https://crsreports.congress.gov
Updated September 20, 2021
U.S. Intelligence Community (IC): Appointment Dates and
Appointment Legal Provisions for Selected IC Leadership
This report provides the names and appointment provisions for
selected Intelligence Community (IC) senior officials, as reflected
in U.S. Code, public laws, executive orders, and custom. Table 1
also includes the committees involved when Senate confirmation
is required. As a general rule, the Senate Select Committee on
Intelligence (SSCI) has jurisdiction over the confirmation of those
nominated to IC leadership positions outside the Department of
Defense (DOD) while the Senate Armed Services Committee
(SASC) has jurisdiction over the confirmation of IC leadership
positions inside the DOD. In some cases (e.g., the Directors of the
National Security Agency and National Reconnaissance Office),
nominations may be referred sequentially to the SSCI and the
SASC, with the order of referral depending on the nominee’s
status as a member of the armed forces on active duty. If the
nominee is a servicemember on active duty, the nomination begins
with the SASC, if not, it begins with the SSCI.
Table 1. U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) Leadership: Appointment Dates and Legal Provisions
Leadership Appointment Date
Appointment Legal Provisions
Non-Department of Defense (DOD)
Office of the Director of National
Intelligence (ODNI)
Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Avril Haines
(sworn in January 21, 2021)
Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence
(PDDNI) Stacey A. Dixon (sworn in August 4, 2021)
50 U.S.C. §3026(c) “Not more than one of [the DNI and the
Principal Deputy DNI] may be a commissioned officer of the
Armed Forces in active status”; DNI: §3023(a), PDDNI
§3026(a)(1): presidentially appointed and Senate confirmed
(SSCI).
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
Director of the CIA (DCIA) William J. Burns (sworn in
March 19, 2021)
50 U.S.C. §3041(a)(2)(B) DNI recommends; then, pursuant to 50
U.S.C. §3036(a), presidentially appointed and Senate confirmed
(SSCI).
Department of Energy, Office of
Intelligence and Counterintelligence
(DOE/OICI)
Director, Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence
Steven K. Black (March 8, 2013)
50 U.S.C. §3041(b)(2)(E&F) DOE Secretary needs DNI to
concur with recommendation; then pursuant to 50 U.S.C.
§3041(b)(1), DOE Secretary appoints.
Department of Homeland Security, Office
of Intelligence and Analysis (DHS/I&A)
Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Under
Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis (U/S IA) John
Cohen (July 2021). As “Senior Official Performing Duties
of the Under Secretary” Mr. Cohen was neither formally
nominated nor Senate confirmed.
For the position of Under Secretary for Intelligence and
Analysis: 50 U.S.C. §3041(b)(2)(I) DHS Secretary needs DNI to
concur with recommendation; then pursuant to 6 U.S.C.
§121(b)(1), presidentially appointed, Senate confirmed (SSCI).
Department of Homeland Security, U.S.
Coast Guard, Intelligence Division
(USCG/CG-2)
Assistant Commandant for Intelligence (CG-2) RDML
Andrew M. Sugimoto (June 3, 2019)
50 U.S.C. §3041(c)(2)(B) USCG Commandant appoints, after
consulting with the DNI.
Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement
Administration, Office of National Security
Intelligence (DEA/ONSI)
Assistant Administrator and Chief of Intelligence Paul E.
Knierim (2019)
Deputy Assistant Administrator and Chief of ONSI
Tamara Wiesmann (December, 2019)
Senior Executive Appointments—5 U.S.C. §3151 establishes the
FBI-DEA Senior Executive Service.
Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of
Investigation, Intelligence Branch (FBI/IB)
Executive Assistant Director for Intelligence M.A. “Mo”
Myers (February 2021)
50 U.S.C. §3041(b)(2)(H) Attorney General needs DNI to
concur with recommendation; then pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §532
note and §2002 of P.L. 108-458, Attorney General appoints.
Department of Justice, National Security
Division (DOJ/NSD) (NSD is not a
statutory element of the IC.)
Assistant Attorney General for National Security Mark J.
Lesko, (acting, June 2021)
Matthew G. Olsen (nominated May 27, 2021)
50 U.S.C. §3041(c)(2)(C) Attorney General recommends, after
consulting with the DNI; then pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §506 and
S.Res. 470, 113th Congress, presidentially appointed and Senate
confirmed (Senate Judiciary Committee and SSCI).
Department of State, Bureau of Intelligence
and Research (DOS/INR)
Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research
Victor Raphael (acting, June 15, 2021)
Brett M. Holmgren (nominated March 26, 2021)
50 U.S.C. §3041(b)(2)(D) Secretary DOS needs DNI to concur
with recommendation; then pursuant to 22 U.S.C. §2651a (c)(1),
presidentially appointed and Senate confirmed (SSCI).
