National Intelligence Council

The National Intelligence Council, managed by a Chairman and a Vice Chairman, is comprised of National Intelligence Officers--senior experts drawn from all elements of the Community and from outside the Government. The National Intelligence Officers concentrate on the substantive problems of particular geographic regions of the world and of particular functional areas such as economics and weapons proliferation. They serve the DCI in his role as leader of the Intelligence Community by providing a center for mid-term and long-term strategic thinking and production. Through routine close contact with policymakers, collection, research, and community analysis, the NIC provides the DCI with the information he needs to assist policymakers as they pursue shifting interests and foreign policy priorities. The NIC also draws on nongovernmental experts in academia and the private sector to bring in fresh perspectives and analytic methods to enhance the intelligence process. Finally, the NIC assists the Intelligence Community by evaluating the adequacy of intelligence support and works with the Community's functional managers to refine strategies to meet the most crucial needs of our senior consumers.