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Congressional Research Service
informing the legislative debate since 1914
0
August 9, 2023
The Intelligence Community's Foreign Malign Influence Center
(FMIC)
Forgn Maiign Influence
Congress defines foreign malign influence in 50 U.S.C.
§3059(f)(2) as a hostile effort undertaken by, at the
direction of, or on behalf of, or with the substantial support
of' specifically Russia, Iran, North Korea, China, or any
other foreign country that the Director of the center
determines appropriate, to influence U.S. public opinion or
political, military, economic, or other policies or
activities of federal, state, or local governments. This
includes efforts by such foreign governments to influence
any election within the United States.
FMIC Background
Congress established the Foreign Malign Influence Center
(FMIC) under Section 5322 of the Damon Paul Nelson and
Matthew Young Pollard Intelligence Authorization Act for
Fiscal Years 2018, 2019, and 2020 (P.L. 116-92, codified as
50 U.S.C. §3059), amending the National Security Act of
1947 (P.L. 80-253).
General concern over the potential for foreign interference
in U.S. elections has grown with the recognition that
foreign malign actors are able to employ sophisticated tools
such as artificial intelligence (AI) to conduct disinformation
campaigns. Congress created the center for policymakers to
better understand and respond to such threats.
FMIC is one of five mission centers within the Office of the
Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). The other centers
include the National Counterintelligence Center (NCTC),
the National Counterintelligence and Security Center
(NCSC), the National Counterproliferation and Biosecurity
Center (NCBC), and the Cyber Threats Intelligence
Integration Center (CTIIC). The purpose of the ODNI
mission centers is to integrate and coordinate the foreign
intelligence collection and analysis related to a subject area
requiring special emphasis, such as counterterrorism,
biosecurity, or-for the FMIC-efforts by foreign malign
actors to subvert the U.S. democratic process.
FMIC's establishment follows the intelligence community's
collective assessment that
Russian efforts to influence the 2016 U.S.
presidential election represent the most recent
expression of Moscow's longstanding desire to
undermine the U.S.-led liberal democratic order,
but these [2016] activities demonstrated a
significant escalation in directness, level of activity,
and scope of effort ... Russia's goals were to
undermine public faith in the U.S. democratic
process. (ICA-2017-01D, 6 January 2017, p. ii).
Prior to the establishment of FMIC, an ODNI Election
Threats Executive managed the intelligence community's
election-related foreign intelligence collection. Legislation
to establish the center stated that the intelligence
community needed to be invested in
institutionalizing ongoing, robust, independent, and
vigorous analysis of data related to foreign threat
networks ... [to] help counter ongoing information
warfare operations against the United States, its
allies, and its partners. (H.Rept. 116-333, emphasis
added)
Foreign Malign Influence Center (FMIC)
Congress establishes FMIC, Dec. 20, 2019, as an ODNI
mission center
DNI activates FMIC, Sept. 23, 2022
FMIC's mission is to provide indications and warning and
strategic assessments of the threat of malign influence
campaigns by Russia, Iran, and North Korea, China, etc.
Reports to Congress annually
Is to sunset Dec. 31, 2028, at discretion of the DNI
After FMIC termination, intelligence community would
retain responsibility for assessing and providing warning of
the threat of foreign efforts to interfere with U.S.
elections.
SM IC Functions
In statute, the center's functions are to (1) serve as the
primary organization in the United States Government for
analyzing and integrating all intelligence ... pertaining to
foreign malign influence; and (2) provide Members of
Congress and policymakers in the federal government
comprehensive assessments, and indications and warnings,
of foreign malign influence. To carry out these functions,
the center is to be properly staffed with analysts from across
the intelligence community with access to all the
intelligence necessary to provide comprehensive
assessments and warnings of the threat of foreign malign
influence campaigns.
FMIC Organization
The Director of the center, who is appointed by the Director
of National Intelligence (DNI), is dual-hatted as the
Election Threats Executive. This individual is responsible
for the overall effort to coordinate foreign intelligence
collection and analysis on malign efforts to influence U.S.
elections. The center itself is organized into three units: (1)](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.crs/govemly0001&div=1&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)