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These 17 Agencies Make Up The Most Sophisticated Spy Network In The World
by Paul Szoldra
The U.S. intelligence community is vast, composed of 17 distinct organizations each operating under its own shroud of secrecy.
Oversight of these agencies generally falls to the Department of
Defense or Congress, leaving the average citizen with precious little
knowledge of how they operate.
Funded by largely classified budgets, it's difficult to assess how
much the U.S. annually spends on these clandestine operations, but one 2012 estimate pegs
the cost at about $75 billion.
The following slides highlight the expansive reach of the U.S.
intelligence community.
The Central Intelligence Agency spies on
foreign governments and organizes covert ops.
The CIA is the most well-known U.S. spying agency, formed by the
passage of the National Security Act of 1947. The agency has its roots
with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) that operated during World
War II.
Headquarters: Langley, Va.
Mission: CIA collects, analyzes, and disseminates
intelligence gathered on foreign nations. This comes through
signals and human intelligence sources.
Budget: Classified. On their website,
the CIA states, "neither the number of employees nor the size of
the Agency's budget can, at present, be publicly disclosed. A common
misconception is that the Agency has an unlimited budget, which is far
from true."
There have been some slips, however. In 2005, a CIA deputy
director inadvertently
revealed the annual intelligence budget was $44 billion.
The National Security Agency was once so
secretive it was jokingly called 'No Such Agency.'
NSA Headquarters at Fort Meade, Maryland
The NSA was established
in 1952 with a mission primarily dedicated to code breaking, after
the Allies' success in cracking German and Japanese codes during World
War II. For a long time, the NSA, which operates under the Dept. of
Defense, was not even recognized by the government, commonly referred
to as "No
Such Agency."
Headquarters: Fort Meade, Md.
Mission: The main functions of the NSA are signals
intelligence — intercepting and processing foreign communications,
cryptology — cracking codes, and information assurance. IA is, put
simply: preventing foreign hackers from getting secret information.
Budget: Classified. Some estimate the NSA is
actually the largest intelligence organization in the world — three
times the size of the CIA. The headquarters alone takes up 6.3
million square feet — around the same size as the Pentagon — with 112
acres of parking spaces, reports
the Washington Post.
The Defense Intelligence Agency works to understand what foreign militaries will do before they do it.
The DIA was established in 1961 with the goal of sharing information collected by the major military intelligence outfits (such as Army or Marine Corps Intelligence). More recently, the DIA has been expanding its overseas spy network to collect first-hand intelligence.
Headquarters: Washington, D.C.
Mission: The DIA serves as the lead intelligence
agency for the Dept. of Defense, coordinating analysis and
collection of intelligence on foreign militaries, in addition to
surveillance and reconnaissance operations. The DIA is the common link
between military and national intelligence agencies.
Budget: Classified. The DIA does not reveal budget
information, although they do
say they have more than 16,500 men and women working for them
and are under DoD and congressional oversight.
The State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research provides diplomats the necessary tools for effective foreign policy.
The State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) has ties to the Office of Strategic Services from World War II, but was transferred to State after the war. INR now reports
directly to the Secretary of State, harnessing intelligence from
all sources and offering independent analysis of global events and
real-time insight.
Headquarters: Washington, D.C.
Mission: This agency serves as the Secretary of
State's primary
advisor on intelligence matters, and gives support to other
policymakers, ambassadors, and embassy staff.
Budget: $49 million in 2007, according to
documents obtained by FAS.
Air Force Intelligence provides reconnaissance
for US ground troops.
Formerly known as the Air Intelligence Agency, the agency is now
known as the Air Force ISR — Intelligence, Surveillance,
Reconnaissance. Air Force intelligence was established in 1948
to get information to troops on the ground, and most recently, the ISR
has collected that intelligence from aerial drones.
Headquarters: Lackland Air Force Base, Texas
Mission: Air Force ISR collects and analyzes
intelligence on foreign nations and hostile forces, both in and out of
combat zones. They also conduct electronic and photographic
surveillance, and provide weather and mapping data to troops in the
field.
Budget: Unknown.
The budget of ISR apparently falls under the Air Force's Operation
& Maintenance budget, which includes other areas outside of the
agency's scope such as flying operations and logistics. That number for
2012, however, was just over $46 million.
The FBI's National Security Branch oversees
counterterrorism and intelligence gathering.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation's National Security Branch (NSB)
was established in 2005,
combining resources that include counterterrorism,
counter-intelligence, weapons of mass destruction, and intelligence
under a single FBI leader.
Headquarters: Washington, D.C.
Mission: Formed after 9/11 and the Iraq WMD
commission — when intelligence agencies were not sharing data with each
other — the NSB integrates intel on national security and criminal
threats from a variety of sources that are often intertwined in order
to protect U.S. interests.
Budget: Total FBI budget was approximately
$8.1 billion in 2012, which included an increase of $119 million "to
enhance our counterterrorism, computer intrusions, and other programs,"
according
to their website.
Army Intelligence and Security Command offers
essential intel to troops on the battlefield.
Army intelligence has been around since spies worked for the
Continental Army in 1775, but
the U.S. Army's Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) was
established in 1977
to become the major unifying command of army intelligence.
Headquarters: Fort Belvoir, Va.
Mission: INSCOM provides commanders on the ground
with information they may need on the battlefield: intercepted enemy
radio communications, maps, ground imagery, and information on force
structure and numbers.
Budget: Unknown. The total military
intelligence budget was $21.5
billion in 2012.
The Department of Energy, Office of
Intelligence and Counterintelligence gathers information on foreign
nuclear weapons.
Surprisingly, the Energy Department even has an intelligence
service. The Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence focuses on
technical intelligence on nuclear weapons and nonproliferation, nuclear
energy (especially foreign), and energy security.
Headquarters: Washington, D.C.
Mission: The Dept. of Energy doesn't have the
ability to conduct foreign intelligence, instead relying on information
passed to them by
other agencies (such as the CIA or NSA). If it involves weapons of mass
destruction, the DoE offers up the analytical expertise.
Budget: Unknown. Like other government budgets, the
intelligence activity is not specifically mentioned, although it may
fall under "Atomic Energy Defense Activities" which had a total budget
of more than $16
billion in 2012.
Coast Guard Intelligence provides information
on maritime security and homeland defense.
Alaskan Coast Guard members pictured in a 2009
exercise
Coast Guard Intelligence (CGI) was formed in 1915 and now falls
under the Dept. of Homeland Security, providing information on maritime
and port security, search and rescue, and counter-narcotics.
Headquarters: Washington, D.C.
Mission: Although CGI is technically
an intelligence agency, its primary mission is as an investigative arm
of the Coast Guard. CGI special agents "conduct criminal,
counterintelligence and personnel security investigations within the
Coast Guard's area of responsibility," with the majority being criminal
offenses violating military law, according to the Coast Guard's
official website.
However, the Coast Guard does
have specialists conducting analysis and collection of intelligence.
Budget: Unknown. Like the Army, the budget has some
overlap, although the 2014 budget request includes $60
million for C4ISR systems, an acronym for Command,
Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and
Reconnaissance.
CGI headquarters is relatively small, only employing about 280.
The Treasury's Office of Intelligence and
Analysis collects terrorism and financial intelligence.
The Office of Intelligence and Analysis is fairly new, established
in 2004 by the Intelligence Authorization Act. OIA's focus is
mainly on providing information to combat terrorism and illicit
financial transactions.
Headquarters: Washington, D.C.
Mission: OIA safeguards the U.S. financial
system "against illicit use and combating rogue nations, terrorist
facilitators, weapons of mass destruction proliferators, money
launderers, drug kingpins, and other national security threats," according
to DNI.
Budget: Around $340
million.
The Drug Enforcement Administration hunts down illegal drugs.
The DEA has been gathering intelligence for anti-drug operations
since its establishment in 1973. The agency
collects and provides intelligence to other law enforcement agencies
and helps with investigations.
Headquarters: El Paso, Texas
Mission: DEA assists local and federal law
enforcement in conducting major drug investigations, along
with developing "information that leads to seizures and arrests,
and provid[ing] policy makers with drug trend information upon which
programmatic decisions can be based," according to
their website.
Budget: $2
billion (total DEA budget in 2013)
The Marine Corps Intelligence Activity monitors
the Corp's battlefields.
Like Army intelligence, the Marine Corps provides their own agency
to collect and analyze information for troops on the ground. This
includes map making, radio intercepts, human intelligence, and
counter-intelligence.
Headquarters: Quantico, Va.
Mission: The primary
function of Marine IA is to give tactical and operational
intelligence to battlefield commanders. They also serve as the "go-to"
unit for the Commandant of the Marine Corps on understanding
intel.
Budget: Unknown. The total military
intelligence budget was $21.5
billion in 2012.
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
provides advanced mapping for military forces.
Digital Globe
Having its roots from the 1972
formation of the Defense Mapping Agency and formerly known as NIMA, the agency was renamed
the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency in 2003.
The agency has the task of collecting and understanding Earth's
physical and man-made attributes. Using advanced imagery (mainly from
satellites), it was NGA watching Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan.
Headquarters: Ft. Belvoir, Va.
Mission: NGA employs
cartographers and analysts that collect and generate information about
the Earth. This data is used in navigation, national security, military
operations, and humanitarian aid efforts.
Budget: Classified.
NGA employs approximately 14,500 government civilians.
The National Reconnaissance Office is
responsible for America's spy satellites.
CREDIT: NASA Marshall Space Flight
Center
While the NGA is responsible for gaining information from satellite
data, the National Reconnaissance Office — created secretly in 1961 and not acknowledged
until 1992 — is in charge with satellite design, building, launch,
and maintenance.
Headquarters: Chantilly, Va.
Mission: NRO gives its mission as "innovative
overhead intelligence systems for national security." Simply put, the NRO
provides their "customers" at the CIA, DoD, and elsewhere with
technologically advanced spy satellites.
Budget: Classified.
The Office of Naval Intelligence provides
information on the world's oceans to sailors everywhere.
The Office of Naval Intelligence was established in 1882
for "the purpose of collecting and recording naval information" that
could be useful in war and peace. Like other military intelligence
services, ONI gives maritime commanders information they need on
foreign forces.
Headquarters: Washington, D.C.
Mission: ONI gathers intelligence and
moves it rapidly to decision makers. "We produce maritime intelligence
on weapons and technology proliferation and smuggling and illicit
maritime activities that directly supports the U.S. Navy, joint war
fighters and national decision makers and agencies," according
to their website.
Budget: Unknown. The total military
intelligence budget was $21.5
billion in 2012.
The Department of Homeland Security Office of
Intelligence and Analysis looks for information on any potential
threats to the US.
The DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis works primarily on homeland
threats — collecting and analyzing information, and sharing
intelligence with local and federal law enforcement through the use of "fusion
centers."
Headquarters: Washington, D.C.
Mission: They work on four main
areas: understanding threats through analysis, collecting
information relevant to homeland security, sharing that information
with the agencies that need it, and managing the homeland security
enterprise, according
to DNI.
Budget: Classified. In a Congressional Research
Service report,
it was noted that "DNI does not publicly disclose details about
the intelligence budget, but ... reported that the
aggregate amount appropriated to the [national intelligence program]
for FY2009 was $49.8 billion."
The Office of the Director of National
Intelligence is where all the intelligence should come together for
delivery to the president.
Established in 2004,
the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) manages the
efforts of the entire U.S. intelligence community. Director James R. Clapper
serves as the principal advisor to the president as well as the
National Security and Homeland Security Councils.
Headquarters: Washington, D.C.
Mission: The DNI has two main
missions: to lead intelligence integration, and "forge an intelligence
community that delivers the most insightful intelligence possible."
Budget: The specifics of the office itself are
unknown, but the total aggregate amount for the national intelligence
program is more
than $48 billion.
BONUS: The 'intelligence state' has been
expanding drastically since 9/11.
The U.S. intelligence community is officially made of 17
organizations, but there is even more to the story.
A groundbreaking
investigation from the Washington Post found some rather daunting
figures:
- 1,271 government organizations and 1,931 private companies are
working on intelligence, counterterrorism, or homeland security in the
U.S.
- Just the
NSA alone is contracting with more than 250 companies on
intelligence work, including big names like Northrop Grumman and SAIC.
- Many intelligence agencies are doing redundant work, such as 51
federal and military organizations that track the flow of money in and
out of terror networks.
- One reason why those intelligence budgets are classified: millions
of dollars in so-called
"ghost money" given to foreign governments.
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