Impact of changes to CIA and NSA since the National Security Act of 1947

Author: Janet Peter

Introduction

Customarily, in the traditional US, the armed forces was placed the entire responsibility for the provision of national security and homeland defense. That was however impacted by the establishment of the National Security Act of 1947 which reorganized the military (Warner M and McDonald, 2005). Demonized and glamorized more often than it is understood, the CIA and NSA are government’s agencies with a history that spans decades. These papers empirically the underlying events relating to the evolution or cycle of changes that regards CIA and the NSA security agencies of the United States as traced from the formation of the National Security Act of 1947. The paper also allocates to which Intelligence Community (IC) each of them belongs. Further, the paper analyzes the regulatory units of the two and finally, evaluates the dependency or interdependency between the CIA and the NSA. Since 1947, the NSA and CSA have undergone far-reaching changes, similar and dissimilar, some of which are as discussed below.

Two years after the establishment of the NSA Act (1949), the Central Intelligence Agency Act was passed, in the bid to supplement the NSA Act of 1947, granting it more powers. Some of the changes that took place in that year included the CIA being permitted to use confidential fiscal and administrative procedures. The Agency was also exempted from many of the usual limitations that regard expenditures. CIA funds could now be contained in other departmental budgets after which it is transferred to the Agency without restrictions. That ensures maximum secrecy of the CIA budget, which is vital in covert operations. Further, in 1953, the National Security Act was re-amended by the Congress. This amendment was majorly meant to provide for the installing and implementation of the capability of the Deputy Director of Central Intelligence (DDCI) to be appointed by the president with the consent and advice of the Senate. Other changes provided included that the commissioned officers of the armed forces (active or retired) could not occupy the DCI and DDCI positions at the same time. The DDCI was given the responsibility of assisting the DCI and executing his powers during his absence (FAS, n.d.). Apparently, today, the DCI and DDCI positions are no longer vivid. That was after the establishment of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act in the year 2004. That led to the abolishment of the two positions. Instead, they were replaced by the post of the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (D/CIA) (Warner M and McDonald, 2005).

Meanwhile, in October 1952, the National Security Agency was formed. This agency was established by President Truman, who acted on the recommendations of a commission of senior officials headed by George Brownell. That was in recognition of the need for a single entity to handle the signals intelligence mission of the United States. It was placed within the Department of Defense and given the responsibilities of the former Armed Forces Security Agency. It also was allocated the signals intelligence responsibilities of the CIA and other military elements (Warner M and McDonald, 2005). Amongst the significant changes of the NSA occurred in 1958, when the National Security Council re-issued directives detailing NSA's mission and authority within the jurisdiction of the Secretary of Defense.

Centralization-decentralization theme is vivid throughout the evolution of the two agencies. As per definition, centralization is the concentration of all the main organizational processes in one area. That mostly regards planning and decision-making within a particular head-office, keeping all decision making powers to people in that office. This theme has been eminent in the CIA for long. However, as years elapsed, the Congress, which controlled all CIA matters decided to leave these issues to the White House and the CIA (Warner, 2001). The NSA evidenced the same. The Congress created mandates and controlled all its activities for years until later when its functioning was rested on partial centralization and departmental autonomy.

The national security of the United States is framed within Intelligence Community (IC). This IC consists of 17 members (or elements), which are mostly hosted into offices or bureaus within the federal executive departments. Apparently, the CIA and the NSA operates under different types of IC agencies. The CIA falls under the independent agencies whereas the NSA functions under the United States Department of Defense (FAS, n.d.).

Surprisingly, the NSA and the CIA operate under different regulatory units. On one side, the National Security Council issues directives that detail NSA's mission. Its operational authority is, however, hosted by the Secretary of Defense. On the other hand, the CIA opera appeared in different ways throughout the CIA. Today, the CIA reports directly to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. This structure was restated by the Intelligence Oversight Act of 1980.

Also, the CIA reports to the Defense Subcommittees of the Appropriations Committees in both houses of Congress. Additionally, the Agency provides substantive briefings to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Moreover, it reports to Armed Services Committees and other committees and individual seniors (Warner M and McDonald, 2005). Among the principal seniors that the CIA reports to in the US, is the Director of National Intelligence.

There are some elements of dependency between the CIA and the NSA. To a deeper extent, the CIA appears more reliant on the NSA (FAS, n.d.). AS mentioned earlier; the CIA has its primary mission bound within the collection, analyzing, evaluating, and disseminating intelligence based on findings to the President and senior government policymakers. That assists them in making viable decisions relating to national security. Apparently, this is a very complex process and involves tricky tactics, and this is where the NSA may come in to assist or be assisted. The NSA carries the burden of global monitoring, collection, and processing data for foreign intelligence. That implies that the two agencies perform intelligence purposes. The two can thus effectively function as supplements or complements of each other in counter-terrorism since they perform almost similar functions (FAS, n.d.).

Conclusion

Since 1947, the CIA and NSA have undergone similar and aspects of dissimilar changes. Among these changes pertains shifts in modes of leadership. Here, issues of centralization of control and decision making find their way to neutralization to become decentralized. Besides, the CIA has been identified to report to a Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. On the other hand, the NSA reports to the National Security Council, which issues its missions. The two have also been identified to serve under different IC agencies. The CIA falls under the independent agencies whereas the NSA operates under the United States Department of Defense. Finally, it has been deduced that the two security agencies are interdependent (Warner, 2001).

References

Federation of American Scientists.(n.d.).The Evolution of the U.S. Intelligence Community-A Historical Overview.

Warner M & McDonald J.(2005). US Intelligence Community Reform Studies Since 1947.

Warner M. (2001). Central Intelligence: Origin and Evolution.

Sherry Roberts is the author of this paper. A senior editor at Melda Research in research paper writing services if you need a similar paper you can place your order for a custom research paper from research paper services.