Analysis of Defense Intelligence Agency

The DIA started in 1958. The organizational structure of the DoD and U.S. foreign intelligence came to a new shape with the establishment of DIA. It was Robert McNamara, then Secretary of Defense, who came up with the concept of DIA in 1961. DIA gathers human source intelligence, analyzes technical intelligence, distributes intelligence/reports to the intelligence agencies, provides advice and support to the Joint Chiefs of Staff with foreign military intelligence, and provides military intelligence to combatant commands as its operational functions. A DIA director is supposed to be a three-star military general and DIA is believed to have employed at least 7,500 staff worldwide today. The DIA is a defense intelligence agency that prevents strategic surprises and delivers a decision advantage to warfighters, defense planners, and to policymakers. This paper will try to evaluate DIA’s role in US national security in present condition of massive budget deficits and increased congressional oversight, plus the intelligence capabilities of the Regional Combatant Commanders and the individual services like CIA and NSA. According to one source, after September 11, 2001, intelligence budget grew more. But now we are in another cycle of budget cut again. It is said President Obama proposed the budget amount of $52.6 billion for fiscal year 2013 to fund the National Intelligence Program. This budget amount is said to be less than the $55 billion sought last year. The unstable budget is believed to be hampering U.S. intelligence missions. As the budget pressure mounted, the redundancy in US intelligence increased too, according to the same source. With the budget deficits, the DIA budget didn’t authorized to expand its payroll. It is said DI... ... middle of paper ... ...igence-agencies-what-is-the-difference-between-the-dia-nsa-cia-and-fbi/ (accessed January 7, 2014). Paul, Ron. “Congressional Oversight.” Global Intelligence News. December 11, 2012, http://globalintelnews.wordpress.com/tag/congressional-oversight/ (accessed January 7, 2014) Pincus, Walter and Greg Miller. “Federal budget 2013: Intelligence agencies would get 4.4 percent less.” WP Politics, February 13, 2012, http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/44/post/federal-budget-2013-intelligence-agencies-would-get-44-percent-less/2012/02/13/gIQAEvFDBR_blog.html (accessed January 7, 2014) Nedzi (D-Mich.), Luclen N. “Oversight or Overlook: Congress and the US Intelligence Agency.” A Congressman talk to the CIA senior seminar, November 14, 1979, https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/kent-csi/vol18no2/pdf/v18i2a02p.pdf (accessed January 7, 2014).