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informing the ieg siative debate since 1914
Updated September 3, 2024
The Intelligence Community's Foreign Malign Influence Center
FMIC Background
General concern over the potential for foreign efforts to
manipulate U.S. public opinion and interfere 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. To address this concern, Congress amended the
National Security Act of 1947 (P.L. 80-253) by establishing
within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence
(ODNI) 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 in
50 U.S.C. §3059). FMIC's establishment follows the
intelligence community's (IC) collective assessment of
Russian efforts to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential
election and undermine public faith in the U.S. democratic
process. (ICA-2017-01D, 6 January 2017, p. ii).
In establishing the center, Congress stated that the IC
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 one of five
ODNI mission centers.
* DNI activates FMIC, Sept. 23, 2022.
* FMIC's mission is to provide indications, warning, and
strategic assessments of the threat of malign influence
campaigns by Russia, Iran, North Korea, China, or other.
* Reports to Congress annually.
* FMIC is to sunset Dec. 31, 2028, at discretion of the DNI.
* If the FMIC were to be terminated, the IC would retain
responsibility for exercising the functions of the center.
Foreign Malign nfluence
Congress defines foreign malign influence in 50 U.S.C.
§3059(f)(1)-(2) as a hostile effort undertaken by, at the
direction of, or on behalf of, or with the substantial support
of' Russia, Iran, North Korea, China, or any other foreign
country that the Director of the Center determines
appropriate, with the objective of influencing 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.
FMC CMksson
FMIC's mission is to mitigate threats to democracy and U.S
national interests from foreign malign influence by
managing the IC's collection resources, building
partnerships, and advancing strategic analysis, while
protecting the privacy and civil liberties of the American
people. FMIC serves as the primary U.S. Government
organization for integrating intelligence pertaining to
FMI, including on election security.
FMIC 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 IC with access to all the intelligence necessary to
provide comprehensive assessments and warnings of the
threat of foreign malign influence campaigns.
FMC Organzation
The FMIC is one of five mission centers within the Office
of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). The
purpose of a mission center 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. The FMIC is headed by a director, and subdivided
into Mission Management, Analytic Integration, and
Partner Engagement units.
FMIC Director
The Director of the center is appointed by the Director of
National Intelligence (DNI). This individual is responsible
for the overall effort to coordinate foreign intelligence
collection and analysis on foreign malign influence
campaigns, and, at the direction of the President and DNI,
to provide recommendations on how to respond.
Mission Management
The Mission Management unit is responsible for the IC's
collection and analytic resources-including identifying
gaps in coverage-and integrating what is collected across
intelligence functions, disciplines, and activities to achieve
unity of effort and effect. (ICD 900, 6 May 2013) The
center fuses intelligence from multiple sources as the basis
for making threat assessments. The Mission Management
group also works closely with the National Intelligence
Management Council (NIM-C), the ODNI entity](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.crs/goveqnd0001&div=1&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)