October 18, 2018
The National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC):
An Overview
Section 3.5(a) of Executive Order 12333, The U.S.
Intelligence Community, defines counterintelligence (CI) as
“information gathered and activities conducted to identify,
deceive, exploit, disrupt, or protect against espionage, other
intelligence activities, sabotage, or assassinations conducted
for or on behalf of foreign powers, organizations, or
persons, or their agents, or international terrorist
organizations or activities.”
Counterintelligence is often visible through its results: the
July 2018 criminal indictment of Russian nationals and
companies for interfering in the 2016 presidential election,
and the October 2018 arrest and extradition of a Chinese
intelligence officer for attempting to commit economic
espionage are two examples. Less visible are efforts by U.S.
counterintelligence elements to prevent cyber hacking and
economic espionage, defend critical networks and
infrastructure, and deter insider threats.
The National Counterintelligence and Security Center
(NCSC) is one of the four mission centers within the Office
of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). It was
established in 2014 to lead United States CI and security
activities by consolidating existing CI and security offices
and responsibilities “to effectively integrate and align
counterintelligence and security mission areas under a
single organizational construct.” NCSC develops and
coordinates national CI strategy, policy, analytical products,
priorities and budgets through a cadre of CI and law
enforcement professionals from across the IC. Although
NCSC oversees the CI and security activities of
departments and agencies, it is not authorized to conduct
investigations or operations, or to develop contacts with
foreign intelligence services.
A National CI and Security Enterprise
PDD-75
Presidential Decision Directive (PDD) 75, U.S.
Counterintelligence Effectiveness—Counterintelligence for
the 21
st
Century, signed by President Clinton on January 5,
2001, provided a foundation for a national organization to
lead CI and security activities across the government. PDD-
75 elaborated policy to keep pace with the proliferation of
threats to U.S. national security that came with major
developments in technology. PDD-75 also provided for the
development of national CI strategy and policy, and the
prioritization of CI requirements. Most importantly, PDD-
75 provided for the formal establishment of a national CI
and security organization, headed by the National
Counterintelligence Executive (NCIX) and supporting
office (ONCIX), a National CI Board of Directors, and a
National CI Policy Board (NCIPB) to advise the NCIX on
the CI strategy and policy. The CI structural elements
established by PDD-75 were subsequently codified into
statute through the Counterintelligence Enhancement Act of
2002. (P.L. 107-306, Title IX, §901(b), November 27,
2002, 116 Stat. 2432).
National CI Executive (NCIX)
As the senior official in the CI community, the NCIX is
nominated by the President and, as of 2015, is also
confirmed by the Senate. The 2004 Intelligence Reform and
Terrorism Prevention Act (IRTPA), enacted to implement
many of the recommendations of the National Commission
on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States (known as the
9/11 Commission), reorganized the NCIX and ONCIX
within the newly constituted ODNI to facilitate the
integration and coordination of national CI activities across
the IC. With the consolidation of national CI and security
activities in the NCSC in 2014, the NCIX was redesignated
as the Director, NCSC.
Resources
The NCSC and CI and security programs for each IC
element are funded through the National Intelligence
Program (NIP) budget. The Director of National
Intelligence (DNI) manages the NIP in order to align
resources with prioritized requirements through the iterative
Intelligence Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and
Evaluation (IPPBE) process. See CRS In Focus IF10428,
Intelligence Planning, Programming, Budgeting and
Evaluation Process (IPPBE), by Michael E. DeVine.
NCSC Strategic Goals and Statutory
Functions
The NCSC Strategic Plan for 2018-2022 specifies five
strategic goals:
1. Advancing knowledge of and ability to
counter foreign and other threats.
2. Protecting United States critical
infrastructure, technologies, facilities,
classified networks, sensitive information
and personnel.
3. Advancing the CI and security mission,
and optimizing CI cooperation and
partnerships.
4. Engaging and advocating for government
and private stakeholders to improve
effectiveness.
5. Achieving organizational excellence.
To achieve these goals, NCSC has a number of statutory
functions, including these:
Producing the National Threat Identification and
Prioritization Assessment (NTIPA), a strategic planning
document with a consolidated list of CI requirements
tied to specific CI threats.
