Printer Friendly

The National Security Agency/Central Security Service (NSA/CSS) is the nation's cryptologic organization that coordinates, directs, and performs highly specialized activities to protect US information systems and to produce foreign signals intelligence information. A high-technology organization, NSA is at the forefront of communications and information technology. NSA is also one of the most important centers of foreign language analysis and research within the US government and is said to be the largest employer of mathematicians in the United States and perhaps the world. Founded in 1952, NSA is part of the Department of Defense and a member of the US Intelligence Community. The Agency supports military customers, national policymakers, and the counterterrorism and counterintelligence communities, as well as key international allies. Most NSA/CSS employees, both civilian and military, are headquartered at Fort Meade, MD, centrally located between Baltimore and Washington, DC. Its workforce represents an unusual combination of specialties: analysts, engineers, physicists, mathematicians, linguists, computer scientists, researchers, as well as customer relations specialists, security officers, data flow experts, managers, administrative officers and clerical assistants.

Air Force Intelligence plays a critical role in the defense of our nation, providing aerial reconnaissance and surveillance in every conflict and contingency operation since its establishment as a separate service in 1947. Air Force aerial reconnaissance and surveillance began with open cockpits and observers drawing crude maps as they flew, and rapidly advanced to photographic reconnaissance being taken from converted fighter and bomber aircraft. The establishment of the Air Force also coincided with the development of specialized aircraft for intelligence gathering. The Air Force continues to operate the 'U-2,' and has added unmanned aerial vehicles like the 'Global Hawk' and 'Predator' as intelligence platforms. Additionally, the Air Force is key to the development and use of intelligence gathered from space platforms. Air Force Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) played key roles during the Cold War in dispelling the bomber gap, the missile gap, and verifying both the presence and withdrawal of nuclear-capable missiles from Cuba in 1962. The end of the Cold War only increased the demand for intelligence, and Air Force intelligence continues to play the dominant role in the conduct and analysis of aerial reconnaissance and surveillance operations. Air Force ISR resources are imbedded in each Unified Command's air component, down to the wing and squadron levels. Air Force ISR professionals work at every level of command and across the entire national intelligence community, continuously preparing for and conducting operations from full-scale conflict to peacekeeping, counterdrug, counterterrorism, and humanitarian and disaster relief. In 2006, the Air Force designated the first Headquarters USAF Intelligence Director (HQ USAF/A2) as a three-star general officer position and full Deputy Chief of Staff, Intelligence.

The US Army Intelligence department (G2) is responsible for policy formulation, planning, programming, budgeting, management, staff supervision, evaluation, and oversight for intelligence activities for the Department of the Army. The G2 is responsible for the overall coordination of the five major military intelligence (MI) disciplines within the Army: Imagery Intelligence, Signals Intelligence, Human Intelligence, Measurement and Signature Intelligence, and Counterintelligence and Security Countermeasures.

The United States Coast Guard is a military, multi-mission, maritime service within the Department of Homeland Security. The Coast Guard is one of the nation's five armed services. With maritime security as its North Star, core roles are protecting the public, the environment, and guarding US economic and security interests. It performs those missions in any maritime region in which those interests may be at risk, including America's ports, coastal waters, offshore regions, inland waterways, and international waters. To assist in accomplishing the many diverse missions of the Coast Guard, senior leadership, and operational commanders rely on the Coast Guard Intelligence and Criminal Investigations Program. The Coast Guard became a member of the Intelligence Community on 28 December 2001.

Within the Marine Corps, intelligence is an inherent component of the command decision-making process. Under Marine Corps doctrine, intelligence is considered the foundation on which the operational effort is built and the premise on which all training, doctrine, and equipment are developed. The Marine Corps Intelligence mission is to provide commanders at every level with seamless, tailored, timely, and mission-essential intelligence and to ensure this intelligence is integrated into the operational planning process. Because Marine forces are employed primarily at the tactical level, Marine Corps intelligence activities are oriented toward tactical support. The service allocates resources and manpower to develop and maintain specific expertise in the areas of human and technical reconnaissance and surveillance, general military/naval intelligence duties, human-source intelligence, counterintelligence, imagery intelligence, signals intelligence, and tactical exploitation of national capabilities. The Marine Corps' Director of Intelligence is the Commandant's principal intelligence staff officer and the functional manager for intelligence, counterintelligence, and cryptologic matters.

Established on March 23, 1882, Naval Intelligence is the oldest continuous serving US intelligence service. It is a global intelligence enterprise of over 20,000 uniformed and civilian personnel. The Naval Intelligence primary production organization, the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI), located at the National Maritime Intelligence Center (NMIC) in Suitland, MD, is the lead Department of Defense production center for maritime intelligence. ONI supports a variety of missions including US military acquisition and development, counter-terrorism, counter-proliferation, counter-narcotics, customs enforcement and, through partnerships and information sharing agreements with the US Coast Guard and US Northern Command, Homeland Security and Homeland Defense. While ONI is the largest Naval Intelligence organization with the largest concentration of Naval Intelligence civilians, most of Naval Intelligence is comprises active duty military personnel, serving throughout the world.

Members of the IC Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3