Intelligence Customers

INTELLIGENCE CUSTOMERS

The collapse of the Soviet Union has finally brought the cold war to a conclusion in the 1980’s. This collapse brought about a transfer in the global power structure. Threats such as terrorism, nuclear proliferation, narcotics trafficking and organized crime e became more prominent. The United States’ national security policies were revolutionized to be successful against the new risks towards the Nation. It may be assumed that the best group to handle the new pressures of the world would be the U.S. Intelligence Community, but the unique threats do not harbor the traditional roles that were designed for the U.S. Intelligence Community. Biological hazards such as Anthrax and Small pox, which are both remarkable threats to global and national security, have been collected, analyzed and dealt with by civilian government agencies and academic circles. The Intelligence Community should only use its technology to collect non-traditional intelligence that may infringe on only national and global security issues. There are hundreds of intelligence customers, but there are 14 primaries that come together for national security purposes.

To gain a better understanding of intelligence, the term must be defined. Intelligence is when data is collected, organized and becomes useful information. The information is then analyzed and becomes intelligence. The U.S. Intelligence Community supports the President of the United States, the cabinet, Congress, and down to the tactical level of deployed military forces. Each customer is equally as important as the other. The members of the Intelligence Community, also known as intelligence customers are comprised of 14 members: The Defense Intelligence Agency is a major producer and manager of foreign military intelligence. They provide military intelligence to warfighters, defense policymakers and force planners, the Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community in order to support U.S. military planning, operations, and weapon systems acquisition. The National Security Agency is the Nation's cryptologic organization. They coordinate, direct, and perform highly specialized activities to protect U.S. information systems and produce foreign intelligence information. The NSA is one of the most important centers of foreign language analysis and research within the Government. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is the principal investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice. The FBI is to uphold the law through the investigation of violations of federal criminal law; to protect the United States from foreign intelligence and terrorist activities; to provide leadership and law enforcement assistance to federal, state, local, and international agencies; and to perform these responsibilities in a manner that is responsive to the needs of the public and is faithful to the Constitution of the United States.