert action and clandestine collection.
claimU.S. military involvement in the Vietnam War, efforts to block Communist expansion in Laos, and conflicts in the Middle East, such as the Arab-Israeli Six-Day War of 1967, precluded Directors of Central Intelligence from asserting greater control over the Intelligence Community.
referenceExecutive orders issued by President Jimmy Carter (E.O. 12036, 1978) and President Ronald Reagan (E.O. 12333, 1981) defined the members of the Intelligence Community as the CIA, NSA, DIA, DOD reconnaissance offices, INR/State, intelligence elements of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, FBI, Treasury, and DOE (then known as the Energy Research & Development Administration), with staff elements of the DCI added in these orders.
claimFollowing the end of the Cold War, leaders within the Intelligence Community streamlined agencies and reoriented toward new missions with a greater focus on transnational threats, while Congress mandated across-the-board reductions in personnel.
claimDCI Richard Helms established a National Intelligence Resources Board to review all Intelligence Community programs and budgets, and to referee community disputes.
claimThe Senate committee developed the 'National Intelligence Reorganization and Reform Act of 1978' in 1978, which proposed creating a 'Director of National Intelligence' with broader powers than the Director of Central Intelligence to lead the Intelligence Community.
claimEfforts to institute Director of Central Intelligence control over the Intelligence Community at the beginning of the 1970s were undermined by sensational media disclosures and subsequent investigations by the Executive Branch and Congress.
claimThe Schlesinger report recommended that the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) should have a stronger management role, specifically by creating a consolidated budget for the Intelligence Community and overseeing its execution to control costs and improve quality.
claimPresident Gerald Ford issued Executive Order 11905 on 18 February 1976, which provided the first public description of the Intelligence Community and the authorities and responsibilities of the Director of Central Intelligence and other agency heads.
accountInitially, the Intelligence Community was not well prepared to support military operations in the Gulf War locale, but developed the necessary capability during the fall and winter of 1990.
procedureThe National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) utilized the special procurement authorities of the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) to expeditiously procure and operate satellite collection systems for the Intelligence Community.
United States Foreign Intelligence Relationships everycrsreport.com May 15, 2019 28 facts
accountThe U.S. intelligence community reduced its collection capabilities in the 1990s following the end of the Cold War and the de-emphasis of collection on the former Soviet Union.
claimPolicy, authorities, and roles for managing relationships between the U.S. Intelligence Community and foreign intelligence services are established through statutes, executive orders, and intelligence directives.
accountThe U.S. intelligence community's over-reliance on reporting from foreign intelligence services, used to compensate for reduced U.S. collection, resulted in the community being surprised by the level of unrest in Iran prior to the fall of the Shah in 1979.
referenceSection 307 of the Damon Paul Nelson and Matthew Young Pollard Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2018 and 2019 requires heads of U.S. intelligence community elements to consider the pervasiveness of telecommunications and cybersecurity infrastructure provided by U.S. adversaries (specifically China and Russia) when entering into intelligence-sharing agreements with foreign governments or entities.
claimForeign intelligence partners may provide the U.S. Intelligence Community with information on U.S. persons, either unprompted through routine collection or bulk data transfer, or at the request of the United States.
accountThe U.S. intelligence community's over-reliance on reporting from foreign intelligence services contributed to a relative lack of access to Al Qa'ida prior to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
claimIntelligence sharing agreements between the U.S. Intelligence Community and foreign intelligence services are often formalized in a memorandum of understanding (MOU), are generally classified, and are not legally binding.
referenceThe proposed Intelligence Authorization Act of Fiscal Years 2018 and 2019 (S. 245) would require the head of any U.S. Intelligence Community element entering an agreement with a foreign intelligence service to consider the vulnerability of that foreign service's telecommunications infrastructure to U.S. adversaries.
accountIn exchange for significant military aid, the government of the Shah of Iran permitted the United States to operate two signals intelligence sites in northern Iran, which allowed the U.S. Intelligence Community to collect missile telemetry from the Soviet missile test facility at Tyuratam.
claimForeign intelligence partnerships allow the U.S. Intelligence Community to expand its reach in areas where it lacks collection assets, but they also pose the risk of the U.S. relying too heavily on a partner's unique access and capabilities.
claimSince the creation of the CIA, the agency and other U.S. Intelligence Community elements have used training in intelligence collection and analysis to establish and maintain ties with foreign partners.
claimSince the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the U.S. Intelligence Community has rapidly expanded liaison relationships with state and non-state foreign intelligence organizations to support time-sensitive counterterrorism operations.
claimThe U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) must follow the Attorney General Guidelines for implementing Executive Order (EO) 12333 when handling counterintelligence information on U.S. persons shared by foreign intelligence partners to ensure adherence to privacy and civil liberties protections.
claimEach element of the Intelligence Community possesses the statutory authority to conduct relations with foreign intelligence services that align with that specific element's capabilities and operational or analytical focus, subject to Director of National Intelligence policy and CIA Chief of Station management.
claimThe CIA's detention and interrogation program complicated the U.S. Intelligence Community's counterterrorism intelligence engagements with foreign partners.
claimStandard collection techniques used by the U.S. Intelligence Community involve authorizing an IC element to request, receive, and document routinely acquired information or records on a U.S. person, including requesting that a foreign intelligence service provide existing information on U.S. persons abroad or use their assets to collect information on U.S. persons abroad.
claimIn each foreign country, the CIA Chief of Station has day-to-day management and oversight of all liaison relationships between any Intelligence Community element and foreign intelligence organizations, whether state or non-state.
referenceExecutive Order 12333, titled 'United States Intelligence Activities,' grants the Central Intelligence Agency the authority to coordinate the implementation of intelligence and counterintelligence relationships between elements of the Intelligence Community and the intelligence or security services of foreign governments or international organizations, under the direction and guidance of the Director of National Intelligence.
procedureThe Assistant DNI for Partner Engagement is responsible for establishing joint procedures to coordinate and synchronize intelligence activities conducted by an Intelligence Community element or funded by the National Intelligence Program (NIP) with activities involving foreign intelligence and security services, subject to the concurrence of the relevant departments and agencies.
quoteAn observer of the Intelligence Community remarked: "The near invisibility of liaison arrangements to oversight by elected officials is problematic. Oversight mechanisms have not kept pace with global issues."
claimDue to a lack of access to senior Al Qa'ida leadership, the U.S. Intelligence Community relied on secondhand, fragmented, and often questionable human intelligence information, much of which was obtained from volunteers or sources provided by foreign liaison services.
claimThe U.S. Intelligence Community has maintained intelligence liaison relationships with adversaries including Russia, China, Syria, and Libya, primarily to address a narrow range of mutual interests.
measurementThere are hundreds of intelligence sharing agreements between the U.S. Intelligence Community and foreign intelligence services.
accountIn the 1970s, the U.S. Intelligence Community's reliance on Iran's SAVAK intelligence organization contributed to the U.S. failure to comprehend the developments that led to the overthrow of the Shah.
referenceThe Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction identified four primary factors for the U.S. Intelligence Community's failure regarding the source known as 'Curveball': (1) reliance on a single source despite indications of unreliability, (2) senior CIA management ignoring warnings from Directorate of Operations officers, (3) the Defense Intelligence Agency's failure to validate the reporting, and (4) analysts' inability to question assumptions about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program.
procedureThe Senior Foreign Disclosure and Release Authority (SFDRA) designates Foreign Disclosure and Release Officers (FDROs) who have the authority to approve or deny requests for the disclosure or release of intelligence originating from their specific Intelligence Community element.
claimForeign intelligence partners of the United States face risks in their relationships with the U.S. Intelligence Community due to the significantly greater resources and capabilities of the U.S. Intelligence Community compared to those of its allies.
accountThe U.S. intelligence community reduced its collection capabilities in the 1970s following the discovery of CIA abuses regarding domestic surveillance of anti-Vietnam War activities.
The Role of Private Corporations in the Intelligence Community belfercenter.org 9 facts
claimThe Intelligence Community hired contractors after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to address immediate staffing shortages of intelligence professionals.
claimA May 2007 presentation by an Office of the Director of National Intelligence Senior Procurement Executive suggested that private firm contracts comprised approximately 70% of the Intelligence Community's budget, a figure later refuted by the Director of National Intelligence as being based on a small, anecdotal sample.
claimThe U.S. Intelligence Community maintains relationships with private corporations to help meet national security goals.
claimThe former White House Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism suggests that current high levels of contractor staffing in the Intelligence Community result from a lack of long-term strategic planning for hiring and retaining government personnel.
claimPrivate firms provide manpower to the Intelligence Community for administrative and data entry tasks.
claimCritics argue that private contract employees in the Intelligence Community may be performing tasks that were previously considered inherently governmental, such as intelligence collection or analysis.
claimPrivate firms assist the Intelligence Community with interagency coordination by providing collaboration tools and security tools for government computer systems.
claimThe Director of National Intelligence (DNI) refuted the 70% budget figure, stating it was based on a small, anecdotal sample of a portion of Intelligence Community contracting services.
referenceThe 111th Congress was identified as needing to assess the overall value of the relationship between the Intelligence Community and private corporations due to historic and growing ties.
History of the Central Intelligence Agency - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org 1 fact
claimThe 9/11 Commission Report identified that the U.S. Intelligence Community failed to share information effectively among decentralized FBI field offices, which the report described as a failure to "connect the dots."
Was Jeffrey Epstein, Superconnector of the Rich and Powerful, a Spy? businessinsider.com Jul 29, 2025 1 fact
claimA prudential review is a process used to determine if the intelligence community possesses information that would make it impossible or unethical for prosecutors to proceed with a case due to discovery obligations regarding classified information.