Intel 101

By Sebastian Sprenger / May 29, 2009 at 5:00 AM

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a handy pamphlet yesterday that explains what can be said publicly about the structure of America’s intelligence apparatus.

Over 114 pages, the document describes the big players in the intelligence world, like the Defense Intelligence Agency or the National Reconnaissance Office. It also devotes a few lines to lesser-known organizations like DIA’s Underground Facilities Analysis Center (UFAC) or the National Media Exploitation Center (NMEC).

To be sure the public knows what to expect of the intelligence community, and perhaps in response to the bad press that followed the revelation of harsh interrogation techniques used on terror suspects, the document includes a section about what America’s spies can and cannot do.

In the “can-do” category, there are plenty of buzzwords that have to do with providing “situational awareness” or “long-term strategic assessments.” Here, the document also makes note of the classified Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment, which serves as the central U.S. repository for information about known or suspected terrorists (KSTs).

What can’t the intelligence community do? Two things, according to the document:

“Predict the future” and “violate U.S. law or the U.S. Constitution”

No surprises there.

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