The United States Intelligence Community (IC) is a cooperative federation of 16 separate United States government agencies that work separately and together to conduct intelligence activities considered necessary for the conduct of foreign relations and the protection of the national security 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 IC is led by the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), who reports to the President of the United States.
The United States has the following intelligence agencies:
- Independent agencies
- United States Intelligence Service (Foreign intelligence/counterintelligence)
- Department of Defence
- Office of Strategic Services (covert paramilitary operations)
- Defence Intelligence Agency (Military intelligence)
- Military Intelligence Corps (US Army) (Military intelligence)
- Office of Naval Intelligence (Military intelligence)
- Marine Corps Intelligence Activity (Military intelligence)*
- Coast Guard Intelligence (Military intelligence)*
- Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency (Military intelligence)
- http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/15th_Air_Force.png/25px-15th_Air_Force.png Fifteenth Air Force (Strategic reconnaissance aircraft operations)
- National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (Geospatial intelligence)
- National Reconnaissance Office (Reconnaissance satellite operations)
- National Security Agency (ELINT operations)
- Department of Energy
- Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence (Nuclear-intelligence, counterintelligence and security
- Department of Justice
- Federal Security Intelligence Organsiation (domestic intelligence/counterintelligence)
- Federal Bureau of Investigation - National Security Division (FSIO support)
- Department of State
- Bureau of Intelligence and Research (Analysis)
- Department of the Treasury
- Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence (Financial crime, financial support for terrorism, economic sanctions enforcement)
*Partnered with the Office of Naval Intelligence.
United States Intelligence Service[]
The United States Intelligence Service (USIS) was founded in 2006 as an independent agency of the US Government. It describes itself as the first line of defence of the United States. Its mission is to collect national security information regarding the plans, intentions, and capabilities of the current or potential adversaries of the United States, and to provide analyses of that information.
It takes over many functions of the older CIA, and has taken over its building in Langley, Virginia. It has several thousand field intelligence officers operating all over the world. The USIS does not have the CIA's covert operations role (beyond covert intelligence gathering), nor does have as much of a role in intelligence gathering by aircraft or satellite.
The USIS has been able to be very apolitical in the current environment, and its information is known to have led to an improvement of the situation in Afghanistan.
Office of Strategic Services[]
The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) is a Department of Defence organisation responsible for covert paramilitary and political action. In its ranks are several thousand highly trained special action operatives, mostly recruited from the military special operations community. It has a small air force of transport aircraft, helicopters, and attack drones (mostly MQ-1, some MQ-9). Its political action officers carry out such political operations as propaganda, and other political tactics. These operations (by law) never involve the use of force, although means illegal in the target country are used (such as violating laws against foreign financing of political campaigns). OSS is thought to be organised into covert Detachments, Teams, and Cells. They have an insular structure, and no operational team ever knows of the other teams personnel or activities. The location of their formal headquarters is the Pentagon, but their other facilities are classified but are thought to include military bases throughout the United States, and US military bases throughout the world.
Federal Security Intelligence Organsiation[]
The Federal Security Intelligence Organisation is the US Government's dedicated counter-intelligence arm. It is modeled on the British Security Service. It replaces the Counterintelligence Division of the FBI. Its job is comprehensive and includes vetting of civil servants, intelligence-related security of government agencies, and counterintelligence in the US. It has strong links to the Australasian ASIO, and the British Security Service. Its personnel are trained as, and operate as spies. It is thought that many of their actions are (partly) illegal. Its personnel are not Federal Agents and do not have arrest powers (though they are allowed to go armed, since the Second Amendment Protection Act explicitly allows for concealed carry anywhere in the US by any citizen or resident alien).