![handle is hein.crs/goveptw0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Con r sWan I Resi
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since 1914
Updated May 14, 2024
Defense Primer: Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and
Security
The Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and
Security (USD(I&S)) is a civilian official, appointed by the
President and confirmed by the Senate, who reports directly
to the Secretary of Defense. The USD(I&S) is the Principal
Staff Assistant and advisor to the Secretary and Deputy
Secretary of Defense on intelligence, counterintelligence
(CI), security, sensitive activities, and other intelligence-
related matters. On behalf of the Secretary, the USD(I&S)
also exercises authority, direction, and control over
Department of Defense (DOD) intelligence and security
agencies, field activities, policy, processes, procedures, and
products.
Congress redesignated the position of Under Secretary of
Defense for Intelligence (USD(I)) as the USD(I&S) in the
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020
(P.L. 116-92, §1621). This change increased the emphasis
on the importance and scope of the USD(I&S)'s security
responsibilities, including primary federal government
responsibility for conducting background investigations
(consistent with Executive Order 13869).
As the head of the defense intelligence and security
enterprise, the USD(I&S) has responsibility for a significant
portion of the personnel and funding supporting the
Intelligence Community (IC) overall. The USD(I&S) and
staff, however, are not statutory elements of the IC. Title
50, Section 3003(4), of the U.S. Code lists the 18
organizational elements of the IC, two of which are
independent-the Office of the Director of National
Intelligence (ODNI) and Central Intelligence Agency-and
16 of which are components of six separate departments of
the federal government. The nine IC elements within DOD
comprise the defense intelligence and security enterprise
overseen by the USD(I&S). They include the Defense
Intelligence Agency (DIA), National Geospatial-
Intelligence Agency (NGA), National Security Agency
(NSA), National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), and the
intelligence components of the Navy, Marine Corps, Army,
Space Force, and Air Force. These elements, in turn,
provide the Joint Staff and Combatant Commands with the
personnel and expertise for their component joint
intelligence organizations.
Origin of the USDQ&S) Position
Leadership of intelligence-related functions within the
Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) has been
realigned multiple times over the course of DOD's history.
The most recent development came when Congress
established the USD(I) position in the aftermath of the
September 11, 2001, terror attacks.
DOD requested the change, asserting that in exercising
delegated oversight over intelligence, CI, and security
functions, the position would provide the Secretary of
Defense with the flexibility ... require[d] to respond to
heightened demands on the [DOD] to support the
President's efforts to prevent and respond to acts of
terrorism against the United States. The legislative
language establishing the position of USD(I) was included
under Section 901 of the National Defense Authorization
Act for Fiscal Year 2003 (P.L. 107-314), which was
codified as Section 137 of Title 10 in the U.S. Code.
Under Secretaries of Defense (I&S)
* Stephen A. Cambone (March 2003-December 2006)
* James R. Clapper (April 2007-August 20 10)
* Michael G. Vickers (March 2011-April 2015)
* Marcel Lettre (December 2015-January 2017)
* Todd Lowery (acting) (January 2017-June 2017)
* Kari Bingen (acting) (June 2017-December 2017)
* Joseph D. Kernan (December 2017-November 2020)
* Ezra Cohen-Watnick (acting) (November 2020-January
2021)
* David M. Taylor (acting) (January 2021-June 2021)
* Ronald S. Moultrie (June, 2021-February 2024)
* Milancy D. Harris (acting) (March 2024-present)
Origin of DuaI-Hatted Role for USD(Q&S)
In May 2007, the Secretary of Defense and the Director of
National Intelligence (DNI) signed a memorandum of
agreement (MOA) to establish a dual role for the USD(I).
In a news release announcing the issuance of the MOA,
then-USD(I) James Clapper indicated that the creation of a
Director of Defense Intelligence (DDI) position was
intended to strengthen the relationship between the DNI
and the DOD ... [and] to facilitate staff interaction and
promote synchronization. Under the dual-hatting
arrangement, the incumbent acts as the USD(I&S) within
the OSD, and acts as the DDI within the ODNI.
The DNI and the USD(I&S) together coordinate a number
of interagency activities designed to facilitate the
integration of national- and tactical-level intelligence
activities. When acting as DDI, the USD(I&S) reports
directly to the DNI and serves as his or her principal
advisor regarding defense intelligence. The USD(I&S)
ensures defense intelligence is coordinated and aligned with
IC programs and priorities, and addresses strategic, tactical,
or operational requirements supporting military strategy and
operations. The USD(I&S) and staff, therefore, provide](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.crs/goveptw0001&div=1&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)
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