50 USC 3383 - National Counterintelligence and Security Center

Collapse to view only § 3383. National Counterintelligence and Security Center

§ 3381. Coordination of counterintelligence activities
§ 3382. Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center
§ 3383. National Counterintelligence and Security Center
§ 3384. Intelligence Community Counterintelligence Office at the Department of Agriculture
§ 3385. Benjamin Tallmadge Institute as primary Central Intelligence Agency entity for education and training in counterintelligence

§ 3381. Coordination of counterintelligence activities

(a) Establishment of Counterintelligence Policy Board

(b) Chairperson

(1) The Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center.

(2) Senior personnel of departments and elements of the United States Government, appointed by the head of the department or element concerned, as follows:

(A) The Department of Justice, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

(B) The Department of Defense, including the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

(D) The Department of Energy.

(E) The Central Intelligence Agency.

(F) Any other department, agency, or element of the United States Government specified by the President.

(d) Functions and discharge of functions

(1) The Board shall—

(A) serve as the principal mechanism for—

(i) developing policies and procedures for the approval of the President to govern the conduct of counterintelligence activities; and

(ii) upon the direction of the President, resolving conflicts that arise between elements of the Government conducting such activities; and

(B) act as an interagency working group to—

(i) ensure the discussion and review of matters relating to the implementation of the Counterintelligence Enhancement Act of 2002; and

(ii) provide advice to the Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center on priorities in the implementation of the National Counterintelligence Strategy produced pursuant to section 904(e)(2) of that Act (50 U.S.C. 3383(e)(2)).

(2) The Board may, for purposes of carrying out its functions under this section, establish such interagency boards and working groups as the Board considers appropriate.

(e) Coordination of counterintelligence matters with Federal Bureau of Investigation

(1) Except as provided in paragraph (5), the head of each department or agency within the executive branch shall ensure that—

(A) the Federal Bureau of Investigation is advised immediately of any information, regardless of its origin, which indicates that classified information is being, or may have been, disclosed in an unauthorized manner to a foreign power or an agent of a foreign power;

(B) following a report made pursuant to subparagraph (A), the Federal Bureau of Investigation is consulted with respect to all subsequent actions which may be undertaken by the department or agency concerned to determine the source of such loss or compromise; and

(C) where, after appropriate consultation with the department or agency concerned, the Federal Bureau of Investigation undertakes investigative activities to determine the source of the loss or compromise, the Federal Bureau of Investigation is given complete and timely access to the employees and records of the department or agency concerned for purposes of such investigative activities.

(2) Except as provided in paragraph (5), the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation shall ensure that espionage information obtained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation pertaining to the personnel, operations, or information of departments or agencies of the executive branch, is provided through appropriate channels in a timely manner to the department or agency concerned, and that such departments or agencies are consulted in a timely manner with respect to espionage investigations undertaken by the Federal Bureau of Investigation which involve the personnel, operations, or information of such department or agency.

(3)

(A) The Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation shall submit to the head of the department or agency concerned a written assessment of the potential impact of the actions of the department or agency on a counterintelligence investigation.

(B) The head of the department or agency concerned shall—

(i) use an assessment under subparagraph (A) as an aid in determining whether, and under what circumstances, the subject of an investigation under paragraph (1) should be left in place for investigative purposes; and

(ii) notify in writing the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation of such determination.

(C) The Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the head of the department or agency concerned shall continue to consult, as appropriate, to review the status of an investigation covered by this paragraph, and to reassess, as appropriate, a determination of the head of the department or agency concerned to leave a subject in place for investigative purposes.

(4)

(A) The Federal Bureau of Investigation shall notify appropriate officials within the executive branch, including the head of the department or agency concerned, of the commencement of a full field espionage investigation with respect to an employee within the executive branch.

(B) A department or agency may not conduct a polygraph examination, interrogate, or otherwise take any action that is likely to alert an employee covered by a notice under subparagraph (A) of an investigation described in that subparagraph without prior coordination and consultation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

(5) Where essential to meet extraordinary circumstances affecting vital national security interests of the United States, the President may on a case-by-case basis waive the requirements of paragraph (1), (2), or (3), as they apply to the head of a particular department or agency, or the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Such waiver shall be in writing and shall fully state the justification for such waiver. Within thirty days, the President shall notify the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives that such waiver has been issued, and at that time or as soon as national security considerations permit, provide these committees with a complete explanation of the circumstances which necessitated such waiver.

(6) Nothing in this section may be construed to alter the existing jurisdictional arrangements between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Defense with respect to investigations of persons subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice, nor to impose additional reporting requirements upon the Department of Defense with respect to such investigations beyond those required by existing law and executive branch policy.

(7) As used in this section, the terms “foreign power” and “agent of a foreign power” have the same meanings as set forth in subsections (a) and (b) of section 1801, respectively, of this title.

(Pub. L. 103–359, title VIII, § 811, Oct. 14, 1994, 108 Stat. 3455; Pub. L. 106–120, title VI, § 602, Dec. 3, 1999, 113 Stat. 1620; Pub. L. 106–567, title VI, § 605, Dec. 27, 2000, 114 Stat. 2853; Pub. L. 107–306, title VIII, § 811(b)(5)(B), title IX, § 903, Nov. 27, 2002, 116 Stat. 2424, 2433; Pub. L. 108–177, title III, § 361(g), Dec. 13, 2003, 117 Stat. 2625; Pub. L. 108–458, title I, § 1071(g)(1), Dec. 17, 2004, 118 Stat. 3691; Pub. L. 115–31, div. N, title IV, § 401(f), May 5, 2017, 131 Stat. 819; Pub. L. 118–31, div. G, title III, § 7305(b)(2), title IX, § 7901(j), Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 1026, 1107.)

§ 3382. Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center

(a) Establishment

(b) Mission

Subject to the direction and control of the Director of National Intelligence, the duties of the Director are as follows:

(1) To carry out the mission referred to in subsection (b).

(2) To act as chairperson of the National Counterintelligence Policy Board established under section 3381 of this title.

(3) To act as head of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center established under section 3383 of this title.

(4) To participate as an observer on such boards, committees, and entities of the executive branch as the Director of National Intelligence considers appropriate for the discharge of the mission and functions of the Director and the National Counterintelligence and Security Center under section 3383 of this title.

(Pub. L. 107–306, title IX, § 902, Nov. 27, 2002, 116 Stat. 2432; Pub. L. 108–458, title I, § 1072(d)(1)(B), Dec. 17, 2004, 118 Stat. 3693; Pub. L. 114–113, div. M, title IV, § 401(a), Dec. 18, 2015, 129 Stat. 2920; Pub. L. 115–31, div. N, title IV, § 401(a)(1), (3), May 5, 2017, 131 Stat. 816, 817.)

§ 3383. National Counterintelligence and Security Center

(a) Establishment

(b) Head of Center

(d) Mission

(e) FunctionsSubject to the direction and control of the Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, the functions of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center shall be as follows:

(1) National threat identification and prioritization assessment

(2) National Counterintelligence Strategy

(A) Requirement to produce

(B) Revision and requirement

(3) Implementation of National Counterintelligence Strategy

(4) National counterintelligence strategic analyses

(5) National counterintelligence program budgetAt the direction of the Director of National Intelligence—

(A) to coordinate the development of budgets and resource allocation plans for the counterintelligence programs and activities of the Department of Defense, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Central Intelligence Agency, and other appropriate elements of the United States Government;

(B) to ensure that the budgets and resource allocation plans developed under subparagraph (A) address the objectives and priorities for counterintelligence under the National Counterintelligence Strategy; and

(C) to submit to the National Security Council periodic reports on the activities undertaken by the Office under subparagraphs (A) and (B).

(6) National counterintelligence collection and targeting coordinationTo develop priorities for counterintelligence investigations and operations, and for collection of counterintelligence, for purposes of the National Counterintelligence Strategy, except that the National Counterintelligence and Security Center may not—

(A) carry out any counterintelligence investigations or operations; or

(B) establish its own contacts, or carry out its own activities, with foreign intelligence services.

(7) National counterintelligence outreach, watch, and warning

(A) Counterintelligence vulnerability assessments and surveys

(B) Outreach

(D) Training and professional development

(E) Vulnerabilities from foreign commercial spyware

(i) Consultation

(ii) Covered device defined

(f) Additional requirements regarding National Threat Identification and Prioritization Assessment and National Counterintelligence Strategy

(1) A National Threat Identification and Prioritization Assessment under subsection (e)(1), and any modification of such assessment, shall not go into effect until approved by the President.

(2) A National Counterintelligence Strategy under subsection (e)(2), and any modification of such strategy, shall not go into effect until approved by the President.

(3) The National Counterintelligence Executive shall submit to the congressional intelligence committees each National Threat Identification and Prioritization Assessment, or modification thereof, and each National Counterintelligence Strategy, or modification thereof, approved under this section.

(4) In this subsection, the term “congressional intelligence committees” means—

(A) the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate; and

(B) the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives.

(g) Personnel

(1) Personnel of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center may consist of personnel employed by the Center or personnel on detail from any other department, agency, or element of the Federal Government. Any such detail may be on a reimbursable or nonreimbursable basis, at the election of the head of the agency detailing such personnel.

(2) Notwithstanding section 104(d) 1

1 See References in Text note below.

or any other provision of law limiting the period of the detail of personnel on a nonreimbursable basis, the detail of an officer or employee of United States or a member of the Armed Forces under paragraph (1) on a nonreimbursable basis may be for any period in excess of one year that the Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center and the head of the department, agency, or element concerned consider appropriate.

(h) Treatment of activities under certain administrative laws

(i) Oversight by CongressThe location of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence shall not be construed as affecting access by Congress, or any committee of Congress, to—

(1) any information, document, record, or paper in the possession of the Center; or

(2) any personnel of the Center.

(j) Construction

(Pub. L. 107–306, title IX, § 904, Nov. 27, 2002, 116 Stat. 2434; Pub. L. 108–458, title I, §§ 1071(g)(2)(B), 1072(d)(1)(C), Dec. 17, 2004, 118 Stat. 3691, 3693; Pub. L. 111–259, title IV, § 412, Oct. 7, 2010, 124 Stat. 2725; Pub. L. 112–18, title IV, § 401, June 8, 2011, 125 Stat. 227; Pub. L. 112–87, title III, § 311(b), Jan. 3, 2012, 125 Stat. 1886; Pub. L. 115–31, div. N, title IV, § 401(b)(1)–(5), May 5, 2017, 131 Stat. 817, 818; Pub. L. 117–263, div. F, title LXIII, § 6318(d)(4), Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 3521; Pub. L. 118–31, div. G, title III, §§ 7303, 7305(a), (b)(1), Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 1025, 1026.)

§ 3384. Intelligence Community Counterintelligence Office at the Department of Agriculture

(a) Definitions

In this section:

(1) Department

(2) Secretary

(b)Omitted

(1) Agreement with Secretary of Agriculture

(2) Location

(3) Security

(d) Personnel

(1) Director

(A) Appointment

There shall be at the head of the Intelligence Community Counterintelligence Office a Director who is appointed by the Director of National Intelligence. The Director of the Intelligence Community Counterintelligence Office shall—

(i) be supervised and subject to performance evaluations by the Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, in consultation with the Secretary;

(ii) be an employee of the intelligence community with significant counterintelligence experience; and

(iii) serve for a period of 3 years.

(B) Responsibilities

The Director of the Intelligence Community Counterintelligence Office shall carry out the following responsibilities:

(i) Serving as the head of the Intelligence Community Counterintelligence Office, with supervisory responsibility for the Intelligence Community Counterintelligence Office and any other personnel assigned to the Intelligence Community Counterintelligence Office.

(ii) Advising the Secretary on counterintelligence and intelligence information.

(iii) Ensuring that counterintelligence threat information and, as appropriate, finished intelligence on topics related to the functions of the Department, are provided to appropriate personnel of the department or agency without delay.

(iv) Ensuring critical intelligence relevant to the Secretary is requested and disseminated in a timely manner.

(v) Establishing, as appropriate, mechanisms for collaboration through which Department subject matter experts, including those without security clearances, can share information and expertise with the intelligence community.

(vi) Correlating and evaluating counterintelligence threats identified within intelligence community reporting, in coordination with the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, and providing appropriate dissemination of such intelligence to officials of the Department with a need-to-know.

(vii) Advising the Secretary on methods to improve the counterintelligence posture of the Department.

(viii) Where appropriate, supporting the Department’s leadership in engaging with the National Security Council.

(ix) In coordination with the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, establishing counterintelligence partnerships to improve the counterintelligence defense of the Department.

(2) Deputy Director

There shall be within the Intelligence Community Counterintelligence Office a Deputy Director who is appointed by the Secretary, in coordination with the Director of National Intelligence. The Deputy Director shall—

(A) be supervised and subject to performance evaluations by the Secretary, in consultation with the Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center;

(B) be a current or former employee of the Department with significant experience within the Department; and

(3) Other employees

(A) Joint duty assignment

(B) Supervision

(D) Operation under authority of Director of National Intelligence

(E) Incentive pay

(i) In general

(ii) Eligibility

(e) Funding

To the extent and in such amounts as specifically provided in advance in appropriations Acts for the purposes detailed in this subsection, the Director of National Intelligence may expend such sums as are authorized within the National Intelligence Program of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence for—

(1) the renovation, furnishing, and equipping of a Federal building, as necessary, to meet the security and operational requirements of the Intelligence Community Counterintelligence Office;

(2) the provision of connectivity to the Intelligence Community Counterintelligence Office to enable briefings, secure audio and video communications, and collaboration between employees of the Department and the intelligence community at the unclassified, secret, and top secret levels;

(3) the provision of other information technology systems and devices, such as computers, printers, and phones, for use by employees of the Intelligence Community Counterintelligence Office;

(4) the assignment of employees of the intelligence community to support the operation of the Intelligence Community Counterintelligence Office; and

(5) the provision of other personal services necessary for the operation of the Intelligence Community Counterintelligence Office.

(f) Deadline for establishment of the Intelligence Community Counterintelligence Office

(1) Establishment

(2) Report

(Pub. L. 118–31, div. G, title III, § 7318, Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 1033.)

§ 3385. Benjamin Tallmadge Institute as primary Central Intelligence Agency entity for education and training in counterintelligence

(a) In general

(b) Responsibilities of DirectorThe Director of the Central Intelligence Agency shall—

(1) ensure the Institute is fully and properly organized and has the resources necessary to provide counterintelligence education and training for all career fields within the Agency, including specialized certifications for Agency counterintelligence personnel;

(2) develop appropriate certification courses that are designed to educate, train, and certify Agency personnel in—

(A) counterintelligence threats, insider threats, and other counterintelligence processes and issues;

(B) the conduct and support of counterintelligence inquiries and investigations;

(D) any other skills as the Director determines necessary;

(3) identify and designate specific positions for which an individual shall be required to have a certification described in paragraph (2) prior to filling such a position; and

(4) develop necessary infrastructure and capacity to support the availability of courses under subsection (c) to increase participation by personnel from other components of the intelligence community in the courses offered by the Institute.

(1) In generalThe head of the Institute shall—

(A) develop training and familiarization courses at different classification levels, including courses at an unclassified level; and

(B) offer instruction in the courses developed under subparagraph (A) or make training curricula available to other intelligence community components, as appropriate, to support outreach efforts.

(2) Availability of coursesThe training and familiarization courses developed under paragraph (1) shall be made available to any of the following that have a need and appropriate clearance, as determined by the Director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center in consultation with the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, for a general education on counterintelligence threats, briefings on specific topics, or other training related to counterintelligence:

(A) Federal departments and agencies that are not elements of the intelligence community.

(B) State, local, and Tribal governments.

(D) Such other personnel and entities as appropriate.

(d) Baseline certification course

(1) In general

(2) Availability of course

(Pub. L. 118–31, div. G, title III, § 7334, Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 1046.)