National Intelligence Council - Definition and Overview

The National Intelligence Council (NIC) is the center for midterm and long-term strategic thinking within the United States Intelligence Community (IC). It was formed in 1979. According to its official website:

• It leads the IC's effort to produce National Intelligence Estimates and other documents;
• It supports (and reports to) the Director of Central Intelligence;
• It serves as a focal point for policymaker's questions;
• It contributes to the effort to allocate IC resources in response to policy changes; and
• It communicates with experts in academia and the private sector to broaden the IC's perspective;

The NIC's goal is to provide policymakers with the best information: unvarnished, unbiased and without regard to whether the analytic judgments conform to current U.S. policy.

Organization

As of 2004, the Chairman of the NIC is Robert L. Hutchings, who was appointed in December 2002. There is also a Vice Chairman, a Vice Chairman for Evaluation, a Director of Strategic Plans and Outreach, a Director of Analysis and Production Staff, a Special Advisor, and National Intelligence Officers for each of the following areas and subject matters:

• Africa
• East Asia
• Europe
• Latin America
• Near East and South Asia
• Russia and Eurasia
• Economics & Global Issues
• Intelligence Assurance
• Military Issues
• Transnational Threats
• Warning
• Weapons of Mass Destruction and Proliferation

External link

• NIC official website (http://www.cia.gov/nic/)