IARPA will not start a program without a good idea and an exceptional program manager to lead its execution. Our program managers are encouraged to take risks and accept failure in the pursuit of their innovative research ideas, provided that they do not sacrifice technical or programmatic integrity, and that they fully document their research results.
There are four cutting-edge offices within IARPA:
Office for Anticipating Surprise
The goal of the programs in this office is to characterize and reduce uncertainty through anticipatory intelligence, developing new capabilities to deliver timely and accurate forecasts for a range of events relevant to national security.
Office of Incisive Analysis
The goal of the programs in this office is to maximize insight from the information we collect, in a timely fashion.
Office of Safe & Secure Operations
The goal of the programs in this office is to be able to counter new capabilities implemented by our adversaries that could threaten our ability to operate freely and effectively in a networked world.
Office of Smart Collection
The goal of the programs in this office is to dramatically improve the value of collected data from all sources.
Resources & Links
Dr. Stacey Dixon, IARPA Director
Visit the IARPA Website
Follow @IARPAnews
What We Do
The National Counterintelligence and Security Center provides effective leadership and support to the counterintelligence and security activities of the U.S. Intelligence Community, the U.S. Government, and U.S. private sector entities who are at risk of intelligence collection or attack by foreign adversaries.
About the National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC)
The National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) is part of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and is staffed by senior counterintelligence (CI) and other specialists from across the national intelligence and security communities. The NCSC develops, coordinates, and produces:
- National Threat Identification and Prioritization Assessment (NTIPA) and other analytic CI products.
- The National Counterintelligence Strategy of the United States of America.
- Priorities for CI collection, investigations, and operations.
- CI program budgets and evaluations that reflect strategic priorities.
- In-depth espionage damage assessments.
- CI awareness, outreach, and training standards policies depends on the 17 agencies in the Intelligence Community and partners across the U.S. Government and with experts in the private sector.
The National Counterproliferation and Biosecurity Center (NCBC) integrates the counterproliferation efforts of the entire Intelligence Community to ensure that the US Government is postured to protect the country from Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). NCBC is a small, diverse group of Officers drawn from across the IC and devoted to integrating the IC's efforts.
NCBC advances the broader objectives of the US counterproliferation mission:
- Discourage interest by states, terrorists or armed groups in acquiring, developing or mobilizing resources for WMD purposes
- Prevent or obstruct state, terrorist or other efforts to acquire WMD capabilities, or efforts by suppliers to provide such capabilities
- Roll back or eliminate WMD programs of concern
- Deter weapons use by those possessing nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons and their means of delivery
- Mitigate the consequences of any use of WMD against the United States or its allies
History
At the State of the Union address on 28 January 2003, then President George W. Bush declared, “Tonight I am instructing the leaders of the FBI, Central Intelligence, Homeland Security, and the Department of Defense to develop a Terrorist Threat Integration Center to merge and analyze all threat information in a single location.”
On 1 May 2003, the Terrorist Threat Integration Center (TTIC) opened its doors. Led by its first Director, John Brennan, TTIC filled its ranks with approximately three dozen detailees from across the US Government (USG) and was mandated to integrate CT capabilities and missions across the government.
Prior to the establishment of TTIC, individual Federal departments and agencies (largely CIA and FBI) provided the President their own assessments of the terrorist threat. In effect, the White House was being forced to synthesize Community reporting and draw its own conclusions. This was among the first systemic issues TTIC would be tasked to address and would be critical, given the organization’s need to demonstrate added value. With the stand up of TTIC, information sharing, watchlisting, and situational awareness were beginning to be addressed as USG-wide activities that continue to be critical today.
In August 2004, and at the recommendation of the 9/11 Commission, TTIC was incorporated into the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) by Executive Order (EO) 13354, which became the foundation for codifying NCTC’s authorities in the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act (IRTPA) of 2004. Through EO 13354 and subsequently IRTPA, NCTC was given the responsibilities for not only integrating analysis and coordinating information sharing and situational awareness, but also for strategic operational planning in direct support to the President.
In 2005, NCTC’s mission was expanded further as the WMD Commission called for mission management, and NCTC was established as what is now known as the National Intelligence Manager for Counterterrorism (NIM-CT). The attempted bombing of a US airliner on Christmas Day 2009 led to the most recent addition to NCTC’s roles and responsibilities, prioritizing and thoroughly pursuing the threads of terrorism threats.
Today, NCTC produces analysis, maintains the authoritative database of known and suspected terrorists, shares information, and conducts strategic operational planning. NCTC is staffed by more than 1,000 personnel from across the IC, the Federal government, and Federal contractors. Forty percent of NCTC’s workforce represents approximately 20 different departments and agencies—a tribute to the recognition by the intelligence, homeland security, and law enforcement communities of NCTC’s role in protecting the Nation against terrorist threats. The Center plays a vital role in protecting the Homeland and US interests around the world from the threat of terrorism.
Given NCTC’s unique authority to access both domestic and foreign terrorism information, NCTC analysts are singularly positioned within the Intelligence Community (IC) to make independent assessments and judgments, particularly on sensitive issues, unencumbered by the pressures and considerations that accompany the intelligence collection process. For this reason, NCTC analysts are perceived by other USG partners as “honest brokers,” and these analysts are expected and trained to reinforce the strong working relationships and collaboration that NCTC promotes with all its IC CT partners.