Director of National Intelligence

Director of National Intelligence
Post	Director of National Intelligence
Body	the United States
Insigniacaption	Seal of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Incumbent	Avril Haines
Incumbentsince	January 21, 2021
Department	Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Member of	Cabinet
Reports to	President of the United States
Appointer	President of the United States
Appointer qualified	with Senate advice and consent
Termlength	No fixed term
Formation	April 21, 2005
First	John Negroponte
Deputy	Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence

Contents

Director of National Intelligence is the head of the United States Intelligence Community and leads the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The position was created by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 in response to the findings of the 9/11 Commission, which identified critical failures in information sharing among agencies like the Central Intelligence Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Director serves as the principal intelligence advisor to the President of the United States and the National Security Council, overseeing a budget of tens of billions of dollars and coordinating the efforts of 18 distinct intelligence agencies.

History and establishment

The position was established following the September 11 attacks and the subsequent investigation by the 9/11 Commission, which concluded that a lack of coordination between agencies such as the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, and the Defense Intelligence Agency hindered national security. The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act, signed by President George W. Bush in December 2004, formally created the office, superseding the previous role of the Director of Central Intelligence as head of the broader United States Intelligence Community. The first Director, John Negroponte, was confirmed by the United States Senate in April 2005, with his office absorbing staff from the former CIA-centered Community Management Staff.

The primary mission is to integrate the foreign, military, and domestic intelligence collected by entities like the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Energy to provide unified intelligence assessments. Key duties include developing the annual National Intelligence Program budget, establishing requirements and priorities for collection agencies such as the National Reconnaissance Office, and ensuring information is shared across the United States Intelligence Community pursuant to guidelines like the Intelligence Community Information Sharing Strategy. The Director also produces the President’s Daily Brief and testifies before congressional committees including the United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence is headquartered at Liberty Crossing in McLean, Virginia. It is composed of several mission centers and directorates, including the National Counterterrorism Center, the National Counterproliferation Center, and the National Counterintelligence and Security Center. The office is supported by three primary deputies: the Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, the Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Intelligence Integration, and the Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Enterprise Capacity. Key components also include the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity and the National Intelligence Council, which produces National Intelligence Estimates.

Since its creation, the position has been held by both career diplomats and intelligence professionals. The inaugural Director was John Negroponte, followed by Mike McConnell, Dennis Blair, James Clapper, Dan Coats, and John Ratcliffe. The current Director, Avril Haines, was nominated by President Joe Biden and confirmed by the United States Senate, becoming the first woman to hold the office. Directors are appointed by the President of the United States and must be confirmed by the United States Senate, typically serving at the pleasure of the president without a fixed term.

The Director exercises budget and tasking authority over the National Intelligence Program, which includes agencies like the Central Intelligence Agency and the intelligence elements of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. However, operational control of major collection agencies such as the National Security Agency and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency remains with the Secretary of Defense. This structure requires close coordination with the Department of Defense, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Homeland Security, often mediated through deputies on the National Security Council and committees like the National Security Council Deputies Committee.

The office has faced scrutiny regarding its authority and effectiveness, with critics arguing it added bureaucratic layering without solving interagency rivalry. Significant controversies include debates over bulk collection programs revealed by Edward Snowden, the handling of intelligence related to Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections, and the ODNI's role in the Ukraine whistleblower scandal that led to the first impeachment of Donald Trump. Oversight is conducted by congressional bodies including the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and independent entities like the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board and the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community.