A Guide to the Central Intelligence Agency

What is the Central Intelligence Agency?

The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States Federal Government. The Central Intelligence Agency reports to the Director of National Intelligence and is responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to various senior policymakers of the United States Federal Government. Furthermore, the Central Intelligence Agency also engages in covert operations at the request of the President of the United States.

The primary function of the Central Intelligence Agency is to collect information regarding foreign governments, corporations and individuals and to advise public policymakers concerning matters of intelligence. The Central Intelligence Agency will also conduct paramilitary actions covert operations as well as exert foreign political influence through its Special Activities Division.

Prior to 2004, the Central Intelligence Agency operated as the main intelligence organization of the United States Government; the CIA was responsible for coordinating the activities of the US Intelligence Community as a whole. That being said, the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 shifted these responsibilities through the creation of the Director of National Intelligence office, which formally took over management and leadership of the Intelligence Community.

In present times, the Central Intelligence Agency shares a number of functions with other intelligence agencies in the United States.

Central Intelligence Agency Quick Facts

The following details outline the administration of the Central Intelligence Agency:

The Central Intelligence Agency was formed on September 18, 1947

The preceding agency of the Central Intelligence Agency was the office of Strategic Services

The Central Intelligence Agency operates with a classified annual budget and an employee base of roughly 20,000 workers

The CIA is headquartered in the George Bush Center for Intelligence in Langley, Virginia

The headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency are located in

The Central Intelligence Agency is responsible for the jurisdiction over the Federal Government of the United States

The head of the Central Intelligence Agency is Director Leon Panetta

Government Agency of the Executive Branch

Government agencies are defined as organizations, councils, and offices operating under the jurisdiction of the Federal Government of the United States of America; each federal agency retains specific administrative jurisdiction over specific facets latent within the operations of the United States Government.

The Central Intelligence Agency functions as a government agency under the Executive Branch of the United States government, which is comprised of 3 total branches; in addition to the Executive branch – which is responsible for the regulation and enforcement of operational legislation existing within the United States of America – there also exists the Legislative and Judicial Branches.

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