Central Intelligence Agency

Agency: Central Intelligence Agency (aka the Company)

Creation Date: September 18, 1947

Legal Act: United States Federal Law, Central Intelligence Act of 1949, Enacted into law on June 20, 1949

Location of Headquarters: Langley, Virginia, United States of America

Person in Charge: (2023) Director William J. Burns

Number of Employees: (classified) – estimated to be over 21,000

Annual Budget: (classified) – estimated to be over $15,000,000,000.00 USD

Website: www.cia.gov

Mission Statement: To gather and share intelligence to protect the United States of America from all threats.

Stated Principles: Integrity; Service; Excellence; Courage; Teamwork; and Stewardship.

Collection type: HUMINT

Organization type: Civilian

Oversight Body: United States Intelligence Community

Area of Operations: Global / Foreign

Brief History: Created under US President Harry S. Truman on July 26, 1947, under the National Security Act. The CIA was originally identified as the Central Intelligence Group (CIG). The CIA was created out of the desire to have an agency that could collect intelligence and conduct operations against the USSR, who demonstrated a growing interest in actions against western governments / countries following the end of World War II.

Powers: The Central Intelligence Agency has no law enforcement powers. It is mandated to collect intelligence information outside of the United States of America. Additionally, the Central Intelligence Agency carries out covert action on orders from the President of the United States.

Notable Operations:

Bay of Pigs Invasion: The assassination attempt of Cuban Leader Fidel Castro, was a CIA sponsored military operation that occurred on April 17, 1961. Where a paramilitary group landed on the shores of Cuba and attempted, with Cuban resistance groups against Castro, to overthrow his power. The paramilitary group was pushed back by Cuban fighters loyal to Castro.

The failed attempt to kill Castro resulted in strengthening Fidel Castro’s position of power and helped to solidify ties between Cuba and the USSR.

Iran / Contra:

In 1981, under the 40th President of the United States, Ronald Regan, the CIA armed and trained Nicaraguan Contras in the anticipation that the Contras would overthrow and depose the Sandinista National Liberation Front, a socialist political party.

Operation Neptune Spear:

The leader of the terrorist organization, Al Qaida, was killed in a military raid on his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan on May 2, 2011.

This raid was the result of CIA intelligence collection efforts, including the interrogation of the principle architect of the attacks on the world trade towers on September 11, 2001, Khalid Sheik Mohammad (KSM). The information provided by KSM was used to identify one of Bin Laden’s couriers to his compound in Pakistan.