What is the Central Intelligence Agency?

The Central Intelligence Agency, commonly called the CIA, is the federal agency responsible for gathering foreign intelligence to inform U.S. national security decisions. The CIA was created by the National Security Act of 1947, which restructured the U.S. intelligence community after World War II. It replaced earlier wartime organizations such as the Office of Strategic Services. The CIA's headquarters is located at the George Bush Center for Intelligence in Langley, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C.

The CIA is led by the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, who reports to the Director of National Intelligence. The DNI position was created after September 11 to coordinate the entire intelligence community, including the CIA, the National Security Agency, the FBI's intelligence functions, and several other agencies. The CIA's mission is to collect, analyze, and disseminate foreign intelligence to inform the President, the National Security Council, and other senior officials who make U.S. national security decisions.

The CIA does not have law enforcement powers and is generally prohibited from conducting domestic intelligence operations within the United States, a separation designed to prevent the kinds of abuses that have at times affected other intelligence agencies. The CIA's main divisions include the Directorate of Operations, which collects human intelligence (HUMINT) through case officers and intelligence sources around the world; the Directorate of Analysis, which evaluates intelligence and produces reports for policymakers; the Directorate of Science and Technology, which develops and uses technical capabilities for intelligence collection; the Directorate of Support, which provides logistics and infrastructure for CIA operations; and the Directorate of Digital Innovation, which focuses on cyber intelligence and digital capabilities.

The CIA also conducts covert action when authorized by the President, including activities such as paramilitary operations, support to foreign opposition groups, and information operations. Covert actions require specific presidential findings and reporting to congressional intelligence oversight committees. The CIA has been at the center of many major events in U.S. foreign policy, including the Bay of Pigs operation in 1961, the development of the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft, intelligence collection during the Cold War, and the post-September 11 wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Some CIA operations have been the subject of significant controversy and have shaped public understanding of intelligence work and its limits.