Intelligence Community Inspector General

Intelligence Community Inspector General
Name	Intelligence Community Inspector General
Formed	2010
Preceding1	Office of the Inspector General of the Central Intelligence Agency
Jurisdiction	United States Intelligence Community
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Parent department	Office of the Director of National Intelligence

Intelligence Community Inspector General. The Intelligence Community Inspector General is an independent, objective office within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence responsible for conducting audits, investigations, inspections, and reviews of programs and activities within the United States Intelligence Community. Established by the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010, the office promotes economy, efficiency, and effectiveness while preventing and detecting fraud, waste, and abuse. It provides leadership and coordination for other inspectors general across the intelligence agencies and keeps both the Director of National Intelligence and the United States Congress fully informed about problems and deficiencies.

History and establishment

The office was formally created by the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010, which was signed into law by President Barack Obama in October 2009. This legislation amended the Inspector General Act of 1978 to establish a statutory inspector general for the entire United States Intelligence Community, a reform long advocated by oversight bodies like the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Prior to its creation, oversight of community-wide activities was more fragmented, relying on the Office of the Inspector General of the Central Intelligence Agency and other agency-specific inspectors general. The establishment followed recommendations from commissions like the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (the 9/11 Commission) which highlighted the need for integrated, cross-agency oversight in the post-September 11 attacks era.

Organization and structure

The Intelligence Community Inspector General is headquartered within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in Washington, D.C.. The inspector general is appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate. The office is organized into functional divisions typically including audits, investigations, inspections and evaluations, and management. It maintains a small professional staff of auditors, investigators, inspectors, and attorneys. While administratively within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the office operates with statutory independence, reporting its findings simultaneously to the Director of National Intelligence and to congressional intelligence committees like the United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

Responsibilities and functions

Primary responsibilities include conducting and supervising independent audits, investigations, and inspections relating to programs and operations across the United States Intelligence Community. The office reviews allegations of violations of law, rules, or regulations, as well as mismanagement, gross waste of funds, and abuses of authority. It provides policy recommendations to the Director of National Intelligence and the United States Congress. A key function is to act as the principal advisor to the Director of National Intelligence on matters of economy, efficiency, and effectiveness within intelligence community activities. It also coordinates with other inspectors general, such as those at the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency, to avoid duplication of effort.

Jurisdiction and oversight scope

The jurisdiction encompasses all programs and activities within the United States Intelligence Community, which includes 18 elements such as the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the intelligence components of the United States Department of State and the United States Department of the Treasury. Its oversight extends to joint programs, cross-agency initiatives, and the management and integration functions of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence itself. However, it generally does not investigate matters that are the specific responsibility of an individual agency's inspector general unless they have community-wide implications.

Notable investigations and reports

The office has conducted several high-profile reviews, including an evaluation of the intelligence community's use of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act authorities. It investigated the security clearance process following the Washington Navy Yard shooting involving a contractor. A significant audit reviewed the Office of the Director of National Intelligence's implementation of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act. The office also played a role in examining the handling of whistleblower complaints, such as those that led to the first impeachment of Donald Trump, by reviewing the handling of the complaint related to Ukraine.

Relationship with other oversight bodies

The office maintains a critical, collaborative relationship with a network of oversight entities. It works alongside the inspectors general of member agencies like the Central Intelligence Agency Office of Inspector General and the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General. It coordinates with the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board on related issues. Externally, it provides mandatory reports and testimony to the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. It also interacts with the Government Accountability Office on cross-cutting audits and with the Department of Justice on potential criminal matters.

Category:Inspectors general of the United States government Category:United States Intelligence Community Category:Organizations established in 2010