National Counterintelligence and Security Center

The National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) leads national counterintelligence (CI) for the United States government. It is part of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).

Not to be confused with Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency or National Cyber Security Centre.
National Counterintelligence and Security Center
Seal of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center
Agency overview
FormedJanuary 5, 2001 (2001-01-05)
Preceding agencies
JurisdictionCounterintelligence on behalf of the federal government of the United States
Agency executive
  • Michael C. Casey, Director
Parent departmentDirector of National Intelligence

History
Seal of the preceding agency, the Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive

The position of National Counterintelligence Executive (NCIX) and its supporting office, the Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive (ONCIX), were established on January 5, 2001 by a presidential decision directive (PDD-75) from then-President Bill Clinton; the directive also established the National Counterintelligence (CI) Board of Directors and National CI Policy Board (NCIPB) to advise the NCIX.[1] ONCIX replaced the National Counterintelligence Center, which was created in 1994 in response to the arrest of CIA mole Aldrich Ames.[2] These new counterintelligence institutions were later codified by the Counterintelligence Enhancement Act of 2002.[1]

The 2004 Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act (IRTPA), passed to implement many of the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, placed the NCIX and ONCIX, which coordinated Intelligence Community (IC) counterintelligence, inside the new Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), which itself coordinated all IC activities generally.[1]

In November 2014, the Director of National Intelligence established NCSC by combining ONCIX with the Center for Security Evaluation, the Special Security Center and the National Insider Threat Task Force, to effectively integrate and align counterintelligence and security mission areas under a single organization.[3] With this reorganization, the ONCIX ceased to exist as a separate organization. The National Counterintelligence Executive (NCIX) became the Director of the new NCSC.[1]

Role

The ONCIX facilitates and enhances US counterintelligence efforts and awareness by enabling the CI community to better identify, assess, prioritize and counter intelligence threats from foreign powers, terrorist groups, and other non-state entities; ensures that the CI community acts efficiently and effectively; and provides for the integration of all US counterintelligence activities. Its official mission[4] is to:

  • Exploit and defeat adversarial intelligence activities directed against US interests.
  • Protect the integrity of the US intelligence system.
  • Provide incisive, actionable intelligence to decision-makers at all levels.
  • Protect vital national assets from adversarial intelligence activities.
  • Neutralize and exploit adversarial intelligence activities targeting the armed forces.

The National Counterintelligence Executive chairs the National Counterintelligence Policy Board, the principal interagency mechanism for developing national CI policies and procedures, and directs the National Counterintelligence and Security Center.[5]

While ONCIX does not distribute warnings of potential threats to the private sector, it works closely with the FBI's Awareness of National Security Issues and Response (ANSIR) program, the State Department's Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) as well as the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to ensure that such warnings are timely made.[6] The Office of Counterintelligence of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency maintains a full-time presence within ONCIX.[7]

Leadership

On August 7, 2006, Director of National Intelligence John D. Negroponte appointed Joel F. Brenner to serve as National Counterintelligence Executive and Mission Manager for Counterintelligence.[8][9]

On September 21, 2009, Robert "Bear" Bryant was appointed as the National Counterintelligence Executive.[10]

In May 2014, DNI James R. Clapper appointed William Evanina, a former FBI special agent with a counterterrorism specialty, as the new National Counterintelligence Executive.[11]

In 2015, Congress made the position subject to the Appointments Clause, making it subject to Senate confirmation,[1] and in 2018 President Trump formally appointed William Evanina to the position of Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center.[12]

In January 2021, deputy director Michael Orlando became the acting director.[13][14] In September 2023, Michael Casey was sworn in as NCSC director.[15]

See also

Notes and references
  1. Michael E. DeVine (October 18, 2018). The National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC): An Overview (Report). Congressional Research Service. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  2. Singh, Samir (January 19, 2001). "Clinton Establishes New Federal Counterintelligence Organizations". American Association for the Advancement of Science. Retrieved 2007-09-08.
  3. "History of NCSC". U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Retrieved 2019-09-27. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  4. Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive
  5. "National Counterintelligence and Security Center: Strategic Plan, 2018–2022" (PDF). Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
  6. Roper, Carl A. (2013). Trade Secret Theft, Industrial Espionage, and the China Threat. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press. p. 164. ISBN 978-1-4398-9938-0.
  7. Roper 2013, p. 171
  8. Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Public Affairs Office. "National Counterintelligence Executive and Mission Manager for Counterintelligence." ODNI News Release No. 15-06. Washington, DC: 7 August 2006.
  9. "About ONCIX". National Counterintelligence Executive. Archived from the original on 30 April 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  10. Office of the Director of National Intelligence
  11. Clark, Charles S. (15 August 2014). "Meet the Man Who's Gauging the Damage From Snowden". Government Executive (National Journal Group, Inc.). Archived from the original on 5 May 2016.
  12. Knauth, Dietrich (13 February 2018). "Trump Nominates Evanina To Stay On As Counterintel Head". WashingtonExec. Archived from the original on 3 May 2018.
  13. "Acting Director, National Counterintelligence and Security Center". National Counterintelligence and Security Center. Archived from the original on February 18, 2021. Primary source
  14. Choi, Matthew (January 21, 2021). "U.S. intelligence head who warned of foreign election threats steps down". Politico. Archived from the original on January 21, 2021.
  15. "DNI Haines Statement on Senate Confirmation of Mike Casey as Director, National Counterintelligence and Security Center". www.odni.gov. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
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