Edit Organization: Directorate of Operations (Central Intelligence Agency)

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{{Short description|US clandestine intelligence organization}} {{Infobox government agency | name = Directorate of Operations | seal = CIA Directorate of Operations Logo.svg | logo = | formed = 1951 (as Directorate of Plans) | jurisdiction = | motto = ''Veritatem Cognoscere'' (English: "To Know the Truth") | employees = Classified | budget = Classified | chief1_name = David Marlowe<ref>{{cite news |title=WSJ News Exclusive {{!}} CIA Names David Marlowe to Run Espionage Operations |website=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230213095951/https://www.wsj.com/articles/cia-names-david-marlowe-to-run-espionage-operations-11623884898 |archive-date=2023-02-13 |url-status=live |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/cia-names-david-marlowe-to-run-espionage-operations-11623884898 |last1=Strobel |first1=Warren P. }}</ref> | chief1_position = [[Deputy Director of CIA for Operations]] | chief2_name = [[William J. Burns (diplomat)|William J. Burns]] | chief2_position = [[Director of the Central Intelligence Agency]] | chief3_name = | chief3_position = | chief4_name = | chief4_position = | chief5_name = | chief5_position = | chief6_name = | chief6_position = | chief7_name = | chief7_position = | chief8_name = | chief8_position = | chief9_name = | chief9_position = | parent_department = [[Central Intelligence Agency]] | website = https://www.cia.gov/about/organization/#directorate-of-operations }} The '''Directorate of Operations''' ('''DO'''), less formally called the '''Clandestine Service''',<ref name="Careers & Internships">[[Central Intelligence Agency]], [https://web.archive.org/web/20090805052303/https://www.cia.gov/careers/opportunities/clandestine/index.html Careers & Internships], Retrieved: July 9, 2015.</ref> is a component of the US [[Central Intelligence Agency]].<ref name="Careers & Internships"/> It was known as the ''Directorate of Plans'' from 1951 to 1973; as the ''Directorate of Operations'' from 1973 to 2004; and as the ''National Clandestine Service'' (NCS) from 2004 to 2015.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=[[Central Intelligence Agency]]|url= https://www.cia.gov/news-information/press-releases-statements/2015-press-releases-statements/message-to-workforce-agencys-blueprint-for-the-future.html|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150309230914/https://www.cia.gov/news-information/press-releases-statements/2015-press-releases-statements/message-to-workforce-agencys-blueprint-for-the-future.html|url-status= dead|archive-date= March 9, 2015|title=Unclassified Version of March 6, 2015 Message to the Workforce from CIA Director John Brennan: Our Agency's Blueprint for the Future|date= March 6, 2015}}</ref> The DO "serves as the [[Clandestine operation|clandestine]] arm of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the national authority for the coordination, de-confliction, and evaluation of clandestine operations across the [[United States Intelligence Community|Intelligence Community of the United States]]".<ref>{{cite web|title=Mission of the National Clandestine Service|url=https://www.cia.gov/offices-of-cia/clandestine-service/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070612182130/https://www.cia.gov/offices-of-cia/clandestine-service/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 12, 2007|work=CIA Website|access-date=April 28, 2011}}</ref> {{Official URL (simple)|url=https://www.cia.gov/careers/opportunities/cia-operations/}} ==Mission== The mission of the Directorate of Operations involves collecting intelligence that can only be gathered through human sources, often in environments where technological methods are inadequate or impossible. It also carries out covert actions as authorized by the President to influence events or protect U.S. interests abroad.{{Cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/careers/opportunities/cia-operations/ |title=CIA Operations |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |access-date=February 7, 2025}} ==Parent organization== The Directorate of Operations is a component of the Central Intelligence Agency, directly reporting to the CIA's Director. The CIA itself operates under the broader umbrella of the U.S. Intelligence Community, with oversight from the Director of National Intelligence.{{Cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/resources/organization/ |title=Organization |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |access-date=February 7, 2025}} ==Legislation== The Directorate of Operations was established under the authority of the National Security Act of 1947, which created the CIA and outlined its responsibilities.{{Cite web |url=https://irp.fas.org/offdocs/nsc-hst/nsc-4707.htm |title=National Security Act of 1947 |publisher=Federation of American Scientists |access-date=February 7, 2025}} ==Partners== * Various U.S. government agencies for cooperative intelligence gathering and operations. * Foreign intelligence services for joint operations or information exchange, though specifics are classified. ==Number of employees== The Directorate of Operations employs around 6000 officers, including case officers, paramilitary officers, and support staff, though exact numbers are often classified.{{Cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/careers/opportunities/cia-operations/ |title=CIA Operations |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |access-date=February 7, 2025}} ==Organization structure== The structure of the DO includes: * Collection Management Officers coordinating intelligence collection. * Case Officers handling agent recruitment and management. * Paramilitary Operations Officers for covert action support. * Language Officers for cultural and linguistic expertise in operations. ===Leader=== The DO is led by the Deputy Director for Operations. ===Divisions=== * Counterterrorism Center for operations against terrorist threats. * Counterintelligence Center for operations to protect against foreign intelligence threats. * Special Activities Center for covert action including paramilitary operations. ==List of programs== * HUMINT Collection Programs for gathering human intelligence. * Covert Action Programs, specifics of which are classified. * Counterintelligence Operations to detect and counter espionage. ==Last total enacted budget== The budget for the Directorate of Operations is part of the CIA's classified budget, not publicly disclosed separately. ==Staff== Staff includes case officers, operations support officers, technical officers, and analysts, all working in various capacities to support the DO's mission. ==Funding== Funding for the Directorate of Operations is integrated into the CIA's overall budget, which is classified but known to be significant, supporting a wide range of intelligence activities. ==Services provided== The DO provides critical human intelligence (HUMINT) to policymakers, conducts covert actions to support U.S. foreign policy, and engages in counterintelligence to protect national security. It operates both domestically and abroad, with a focus on espionage, counter-terrorism, and counterintelligence.{{Cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/careers/opportunities/cia-operations/ |title=CIA Operations |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |access-date=February 7, 2025}} ==Regulations overseen== The DO does not oversee regulations but operates within a framework of legal guidelines, including Executive Orders and Congressional oversight on intelligence activities. ==Headquarters address== George Bush Center for Intelligence, Langley, VA 22101 ==History== Originally known as the Office of Special Operations and later as the Directorate of Plans, the Directorate of Operations has evolved through various names and structures since the CIA's inception in 1947. It has been central to many significant U.S. intelligence operations throughout the Cold War and beyond.{{Cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/resources/csi/books-monographs/origin-of-cia.html |title=The Origin of the CIA |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |access-date=February 7, 2025}} ==History== ===Predecessors=== The Directorate of Plans was originally conceived to solve organizational rivalry between the [[Strategic Services Unit|Office of Special Operations]] (OSO) and the [[Office of Policy Coordination]] (OPC). There was operational overlap between the two CIA departments, even though OSO was focused on intelligence collection whereas OPC was more focused on covert action.<ref name="Karalekas">{{cite book|first=Anne|last=Karalekas|title=History of the Central Intelligence Agency|date=April 23, 1976|work=[[Church Committee]]|pages=[https://archive.org/stream/finalreportofsel04unit#page/36/mode/2up 36–38]}}</ref> [[Director of Central Intelligence]] [[Walter Bedell Smith]] attempted to ameliorate the situation by appointing [[Allen Dulles]] on January 4, 1951, to the new position of '''Deputy Director for Plans''' (DDP) where he would supervise the two entities. According to Anne Karalekas, a staffer of the [[Church Committee]] who wrote a history of the CIA, that was merely a cosmetic change, and it was only on August 1, 1952, that OPC and OSO were properly merged to form the '''Directorate of Plans''' (DDP).<ref name=Karalekas/> The Directorate of Plans used the abbreviation of its chief.<ref name="Prados">{{cite book|last=Prados|first=John|title=Safe for Democracy: The Secret Wars of the CIA|date=2006|publisher=Ivan R. Dee|isbn=9781615780112|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=3OCDelYICIsC&pg=PA11 11]|language=en}}</ref> According to John Prados, the name was intended to disguise the true function of the Directorate.<ref name=Prados/> The Directorate was the CIA branch that conducted [[covert operations]] and recruited foreign agents. DDP consisted of, among other subdivisions, a unit for political and economic covert action (the Covert Action Staff), for [[paramilitary]] covert action (the [[Special Operations]] unit), for [[counterintelligence]], and for several geographic desks responsible for the collection of foreign intelligence. On March 1, 1973, DDP became the Directorate of Operations<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/news-information/featured-story-archive/2007-featured-story-archive/cia-celebrates-60-years.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080311225418/https://www.cia.gov/news-information/featured-story-archive/2007-featured-story-archive/cia-celebrates-60-years.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 11, 2008|title=CIA Celebrates 60 Years|date=2007|publisher=[[Central Intelligence Agency]]}}</ref> and the director became known as the '''Deputy Director for Operations''' (DDO). The Directorate also housed special groups for conducting [[War on Drugs|counter-narcotics]] and [[counter-terrorism]], for tracking [[nuclear proliferation]], and other tasks. ===Approval of clandestine and covert operations=== Approval of clandestine and covert operations came from a variety of committees, although in the early days of quasi-autonomous offices and the early DDP, there was more internal authority to approve operations.<ref name="CovClanControl">{{Cite journal | title = U.S. Covert Actions and Counter-Insurgency Programs | url = https://1997-2001.state.gov/www/about_state/history/vol_xxiv/covert_actions.html | journal = Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964-1968, Volume XXIV }}</ref> After its creation in the [[Harry S. Truman|Truman administration]], the CIA was, initially, the financial manager for OPC and OSO, authorized to handle "unvouchered funds" by [[United States National Security Council|National Security Council]] document 4-A of December 1947, the launching of peacetime covert action operations. NSC 4-A made the Director of Central Intelligence responsible for psychological warfare, establishing at the same time the principle that covert action was an exclusively [[Executive branch of the United States|Executive Branch]] function. ====Early autonomy of OPC==== Initially, the supervision by committee allowed the OPC to exercise early use of its new covert action mandate dissatisfied officials at the Departments of [[United States Department of State|State]] and [[United States Department of Defense|Defense]]. The Department of State, believing this role too important to be left to the CIA alone and concerned that the military might create a new rival covert action office in [[the Pentagon]], pressed to reopen the issue of where responsibility for covert action activities should reside. Consequently, on June 18, 1948, a new NSC directive, NSC 10/2, superseded NSC 4-A. NSC 10/2 directed the CIA to conduct "covert" rather than merely "psychological" operations, defining them as all activities "which are conducted or sponsored by this Government against hostile foreign states or groups or in support of friendly foreign states or groups but which are so planned and executed that any US Government responsibility for them is not evident to unauthorized persons and that if uncovered the US Government can plausibly disclaim any responsibility for them". NSC 10/2 defined the scope of these operations as: <blockquote>propaganda; economic warfare; preventive direct action, including sabotage, demolition and evacuation measures; subversion against hostile states, including assistance to underground resistance movements, guerrillas and refugee liberations {{sic}} groups, and support of indigenous anti-Communist elements in threatened countries of the free world. Such operations should not include armed conflict by recognized military forces, espionage, counter-espionage, and cover and deception for military operations.<ref name="NSC10/2">{{Cite web | url=https://1997-2001.state.gov/www/about_state/history/intel/290_300.html | work=[[U.S. Department of State]] | title=Foreign Relations of the United States, 1945–1950, Emergence of the Intelligence Establishment | pages=Document 292, Section 5 | access-date=2007-04-15 }}</ref></blockquote> [[Guerrilla warfare]] was outside this statement of scope, but such operations came under partial CIA control with NSC 10/5 of October 1951. See ''"Psychological Strategy Board"'' below. To implement covert actions under NSC 10/2, the OPC was created on September 1, 1948. Its initial structure had it taking guidance from the State Department in peacetime and from the military in wartime, initially had direct access to the State Department and to the military without having to proceed through the CIA's administrative hierarchy, provided the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) was informed of all important projects and decisions. In 1950 this arrangement was modified to ensure that policy guidance came to OPC through the DCI. During the Korean War, the OPC grew quickly. Wartime commitments and other missions soon made covert action the most expensive and bureaucratically prominent of the CIA's activities. Concerned about this situation, DCI [[Walter Bedell Smith]] in early 1951 asked the NSC for enhanced policy guidance and a ruling on the proper "scope and magnitude" of CIA operations. The White House responded with two initiatives. In April 1951 President Truman created the [[Psychological Strategy Board]] (PSB) under the NSC to coordinate government-wide psychological warfare strategy. Putting special operations under a ''"psychological"'' organization paralleled the military's development of [[United States Army Special Forces|U.S. Army Special Forces]], which was created by a Pentagon unit called the Psychological Warfare Division. "NSC 10/5, issued in October 1951, reaffirmed the covert action mandate given in NSC 10/2 and expanded CIA's authority over guerrilla warfare"<ref name=NSC10-5>{{Cite book | chapter = NSC 10/5, Scope and Pace of Covert Operations | date = October 23, 1951 | editor = Warner, Michael | title = The CIA Under Harry Truman | publisher = Central Intelligence Agency }}</ref> The incoming [[Dwight D. Eisenhower|Eisenhower administration]] soon abolished the PSB, but the expansion of the CIA's covert action writ in NSC 10/5 helped ensure that covert action would remain a major function of the Agency.<ref name=CovClanControl /> As the Truman administration ended, CIA was near the peak of its independence and authority in the field of covert action. Although CIA continued to seek and receive advice on specific projects&nbsp;... no group or officer outside of the DCI and the President himself had authority to order, approve, manage, or curtail operations. ====Increasing control by CIA management==== {{Main|Oversight of United States covert operations}} After Smith, who was Eisenhower's World War II [[White House Chief of Staff|Chief of Staff]], consolidated the CIA, the OPC and the OSO in 1952, the Eisenhower administration began narrowing the CIA's latitude in 1954. In accordance with a series of National Security Council directives, the Director of Central Intelligence's responsibility for the conduct of covert operations was further clarified. President Eisenhower approved NSC 5412 on March 15, 1954, reaffirming the CIA's responsibility for conducting covert actions abroad". A series of committees, containing representatives from State, Defense, the CIA, and sometimes the White House or NSC, reviewed operations. Over time and reorganizations, these committees were called the [[Operations Coordinating Board]] (OCB), NSC 5412/2 Special Group or simply Special Group, Special Group (Augmented), 303 Committee, and Special Group (Counterinsurgency).<ref name=CovClanControl /> ===National Clandestine Service=== In the aftermath of the [[September 11 attacks]] in 2001, a report by the [[Joint Inquiry into Intelligence Community Activities before and after the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001]], conducted by the [[United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence|Senate Select Committee on Intelligence]] and the [[United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence|House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence]], and the [[9/11 Commission Report|report]] released by the [[9/11 Commission|National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States]], identified serious shortcomings in the [[United States Intelligence Community|Intelligence Community]]'s [[Human intelligence (intelligence collection)|HUMINT]] capabilities, ranging from the lack of qualified linguists to the lack of Community-wide information sharing. These efforts resulted in the passage of the [[Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act]] in 2004, which created the position of the [[Director of National Intelligence]] and tasked the [[Director of the Central Intelligence Agency|CIA's Director]] with developing a "strategy for improving the human intelligence and other capabilities of the Agency."<ref>{{cite web|title=Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, Section 1011|url=http://intelligence.senate.gov/laws/pl108-458.pdf|work=PL 108-458|access-date=2011-04-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722183817/http://intelligence.senate.gov/laws/pl108-458.pdf|archive-date=2011-07-22|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2004, Senator [[Pat Roberts]], the [[United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence|Senate Intelligence Committee]]'s Chairman, drafted the 9/11 National Security Protection Act<ref>{{cite web|title=9-11 Act|url=https://fas.org/irp/congress/2004_cr/roberts-911nspa.pdf|work=9-11 Act National Security Protection Act}}</ref> in which he proposed that the Directorate of Operations be removed from the CIA and established as an independent agency known as the National Clandestine Service (NCS). The NCS' creation was also recommended by the [[Iraq Intelligence Commission|Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gpoaccess.gov/wmd/index.html|title=Unclassified Version of the Report of the Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction|access-date=2011-04-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607045122/http://www.gpoaccess.gov/wmd/index.html|archive-date=2011-06-07|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Commission's investigation found that HUMINT capabilities had been severely degraded since the end of the [[Cold War]] and were ill-suited for targeting non-state actors such as terrorist organizations. The Commission also noted that HUMINT operations were poorly coordinated between the various federal entities who conducted them and encouraged the development of better methods of validating human sources, in light of the revelations about the source known as [[Curveball (informant)|Curveball]]. Beginning its study of the Intelligence Community in 1995, a non-governmental group including former [[National Security Agency]] [[Director of the National Security Agency|Director]] [[William Eldridge Odom|William E. Odom]], former [[Defense Intelligence Agency]] [[Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency|Director]] [[Harry E. Soyster]], former DIA Director and [[Director of National Intelligence]] [[James R. Clapper]], and former General Counsel for the CIA and the NSA Elizabeth Rindskopf Parker, issued a report, first in 1997 and in an updated form in 2002, which recommended the NCS' creation.<ref>{{cite web|title=Moderning Intelligence: Structure and Change for the 21st Century|url=http://www.nipp.org/National%20Institute%20Press/Archives/Publication%20Archive%20PDF/rev%20intel%20complete.pdf|work=Modernizing Intelligence: January 2002 Edition|publisher=National Institute for Public Policy|access-date=April 29, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007021340/http://www.nipp.org/National%20Institute%20Press/Archives/Publication%20Archive%20PDF/rev%20intel%20complete.pdf|archive-date=October 7, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> The CIA announced the NCS' creation in a press release on October 13, 2005.<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://www.cia.gov/news-information/press-releases-statements/press-release-archive-2005/pr10132005.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070613001154/https://www.cia.gov/news-information/press-releases-statements/press-release-archive-2005/pr10132005.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 13, 2007 |title=Establishment of the National Clandestine Service |publisher=[[Central Intelligence Agency]] |date=2005-10-13 |access-date=2008-11-14}}</ref> Contrary to Senator Roberts' proposal, the NCS would be a component of the CIA, rather than an independent executive branch agency. ==Organization== :''See [[Deputy Director of CIA for Operations]] for a full list of directors since 1951.'' [[File:Organizational Chart of the CIA National Clandestine Service.png|thumb|right|300px|Organizational chart of the National Clandestine Service according to the book ''The US Intelligence Community'' by Jeffrey T. Richelson.]] The DO is structured under its director as follows:<ref>https://irp.fas.org/cia/orgchart.pdf {{bare URL PDF|date=February 2024}}</ref> * Deputy Director for Operations ** Counterproliferation Division ** [[Counterterrorism Mission Center|Mission Center for Counterterrorism]] ** [[Counterintelligence Center]] ** Regional & Transnational Issues Divisions ** Technology Support Divisions * Deputy Director of the NCS for Community HUMINT ** Community HUMINT Coordination Center A major headquarters element was the [[Counterintelligence Staff]], most powerful when led by [[James Jesus Angleton]]. It was the principal U.S. organization responsible for vetting potential new [[Clandestine HUMINT]] assets, and for U.S. [[Counter-intelligence#Theory of offensive counterintelligence|offensive counterespionage and deception]]. Various groups provide support services, such as cover documentation and disguise.<ref name=Disguise>{{Cite book | last =Mendez | first =Antonio J. | author-link =Antonio J. Mendez | year =1999 | title =Master of Disguise: My Secret Life in the CIA | publisher =William Morrow and Company, Inc | isbn =0-06-095791-3 }}</ref> A technical services unit, sometimes in the clandestine division and occasionally in the Directorate of Science and Technology, contained both espionage equipment development and sometimes questionable research, such as the [[MKULTRA]] mind control program. ===Special Activities Center=== Under an assortment of names, such as [[Special Activities Center]] (SAC), there is a paramilitary function that may enter and prepare an area of operations before [[U.S. Special Operation Forces]] enter in a more overt military role. This may or may not include [[psychological operations]], especially [[black propaganda]]; paramilitary and psychological functions have split and joined under various historical reorganizations. Administrated by the DO, the paramilitary operations officers from the Special Operations Group are maintained in the Special Activities Center. They are highly skilled in weaponry; covert transport of personnel and material by air, sea, and land; [[guerrilla warfare]]; the use of explosives; assassination and sabotage; and [[Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape|escape and evasion]] techniques. They are prepared to respond quickly to myriad possible needs, from parachute drops and communications support to assistance with counter-narcotics operations and defector infiltration. SAC maintains a symbiotic relationship with the [[Joint Special Operations Command]], and is largely run by former JSOC members.<ref name="Time">{{cite magazine|last=Waller|first=Douglas|date=2003-02-03|title=The CIA Secret Army|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |url=http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101030203/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030201095351/http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101030203/|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 1, 2003}}</ref> SAC/SOG is a [[special operations]] force, along with the military's five [[Special Mission Unit|special mission units]]: * [[United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group]] (also known as DEVGRU, NSWDG or SEAL Team Six and previously Mob-Six) * United States Army's [[1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta]] (also known as Delta Force, A.C.E. or C.A.G.) * [[United States Army Intelligence Support Activity]] (also known as I.S.A., The Activity and previously Gray Fox) *United States Army [[Regimental Reconnaissance Company]] * United States Air Force's [[24th Special Tactics Squadron]] For special operations missions and its other responsibilities, the Special Operations staff attempts to recruit people with the requisite specialized skills, although geographic desks remain the principal units involved in the recruitment of personnel in so-called denied areas (such as [[Libya]], [[Iran]], [[Iraq]], et cetera). Special operations also provide special air, ground, maritime and training support for the Agency's intelligence gathering operations. ==DO officers== The DO consists of four career categories of officers:<ref>{{cite web|title=NCS Career Opportunities|url=https://www.cia.gov/careers/opportunities/clandestine/view-jobs.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090805054950/https://www.cia.gov/careers/opportunities/clandestine/view-jobs.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 5, 2009|work=Clandestine Service Fields}}</ref> Below are brief descriptions of the four principal categories and where applicable the sub-categories of Clandestine Service Officers. #'''Case officers (CO):''' Formerly "operations officers," focus full-time on "clandestinely spotting, assessing, developing, recruiting, and handling individuals with access to vital foreign intelligence."<ref>{{cite web|title=Operations Officers|url=https://www.cia.gov/careers/opportunities/clandestine/core-collector.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090829213710/https://www.cia.gov/careers/opportunities/clandestine/core-collector.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 29, 2009|work=Core Collectors}}</ref> #'''Collection management officers (CMO) '''"oversee and facilitate the collection, evaluation, classification, and dissemination of foreign intelligence developed from clandestine sources." They ensure that "foreign intelligence collected by clandestine sources is relevant, timely, and addresses the highest foreign policy and national security needs."<ref>{{cite web|title=Collection Management Officer|url=https://www.cia.gov/careers/opportunities/clandestine/core-collector.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090829213710/https://www.cia.gov/careers/opportunities/clandestine/core-collector.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 29, 2009|work=Core Collectors}}</ref> #'''Staff operations officers (SOO) '''are based out of CIA headquarters in [[Washington, D.C.]], and "plan, guide and support intelligence collection operations, counterintelligence activities and covert action programs."<ref>{{cite web|title=Staff Operations Officer|url=https://www.cia.gov/careers/opportunities/clandestine/headquarters-based-trainee-program.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110702135414/https://www.cia.gov/careers/opportunities/clandestine/headquarters-based-trainee-program.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 2, 2011|work=Headquarters-based Officers}}</ref> #'''Specialized skills officers (SSO)''' consist of a diverse group of "information resource officers, language officers, paramilitary operations officers, programs and plans officers, and targeting officers—many of which are core collector certified." SSOs conduct and/or directly support CIA operations leveraging their language, media, technical skills and/or military experience. Qualified candidates can expect to focus on human intelligence operations and activities as defined by the intelligence community. Officers in this career track will directly support and drive complex worldwide NCS operations to develop actionable intelligence against the highest priority threats to U.S. national security.<ref>{{cite web|title=Targeting Officers|url=https://www.cia.gov/careers/opportunities/clandestine/headquarters-based-trainee-program.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110702135414/https://www.cia.gov/careers/opportunities/clandestine/headquarters-based-trainee-program.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 2, 2011|work=Headquarters-based Officer}}</ref> Qualified candidates can expect to focus on intelligence operations and activities for U.S. policymakers in hazardous and austere overseas environments.<ref>{{cite web|title=Paramilitary Operations Officer|url=https://www.cia.gov/careers/opportunities/clandestine/paramilitary-operations-officer-specialized-skills-officer.html|work=Paramilitary|access-date=2011-04-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120130005641/https://www.cia.gov/careers/opportunities/clandestine/paramilitary-operations-officer-specialized-skills-officer.html|archive-date=2012-01-30|url-status=dead}}</ref> The NCS' primary action arm is the [[Special Activities Division|Special Activities Center]], which conducts [[direct action (military)|direct action]]-like raids, ambushes, sabotage, [[assassination]]s, [[unconventional warfare (United States)|unconventional warfare]] (e.g. training and leading guerrillas), and deniable [[psychological operations]], the latter also known as "covert influence". While [[special reconnaissance]] may be either a military or intelligence operation, these usually are executed by SAD officers in denied areas.<ref name="Time" /><ref name="JP1-02" /> '''Paramilitary Operations Officers''' are chosen mainly from the ranks of [[United States special operations forces|U.S. special operations forces]].<ref name="Time" /> SAD operatives are the most specialized because they combine the best special operations and clandestine intelligence capabilities in one individual. They operate in any environment (sea, air, or ground), with limited to no support. They originate in the SAD's Special Operations Group (SOG), considered one of the most elite special operations units in the world.<ref name="the2003">{{Cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1004145,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070509162250/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1004145,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 9, 2007 |access-date=2008-11-13 |title=The CIA's Secret Army |magazine=Time |date=2003-01-25 |first=Douglas |last=Waller }}</ref> '''Program and Plans Officers''' devise, oversee and carry out a variety of particularly unique, complex and long-term clandestine operational activities primarily of a non-paramilitary nature, but often in support of paramilitary programs. '''Language Officers''' 'Perform a critical and dynamic function within the NCS, the Language Officer applies advanced foreign language skills, experience, and expertise to provide high-quality translation, interpretation, and language-related support for a variety of NCS clandestine operations.''<ref>{{cite web|title=NCS Language Officers|url=https://www.cia.gov/careers/opportunities/clandestine/ncs-language-officer.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090829213008/https://www.cia.gov/careers/opportunities/clandestine/ncs-language-officer.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 29, 2009|work=Language Officers}}</ref>'' ==Covert action== A [[Covert operation|covert action]] is defined as "an activity or activities of the United States government to influence political, economic, or military conditions abroad, where it is intended that the role of the United States Government will not be apparent or acknowledged publicly".<ref>{{cite web|title=50 U.S.C. § 413b(e)|url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/50/413b-|work=Title 50, United States Code, Section 413b Presidential approval and reporting of covert actions}}</ref> A covert operation differs from a [[clandestine operation]] in that emphasis is placed on concealment of the identity of the sponsor rather than on concealment of the operation.<ref name="JP1-02">{{Cite web |publisher=[[United States Department of Defense]] |title=Joint Publication 1-02 Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms |date=July 12, 2007 |id=JP 1-02 |url=http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/new_pubs/jp1_02.pdf |access-date=2007-11-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091108082044/http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/new_pubs/jp1_02.pdf |archive-date=2009-11-08 }}</ref> Covert operations include paramilitary and psychological activities. See [[Psychological Operations (United States)]] for a more general discussion of U.S. psychological operations, including those operations for which the CIA is responsible and those that belong to other agencies. [[Executive Order 12333]] bans assassinations by persons employed by or acting on behalf of the United States government.<ref>{{cite web|title=E.O. 12333 (2.11) Ban on Assassination|url=https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/codification/executive-order/12333.html#2.11|work=E.O. 12333|date=August 15, 2016}}</ref> ==Clandestine HUMINT collection== ;Legal authorities A number of statutes, executive orders, and directives assign the task of conducting [[HUMINT]] operations to the CIA: #By federal statute, the CIA's director is tasked with the collection of intelligence through human sources and by other appropriate means.<ref>{{cite web|title=50 U.S.C § 403–4a|url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/50/403-4|work=United States Code}}</ref> #[[Executive Order 12333]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Executive Order 12333, as amended|url=https://www.cia.gov/about-cia/eo12333.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070612215419/https://www.cia.gov/about-cia/eo12333.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 12, 2007}}</ref> states, "The Director of the Central Intelligence Agency shall coordinate the clandestine collection of foreign intelligence collected through human sources such as '[[Mole (espionage)|moles]]' or other human-enabled means and counterintelligence activities outside the United States." #National Security Council Intelligence Directive No. 5 (NSCID 5)<ref>{{cite web|title=NSCID 5|url=http://cryptome.org/0002/nscid-5-47-61.pdf|work=National Security Council Intelligence Directive No. 5}}</ref> provides that: "The Director of Central Intelligence shall conduct all organized Federal espionage operations outside the United States and its possessions for the collection of foreign intelligence information required to meet the needs of all Departments and Agencies concerned, in connection with the national security, except for certain agreed activities by other Departments and Agencies." #Intelligence Community Directive Number 340 designates the CIA as the National [[HUMINT]] Manager.<ref>{{cite web|title=ICD 304|url=https://fas.org/irp/dni/icd/icd-304.pdf|work=Intelligence Community Directive No. 304}}</ref> ;Tradecraft Techniques for the clandestine collection of [[HUMINT]] are collectively known as [[tradecraft]]. A discussion of many of these techniques can be found at [[Clandestine HUMINT operational techniques]]. Very few statutes and publicly available regulations deal specifically with clandestine HUMINT techniques. One such statute forbids the use of journalists as agents unless the [[President of the United States|President]] makes the written determination to waive this restriction based on the "overriding national security interest of the United States".<ref>{{cite web|title=50 U.S.C. § 403–7|url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/50/403-7|work=Title 50, United States Code}}</ref> In the Intelligence Authorization Act for the Fiscal Year 2002, [[United States Congress|Congress]] instructed the CIA's director to rescind what Congress viewed as overly restrictive guidelines regarding the recruitment of foreign assets who had a record of human rights violations.<ref>{{cite web|title=Intelligence Authorization Act 2002|url=http://intelligence.senate.gov/laws/pl107-108.pdf|work=Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2002|access-date=2011-04-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110203092135/http://intelligence.senate.gov/laws/pl107-108.pdf|archive-date=2011-02-03|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Camp Peary]] (also referred to as "The Farm"), near Williamsburg, Virginia, is purportedly a CIA training facility for clandestine operatives. ==Clandestine technical collection== The Agency also may be responsible for developing communications systems appropriate for clandestine operations. In 1962, the Central Intelligence Agency, Deputy Directorate for Research (now the Deputy Directorate for Science and Technology), formally took on [[ELINT]] and [[COMINT]] responsibilities.<ref name="CIA-DDR">{{Cite web | last = Central Intelligence Agency | author-link = Central Intelligence Agency | title = Deputy Director for Research | date = May 1998 | id = CIA-DDR | url = http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB54/st18.pdf | access-date = 2007-10-07 }}</ref> {{quote|The consolidation of the ELINT program was one of the major goals of the reorganization&nbsp;... it is responsible for: *ELINT support peculiar to the penetration problems associated with the Agent's reconnaissance program under NRO. *Maintain a quick reaction capability for ELINT and COMINT equipment. CIA's Office of Research and Development was formed to stimulate research and innovation testing leading to the exploitation of non-agent intelligence collection methods.&nbsp;... All non-agent technical collection systems will be considered by this office and those appropriate for field deployment will be so deployed. The Agency's missile detection system, Project [deleted] based on backscatter radar is an example. This office will also provide integrated systems analysis of all possible collection methods against the Soviet antiballistic missile program is an example.}} Sometimes in cooperation with technical personnel at other agencies such as the NSA when the collection discipline is [[SIGINT]], or the DIA when the techniques come [[MASINT]], or other appropriate agencies such as the [[United States Department of Energy|Department of Energy]] for nuclear information, the CIA may work to place technical collection equipment in denied territory. They have also cooperated in placing such equipment into U.S. embassies. Emplacing and servicing such equipment is another form of clandestine operation, of which the adversary should not be aware. These include:<ref name="CIA-DDR"/> :*Research, development, testing, and production of ELINT and COMINT collection equipment for all Agency operations. :*Technical operation and maintenance of CIA deployed non-agent ELINT systems. :*Training and maintenance of agent ELINT equipment :*Technical support to the Third Party Agreements. :*Data reduction of Agency-collected ELINT signals. See [[MASINT#MASINT from clandestinely placed sensors|MASINT from clandestinely placed sensors]]. The CIA took on a more distinct MASINT responsibility in 1987.<ref name="CIA-OSP">{{Cite web | last = Central Intelligence Agency | author-link = Central Intelligence Agency | title = Organization chart, mission and functions of the Office of Special Projects | date = July 21, 1988 | url = http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB54/st39.pdf | access-date = 2007-10-07 }}</ref> The National Security Archive commented, "In 1987, Deputy Director for Science and Technology Evan Hineman established&nbsp;... a new Office for Special Projects. concerned not with satellites, but with emplaced sensors – sensors that could be placed in a fixed location to collect signals intelligence or measurement and signature intelligence (MASINT) about a specific target. Such sensors had been used to monitor Chinese missile tests, Soviet laser activity, military movements, and foreign nuclear programs. The office was established to bring together scientists from the DS&T’s Office of SIGINT Operations, who designed such systems, with operators from the Directorate of Operations, who were responsible for transporting the devices to their clandestine locations and installing them." ==Overt HUMINT== In addition they may produce HUMINT from overt sources, such as voluntary interviews with travelers, businesspeople, etc. Some of the latter may be considered open source intelligence [[OSINT]] and be performed by other agencies, just as reports from diplomats are another form of HUMINT that flows into the State Department. At times, this function may be assigned to the CIA, because its [[counter-intelligence]] staff has biographical indexes that let them check the background of foreign citizens offering information. For example, there may be a name check on a business or scientific contact who meets either with CIA representatives or staff of the [[National Open Source Enterprise]]. ==Controversy== The Directorate has been subject to harsh criticism in the media, and due to its covert and independent nature did not, or could not, effectively respond.{{Citation needed|date=October 2019}} Its capabilities had been in decline since the public outcry resulting from the [[Church Committee]]'s revelations of the DO's highly questionable activities. Furthermore, the DO fought frequent ''"turf"'' battles{{Clarify|reason=What does this mean? Are they really fighting? What are they fighting over? Clarify context|date=February 2024}} amongst the [[Federal government of the United States#Executive branch|executive branch]] bureaucracies, most prominently with the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] and the [[United States Department of Defense|Defense]] and [[United States Department of State|State]] departments. These factors became key reasons for the NCS's inception. Former NCS Director [[Jose Rodriguez (intelligence officer)|Jose Rodriguez]] was criticized for his role in the [[2005 CIA interrogation tapes destruction]]. ==See also==<!-- Please respect alphabetical order --> *[[Church Committee|Church Commission]] *[[CIA operations]] *[[Defense Clandestine Service]] *[[Special Collection Service]] *[[William Joseph Donovan|William Joseph ("Wild Bill") Donovan]] *[[Office of Strategic Services]] *[[Special Activities Division|Special Activities Center]] *[[Special Operations]] *[[United States Intelligence Community]] ==References== {{Reflist|2}} ==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20070612182130/https://www.cia.gov/offices-of-cia/clandestine-service/index.html National Clandestine Service] *[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4340318.stm "US setting up new spying agency"], [[British Broadcasting Corporation]], October 13, 2005. * [https://www.cia.gov/careers/opportunities/cia-operations/ Official Website] * [[wikipedia:Directorate_of_Operations_(CIA)]] * [https://irp.fas.org/cia/product/dop.htm FAS Intelligence Resource Program - Directorate of Operations] {{United States intelligence agencies}} {{Authority control}} [[Category:Central Intelligence Agency]] [[Category:United States intelligence agencies]]