In December 2002, the Congressional Joint Inquiry Into Intelligence Community Activities Before and After the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001 (5) , recommended that a new cabinetlevel Senate-confirmed NID position be established, and that a separate director be named to managethe CIA. [50 U.S.C. 10) Would Establish an NID

Senators Susan Collins and Joe Lieberman, and Speaker of the House of Representatives Dennis Hastert, have separately introduced legislation that would establish the NID position. See Appendix 1 for aside-by-side comparison of NID authorities in both bills. Arguments Offered In Favor of Establishing an NID

Supporters of the NID concept argue that the DCI, who manages the IC and the CIA, and servesas the principal intelligence advisor to the President, has too many jobs, and that an NID, unburdenedby the need to manage the CIA, must be established if the IC is to be effectively managed. (14)
From the prospective of proponents, failure to establish an empowered NID with hiring, firing and budget authority will leave the IC with divided management of intelligence capabilities; lack ofcommon standards and practices across the foreign-domestic intelligence divide; structural barriersthat undermine the performance of joint intelligence work; and a weak capacity to set priorities andmove resources. (18)
Other opponents contend that rather than strengthening control over the IC, the establishment of an NDI would actually weaken IC management. They assert an NID would lose day-to-daycontrol over the CIA, a natural power base. Without it, the NID will lose influence, according toopponents. Schlesinger criticized the IC's failure to coordinate resources, blamingthe deficiency on the lack of a strong, central IC leadership that could "consider the relationshipbetween cost and substantive output from a national perspective." Aspin-Brown Commission, 1996

The Commission on the Roles and Capabilities of the United States Intelligence Community (known as the Aspin-Brown Commission, after its respective chairmen Les Aspin and HaroldBrown) concluded that the relationship between the DCI and Secretary of Defense should not bealtered, but that the DCI should be given more time to manage the IC. (26)

		The 9/11 Commission

The 9/11 Commission, in a report issued in July, 2004, recommended the establishment of a presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed National Intelligence Director who would overseenational intelligence centers on specific subjects of interest across the U.S. government, manage thenational intelligence program, oversee the agencies that contribute to it, and have hiring, firing andbudgetary authority over the IC's 15 agencies. The Commission recommended that the director belocated in the Executive Office of the President and that a deputy NID be established to oversee theday-to-day operations of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Selected NID Legislation Compared to Current Law

 Comparison of S. 2845, H.R.
The 9/11 Commission, in its recent report on the attacks of September 11, 2001, criticized the U.S. Intelligence Community's (IC) fragmented management structure and questioned whether theU.S. government, and the IC, in particular, is organized adequately to direct resources and build theintelligence capabilities that the United States will need to counter terrorism, and to address thebroader range of national security challenges in the decades ahead.
The Commission made a number of recommendations, one of which was to replace the current position of Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) with a National Intelligence Director (NID) whowould oversee national intelligence centers on specific subjects of interest -- including a NationalCounterterrorism Center (NCTC) -- across the U.S. government, manage the national intelligence program; oversee the agencies that contribute to it; and have hiring, firing, and budgetary authorityover the IC's 15 agencies. Although the Commission recommended that the director be located inthe Executive Office of the President, the Commission Vice Chairman in testimony before Congresson September 7, 2004, withdrew that portion of the recommendation in light of concerns that theNID would be subject to undue influence. The Commission further recommended that a deputy NIDbe established to oversee the day-to-day operations of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). TheCommission's recommendation to strengthen management authority over the IC is the latestcontribution to an IC structural reform debate that dates at least to 1955, when arguments forstronger IC authority began to surface. OMB deputy director James Schlesinger in 1971 firstbroached the NID concept.
Congress currently is considering two principal bills, S. 2845 , introduced by Senators Collins and Lieberman, and H.R. 10 , introduced by Representative Hastert,that would establish the NID position. [For a comprehensive comparison of all recent NIDlegislative proposals, see CRS Report RL32600(pdf) and CRS Report RL32601(pdf) ].
Reactions to the concept of an NID have been mixed since its inception. Supporters argue that the DCI cannot manage the IC, the CIA and serve as the President's chief intelligence advisor, anddo justice to any of the jobs. Other than at the CIA, the DCI also lacks hiring, firing and budgetauthority. They argue that the absence of strong, centralized leadership has resulted in dividedmanagement of intelligence capabilities; lack of common standards and practices across theforeign-domestic intelligence divide; structural barriers that undermine the performance of jointintelligence work; and a weak capacity to set priorities and move resources.
Opponents counter that an NID would lose day-to-day control over the CIA, a natural power base and, as a result, influence. They also contend that an NID will shift the balance of control awayfrom DOD, risking intelligence support to the warfighter. The congressional role includes decidingwhether to establish the position of the NID and its authority. This report will be updated as eventswarrant.