www.crs.gov | 7-5700
July 11, 2018
National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC)
The National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) is one of
several mission centers operating within the Office of the
Director of National Intelligence. NCTC was established in
August 2004 as the primary U.S. government organization
responsible for analyzing and integrating all intelligence –
except intelligence solely related to domestic terrorism –
pertaining to terrorism and counterterrorism (CT).
Establishment
As part of its responses to the September 11, 2001terrorist
attacks, Congress established the National Commission on
Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, colloquially
known as the 9/11 Commission. The Commission was
tasked with preparing an account of the circumstances
surrounding the attacks and with making recommendations
for corrective measures that might prevent future attacks.
In July 2004, the Commission released its final report,
which asserted in part that government-wide information
sharing at the time of the attacks was both inefficient and
insufficient. To address this and other related findings, the
commission recommended a number of organizational
changes to the U.S. government, including the
establishment of a “civilian-led unified joint command for
counterterrorism.” This center was to be patterned after the
CIA’s Terrorist Threat Integration Center (TTIC).
Following the release of the commission’s final report,
President George W. Bush took a number of related
executive actions, including the formal establishment of
NCTC by Executive Order 13354 in August 2004. NCTC
assumed the functions and responsibilities of TTIC and
gained additional functions and responsibilities such as
planning CT activities. NCTC’s establishment was later
codified under Title 50 of the U.S. Code by P.L. 108-458.
Primary Missions
Threat Analysis
NCTC is directed by statute to function as the primary USG
organization for “analyzing and integrating all intelligence
possessed or acquired by the [USG] pertaining to terrorism
and counterterrorism, excepting intelligence pertaining
exclusively to domestic terrorists and domestic CT.”
Planning
NCTC is required by statute to conduct strategic operational
planning for CT activities, integrating all related
diplomatic, financial, military, intelligence, homeland
security, and law enforcement activities. NCTC views
planning as “ensuring unity of effort” across the whole of
federal government. It further supports this mission by
directing operational planning, assigning roles and
responsibilities, and leading interagency terrorism task
forces. Note that while NCTC may assign related roles and
responsibilities to other federal agencies, NCTC is not
statutorily authorized to direct the execution of any
resulting operations.
Information Sharing
NCTC is directed by statute to “ensure that agencies...have
access to and receive all-source intelligence support needed
to execute their [CT] plans or perform independent,
alternative analysis” and to ensure that such agencies “have
access to and receive intelligence needed to accomplish
their assigned activities.”
In support of this mission, NCTC shares CT-related
intelligence with Intelligence Community (IC) agencies and
responds to requests for information and assistance. NCTC
liaises with regional IC agencies and CT officials at the
federal, state, and local levels through its Domestic
Representative Program. It hosts the Joint Counterterrorism
Assessment Team, an interagency partnership that produces
CT intelligence products for federal, state, local, tribal, and
territorial government agencies and the private sector.
NCTC also contributes to the President’s Daily Brief and
the Department of Homeland Security’s National Terrorism
Advisory System Bulletin, which communicates terrorist
threat information to the public.
Identity Management
Title 50 U.S.C §3056(d)(6) establishes that NCTC must
“serve as the central and shared knowledge bank” for the
U.S. government (USG) on “known and suspected terrorists
and international terror groups, as well as their goals,
strategies, capabilities, and networks of contacts and
support.” In support of this mission, NCTC maintains the
Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment (TIDE), which
is the USG’s central repository of information on
international persons and groups with known or suspected
links to terrorist activities. TIDE incorporates information
derived from credible intelligence developed by USG
agencies to support terrorist screening systems across the
USG, such as the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Database. TIDE
is used, for example, to construct TSA’s “no-fly list,” and
to vet visa applicants and recipients of U.S. training and
assistance.
NCTC Organization
NCTC’s staff of approximately 1,000 personnel includes
permanent staff, personnel on rotational assignment from
other federal government agencies, and contractors. NCTC
is currently organized into four primary directorates:
Intelligence, Terrorist Identities, Operations Support, and
Strategic Operational Planning. The Directorate of
Intelligence has primary responsibility within the USG for
analysis of terrorism and terrorist organizations (barring
exclusively domestic terrorism and terrorist organizations).
The Directorate of Strategic Operational Planning is
responsible for providing strategic operational plans for
USG CT operations. See Figure 1.
