BIG BROTHER MARCHES ON.............
What's With Our 15 Intel Agencies?
The CIA, we know. But what are the other 14?
By Eric Umansky
Posted Monday, April 26, 2004, at 2:51 PM PT msn.com
Not-so-centralized intelligence
The White House, the 9/11 commission, and Congress are all considering
(http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/04/19/intelligence.tm/) recommending the appointment of a new intelligence czar, who would head up the government's 15 intelligence agencies and offices. As it stands now, the director of central intelligence, currently George Tenet, controls only the Central Intelligence Agency and its budget-a small slice of the total pie. What are the 14 other intel agencies, and what does each one do? (http://www.intelligence.gov/1-members.shtml)
The Department of Defense houses four agencies that are dedicated solely to intelligence and is thought to spend about 85 percent of the country's annual intelligence budget, which weighs in at about $40 billion. (The stand-alone CIA controls a much smaller portion of the available cash.) Their budgets are all classified, but it's possible to get a rough picture of their activities through media reports and a refreshingly loose-lipped presidential commission (http://www.gpo.gov/int/report.html). In apparent order of size, the agencies are:
National Reconnaissance Office........
(http://www.nro.gov/)
Builds, launches, and maintains the country's spy satellites. In the mid-1990s, a Clinton-appointed commission on intelligence showed (http://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/fig13-2.gif) the NRO getting about 50 percent more funding than any other intel agency, about $6 billion at the time.
National Security Agency.......
(http://www.nsa.gov/)
Intercepts and, if necessary, cracks foreign signals, whether e-mail messages, cellphone calls, or regular land-line calls.
Defense Intelligence Agency........
(http://www.dia.mil/)
Gives the military information and tips on other countries' militaries. It had a moment of fame soon after its creation in 1961, when a DIA official appeared on national television (http://www.dia.mil/History/40years/brief002.html) with photos of Soviet missile sites in Cuba. More recently, it got a bit of attention for having stated before the Iraq invasion that there was "no reliable information" (http://www.nctimes.net/news/2003/20030607/63345.html) that Saddam had chemical weapons.
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency........
(http://www.nima.mil/portal/site/nga01/)
Analyzes satellite photos, using them to make maps and other goodies, such as 3-D simulations of terrain and targets.
So that's four. In addition, each of the United States' five armed services—the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, and yes, Coast Guard—has its own intel branch. Compared to the big boys listed above, these offices are relatively small; they usually focus on tactical issues their servicemen and -women face in the field. That makes nine.
Most of the remaining offices consume intelligence rather than gather it. The departments of State (http://www.state.gov/s/inr/), Treasury(http://www.intelligence.gov/1-members_treasury.shtml), and Energy (http://www.intelligence.gov/1-members_energy.shtml) each have an intel unit. Relying on their particular expertise, these groups analyze other agencies' data and give assessments to their secretaries. (It was State and DOE intel branches that expressed reservations (http://www.isis-online.org/publications/iraq/IraqAluminumTubes12-5-03.pdf) about the larger intel community's conclusions on Iraq's supposed nukes program.) So much for 10, 11, and 12. No. 13 operates in a similar manner and is housed in the Department of Homeland Security(http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/); it's the office behind the multi-hued threat alert.
And while there is talk about creating a domestic intel agency along the lines of the British MI-5, the FBI (http://www.fbi.gov/intelligence/intell.htm) insists it already is one. The G-Woman in charge of the bureau's "Intelligence Program (http://www.fbi.gov/intelligence/intell.htm)," Maureen Baginski-who was previously (http://www.fbi.gov/libref/executives/baginski.htm) a top official at the National Security Agency-explains that rather than being housed in a discrete office, intel is "the job of everyone at the FBI (http://www.fbi.gov/page2/sept03/baginski091903.htm)."
Explainer thanks the Steven Aftergood of the Federation of American Scientists, John Pike of Globalsecurity.org, and Anya Guilsher of the CIA.
Eric Umansky writes "Today's Papers" for Slate. He can be reached at todayspapers@hotmail.com.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Air Force Intelligence; http://www.intelligence.gov/1-members_airforce.shtml
Army Intelligence; http://www.intelligence.gov/1-members_army.shtml
Central Intelligence Agency; http://www.intelligence.gov/1-members_cia.shtml
Coast Guard Intelligence; http://www.intelligence.gov/1-members_coastguard.shtml
Defense Intelligence Agency; http://www.intelligence.gov/1-members_dia.shtml
Department of Energy; http://www.intelligence.gov/1-members_energy.shtml
Department of Homeland Security; http://www.intelligence.gov/1-members_dhs.shtml
Department of State; http://www.intelligence.gov/1-members_state.shtml
Department of Treasury; http://www.intelligence.gov/1-members_treasury.shtml
Federal Bureau of Investigation; http://www.intelligence.gov/1-members_fbi.shtml
Marine Corps Intelligence; http://www.intelligence.gov/1-members_marines.shtml
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency; http://www.intelligence.gov/1-members_nima.shtml
National Reconnaissance Office; http://www.intelligence.gov/1-members_nro.shtml
National Security Agency; http://www.intelligence.gov/1-members_nsa.shtml
Navy Intelligence ; http://www.intelligence.gov/1-members_navy.shtml
------------------------------------------------------
YOU TO CAN BECOME A SPY.........http://www.intelligence.gov/3-career.shtml
The core functions of the IC are intelligence analysis and collection. Incumbents within the Intelligence Collection Career collect the raw information that is used by Analysts to produce finished intelligence.
There are five basic intelligence sources or collection disciplines.
Required Skills
Overall, to accomplish intelligence collection, incumbents must be able to establish and build interpersonal relationships. Key skills include Coordination, Persuasion, Negotiation, and Time Management.
Successful candidates have a bachelor’s degree with a strong academic record. All applicants must successfully complete a thorough medical and psychological exam, a polygraph interview, and an extensive background investigation.
Want to stay on the cutting edge in your technical discipline? Want to sharpen your analytical talents? Want to delve into the language and culture of other countries? Want to work on issues that affect Americans' national security? If you are interested in an exciting and rewarding career in the IC, then find out more by exploring this section.
There are 15 careers (broad areas of work) involved in the business of intelligence. Examples include substantive activities such as Analysis and Intelligence Collection as well as support activities such as Human Resources and Legal. These are common across most of the members of the Community. Each of the 15 consists of many different occupations.
An occupation is a specific job, all of which within a given career area involve similar work (at varying degrees of complexity and responsibility) and require similar knowledge and skills. For example, Analysis is one of the 15 IC careers. Individuals in this area manage and produce all-source intelligence on regional, transnational, scientific and technical, missile, and medical topics. Individuals working in this area perform similar work functions such as conducting research and gathering information, identifying intelligence gaps, interpreting and evaluating information from multiple (and sometimes contradictory) sources, monitoring trends and events related to a particular country or issue, and preparing written and oral assessments based on current events. Some of the specific occupations within this Career include Cartographer, Cryptanalyst, Imagery Analyst, and Regional Analyst. Employees may work at a particular occupation their entire career, or may undertake several different occupations within a given career area.
----------------------------------------------------
COLLECTION..................
Gathering of raw data from which finished intelligence is produced.
There are six basic intelligence sources, or collection disciplines:
Signals Intelligence (SIGINT)
Imagery Intelligence (IMINT)
Measurement and Signature Intelligence (MASINT)
Human-Source Intelligence (HUMINT)
Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT)
Geospatial Intelligence.
SIGINT...............
Signals intelligence is derived from signal intercepts comprising -- however transmitted -- either individually or in combination:
all communications intelligence (COMINT)
electronic intelligence (ELINT)
foreign instrumentation signals intelligence (FISINT)
The NSA......................
is responsible for collecting, processing, and reporting SIGINT. The National SIGINT Committee within NSA advises the Director, NSA, and the DCI on SIGINT policy issues and manages the SIGINT requirements system.
IMINT......................
Imagery Intelligence includes representations of objects reproduced electronically or by optical means on film, electronic display devices, or other media. Imagery can be derived from visual photography, radar sensors, infrared sensors, lasers, and electro-optics. NGA is the manager for all imagery intelligence activities, both classified and unclassified, within the government, including requirements, collection, processing, exploitation, dissemination, archiving, and retrieval.
MASINT....................
Measurement and Signature Intelligence is technically derived intelligence data other than imagery and SIGINT. The data results in intelligence that locates, identifies, or describes distinctive characteristics of targets. It employs a broad group of disciplines including nuclear, optical, radio frequency, acoustics, seismic, and materials sciences. Examples of this might be the distinctive radar signatures of specific aircraft systems or the chemical composition of air and water samples. The Central MASINT Organization, a component of DIA, is the focus for all national and DoD MASINT matters.
HUMINT...................
Human intelligence is derived from human sources. To the public, HUMINT remains synonymous with espionage and clandestine activities, yet, in reality, most HUMINT collection is performed by overt collectors such as diplomats and military attaches. HUMINT is the oldest method for collecting information, and until the technical revolution of the mid to late twentieth century, it was the primary source of intelligence. HUMINT is used mainly by the CIA, the Department of State, the DoD, and the FBI. Collection includes clandestine acquisition of photography, documents, and other material; overt collection by personnel in diplomatic and consular posts; debriefing of foreign nationals and US citizens who travel abroad; and official contacts with foreign governments. The National HUMINT Requirements Tasking Center is responsible for providing guidance for HUMINT activities, which are reflected in the National HUMINT Collection Directive. As part of this national effort, all HUMINT collection within the DoD is managed by the Defense HUMINT Service, under the direction of DIA’s Directorate for Operations.
OSINT.............
Open-Source Intelligence is publicly available information appearing in print or electronic form including radio, television, newspapers, journals, the Internet, commercial databases, and videos, graphics, and drawings. While open-source collection responsibilities are broadly distributed through the IC, the major collectors are the Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) and the National Air Intelligence Center (NAIC).
Geospatial Intelligence..............
This is the analysis and visual representation of security related activities on the earth. It is produced through an integration of imagery, imagery intelligence, and geospatial information.