The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is a civil intelligence service of the United States federal government, in charge of gathering, processing and analyzing national security information from around the world, mainly through the use of human intelligence (HUMINT).. As one of the primary members of the United States Intelligence Community, the CIA reports to the Director of National Intelligence and is primarily focused on providing intelligence for the President and Cabinet.
Unlike the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which is a national security service, the CIA has no law enforcement functions and is primarily focused on gathering intelligence abroad, with a limited collection of internal intelligence.. Although it is not the only US government agency specializing in HUMINT, the CIA serves as the national managerfor the coordination of HUMINT activities throughout the United States intelligence community. Furthermore, the CIA is the only agency authorized by law to carry out and supervise covert actions at the behest of the President, unless the President determines that another agency is more suitable to carry out such action. It exercises foreign political influence through its tactical divisions, such as the Special Activities Division.
Prior to the Intelligence Reform and the Terrorism Prevention Act, the Director of the CIA concurrently served as head of the Intelligence Community; Today the CIA is organized under the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). Despite transferring some of its powers to the DNI, the CIA has grown in size as a result of the September 11 attacks. In 2013, The Washington Post reported that, in fiscal year 2010, the CIA had the largest budget of all CI agencies, beating previous estimates.
The CIA has increasingly expanded its functions, including covert paramilitary operations. One of its largest divisions, the Information Operations Center (COI), has shifted its focus from counterterrorism to offensive cyber operations. While the CIA has had some recent achievements, such as locating Osama bin Laden and participating in the successful Operation Neptune Spear, it has also participated in controversial programs such as renditions and torture.
