CIA's mission is to support the President, the National Security Council, and all officials who make and execute US national security policy by:
To accomplish this mission, CIA works closely with the other organizations in the Intelligence Community to ensure that the intelligence consumer--whether Washington policymaker or battlefield commander--receives the best intelligence possible. As a separate agency, CIA serves as an independent source of analysis on topics of concern to these consumers.
CIA collects foreign intelligence information through a variety of clandestine and overt means. The Agency also engages in research, development, and deployment of high-leverage technology for intelligence purposes and--in support of the DCI's role as the President's principal intelligence advisor--performs and reports all-source analysis on the full range of topics that affect national security.CIA is organized along functional lines to carry out these activities and to provide the flexible, responsive support necessary for its worldwide mission.
Throughout its history, but especially as new global realities have reordered the national security agenda, CIA has emphasized adaptability to meet the needs of intelligence consumers. To assure that all of the Agency's capabilities are brought to bear on those needs, CIA has tailored its support for key policymakers and has established on-site presence in the major military commands.Moreover, to meet multidimensional global challenges, a succession of DCIs has created special multidisciplinary centers to address high priority, long-standing issues. These include centers or special staffs for: nonproliferation, counterterrorism, counterintelligence, international organized crime and narcotics trafficking, and arms control intelligence. Using the demonstrated synergy and impact of these multidisciplinary centers as a model, CIA is moving to further sharpen its effectiveness and efficiency by forging stronger partnerships between the several intelligence collection disciplines and all-source analysis.
In addition to these activities, CIA contributes to the effectiveness of the overall Intelligence Community by managing services of common concern in imagery analysis and open source collection, and by participating in strategic partnerships with other intelligence agencies in the areas of research and development and technical collection. Finally, CIA takes an active part in Community analytical efforts and coordinates its analytical production schedule with appropriate agencies to ensure efficient coverage of key topics.