IC Directive Overview

Intelligence Community Directives:

Getting Everyone on the Same Page

                By 2001, the world had changed drastically; the United States is involved in a series of conflicts that requires massive amounts of intelligence-gathering and the methods used for gathering information have been restructured, revised and reshaped to handle the new paradigm. K.L. Security would like to share one of the new ways that U.S. handles its security with our customers (who are obviously concerned with security!)

                One of the ways the U.S. Government changed the way its intelligence agencies gather and process information was to mate an established group with a new federal position. The established group is the United States Intelligence Community and the new position is the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

                The intelligence community is a federation of 16 separate U.S. intelligence-gathering agencies founded in 1981 and they currently have six primary objectives. First; collect information needed by the President, the National Security Council, the Secretaries of Defense and other Executive Branch officials. Second; the production and dissemination of intelligence and third; the collection of information concerning those engaged in criminal activity and those engaged in hostile activities against the United States. The fourth objective concerns special activities; which is defined as activities conducted in support of U.S. foreign policy objectives abroad which are planned and executed so that the role of the United States is not apparent or acknowledged publicly. The fifth objective is administrative and support activities within the United States and aboard necessary for the performance of authorized activities. The final objective is to support other intelligence activities that the President may direct.

                The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) was established by an act of Congress in 2004 and started operations in 2005. This office has three main objectives; first to serve as the principal advisor to the President, National Security Council and Homeland Security Council about intelligence matters that are related to national security. The second is to serve as the head of the Intelligence Community mentioned above and the third is to direct and oversee the National Intelligence Program.

                As the head of the Intelligence Community, DNI has the massive task of coordinating efforts, reports, tasks, meetings and missions between 16 very difference agencies. Of the most effective tools the DNI has for that ongoing job are Intelligence Community Directives (ICDs). This system of directives was established in 2005, just after the DNI’s founding. The purpose of the ICDs is straightforward; the directives and their subsidiary issuances provide the DNI with its principal means of providing guidance, policy and direction to the Intelligence Community.

                The DNI is responsible for developing them and disseminating them to the appropriate agencies and updating them as required. Only the DNI can approve, cancel or supersede an ICD. In fact, establishing the ICDs was the first ICD. There have been 57 ICDs issued in nine different series for different policy areas. These areas include; Enterprise Management, Intelligence Analysis, Intelligence Collection, Customer Outcomes, Information Management, Human Capital, Security and Counterintelligence, Science and Technology and Mission Management.

                The ICDs themselves cover such topics as analytic standards, cost management, community leadership, congressional notification, human intelligence, SCI management, maritime and aerial intelligence and many more areas of intelligence-gathering. A complete listing can be found here.

                The Intelligence Community Directives are a way of taking a group of complex systems and devising a method to interact and guide them without interfering with their operation. While the details are geared toward the intelligence field, looking them over in a broad way could give you ideas on how to increase the efficiency of your own business. Especially if you have different branch or divisions working on separate projects in far away locations.

                K.L. Security will continue to keep our customers abreast of ideas, guides and systems like the ICDs. If we think it can help you; we’ll guide you and consult with you for your needs. For more information on GSA Approved containers, nsa approved paper shredders or DEA approved safes, visit our website www.safeandvault.com