National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC)

National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC)

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Updated July 11, 2018
National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC)
The National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) is one of
statutorily authorized to direct the execution of any
several mission centers operating within the Office of the
resulting operations.
Director of National Intelligence. NCTC was established in
August 2004 as the primary U.S. government organization
Information Sharing
responsible for analyzing and integrating all intelligence –
NCTC is directed by statute to “ensure that agencies...have
except intelligence solely related to domestic terrorism –
access to and receive all-source intelligence support needed
pertaining to terrorism and counterterrorism (CT).
to execute their [CT] plans or perform independent,
alternative analysis” and to ensure that such agencies “have
Establishment
access to and receive intelligence needed to accomplish
As part of its responses to the September 11, 2001terrorist
their assigned activities.”
attacks, Congress established the National Commission on
In support of this mission, NCTC shares CT-related
Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, colloquially
intelligence with Intelligence Community (IC) agencies and
known as the 9/11 Commission. The Commission was
responds to requests for information and assistance. NCTC
tasked with preparing an account of the circumstances
liaises with regional IC agencies and CT officials at the
surrounding the attacks and with making recommendations
federal, state, and local levels through its Domestic
for corrective measures that might prevent future attacks.
Representative Program. It hosts the Joint Counterterrorism
In July 2004, the Commission released its final report,
Assessment Team, an interagency partnership that produces
which asserted in part that government-wide information
CT intelligence products for federal, state, local, tribal, and
sharing at the time of the attacks was both inefficient and
territorial government agencies and the private sector.
insufficient. To address this and other related findings, the
NCTC also contributes to the President’s Daily Brief and
commission recommended a number of organizational
the Department of Homeland Security’s National Terrorism
changes to the U.S. government, including the
establishment of a “civilian
Advisory System Bulletin, which communicates terrorist
-led unified joint command for
threat information to the public.
counterterrorism.” This center was to be patterned after the
CIA’s Terrorist Threat Integration Center (TTIC).
Identity Management
Title 50 U.S.C §3056(d)(6) establishes that NCTC must
Following the release of the commission’s final report,
“serve as the central and shared knowledge bank” for the
President George W. Bush took a number of related
U.S. government (USG) on “known and suspected terrorists
executive actions, including the formal establishment of
and international terror groups, as well as their goals,
NCTC by Executive Order 13354 in August 2004. NCTC
strategies, capabilities, and networks of contacts and
assumed the functions and responsibilities of TTIC and
support.” In support of this mission, NCTC maintains the
gained additional functions and responsibilities such as
Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment (TIDE), which
planning CT activities. NCTC’s establishment was later
is the USG’s central repository of information on
codified under Title 50 of the U.S. Code by P.L. 108-458.
international persons and groups with known or suspected
Primary Missions
links to terrorist activities. TIDE incorporates information
Threat Analysis
derived from credible intelligence developed by USG
agencies to support terrorist screening systems across the
NCTC is directed by statute to function as the primary USG
organization for “analyzing and integrating all intelligence
USG, such as the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Database. TIDE
is used, for example, to construct TSA’s “no-fly list,” and
possessed or acquired by the [USG] pertaining to terrorism
to vet visa applicants and recipients of U.S. training and
and counterterrorism, excepting intelligence pertaining
assistance.
exclusively to domestic terrorists and domestic CT.”
NCTC Organization
Planning
NCTC’s staff of approximately 1,000 personnel includes
NCTC is required by statute to conduct strategic operational
permanent staff, personnel on rotational assignment from
planning for CT activities, integrating all related
other federal government agencies, and contractors. NCTC
diplomatic, financial, military, intelligence, homeland
is currently organized into four primary directorates:
security, and law enforcement activities. NCTC views
Intelligence, Terrorist Identities, Operations Support, and
planning as “ensuring unity of effort” across the whole of
Strategic Operational Planning. The Directorate of
federal government. It further supports this mission by
Intelligence has primary responsibility within the USG for
directing operational planning, assigning roles and
analysis of terrorism and terrorist organizations (barring
responsibilities, and leading interagency terrorism task
exclusively domestic terrorism and terrorist organizations).
forces. Note that while NCTC may assign related roles and
The Directorate of Strategic Operational Planning is
responsibilities to other federal agencies, NCTC is not
responsible for providing strategic operational plans for
USG CT operations. See Figure 1.
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National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC)
NCTC Director
(SSCI) asserted that the IC’s failure to identify the threat
The Director of NCTC (D/NCTC) is appointed by the
posed by the thwarted attack’s perpetrator was the result of
President and confirmed by the Senate. The D/NCTC
“systemic failures” across the IC, including NCTC’s
reports to both the President and the Director of National
“inadequate organization” to carry out its mission of
Intelligence (DNI). The D/NCTC reports directly to the
analyzing and integrating all intelligence pertaining to
President for the planning and progress of interagency joint
terrorism and CT. Among other recommendations, the
CT operations. The D/NCTC reports directly to the DNI in
SSCI called upon the D/NCTC to ensure that “NCTC is
matters relating to the day-to-day operations of NCTC and
organized and resourced to fulfill its responsibility to track,
serves as the principal adviser to the DNI on CT
analyze, and report on all terrorist threats to the United
intelligence operations. The D/NCTC also serves as the
States emanating from terrorist groups overseas.” In
National Intelligence Manager (NIM) for CT.
response, the DNI stated that the IC had “clarified roles and
responsibilities among the IC’s [CT] functions,” and
National Intelligence Manager for CT
announced the “establishment of a dedicated analytic
In 2005, the final report of the Weapons of Mass
element at NCTC to thoroughly…pursue terrorist threat
Destruction Commission called for the IC to develop
threads, including identifying appropriate follow-up actions
“Mission Managers” focusing on coordinating IC-wide
by other intelligence and law enforcement organizations.”
intelligence missions. Accordingly, the DNI designated the
Information sharing remains an area of interest in assessing
D/NCTC as the NIM-CT, and directed the NCTC to support
NCTC’s effectiveness. In a review published after the April
the NIM-CT in coordinating IC-wide CT activities.
15, 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, the Inspectors
NCTC’s Effectiveness
General (IGs) of the IC, CIA, Department of Justice (DOJ)
NCTC’s e
and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) wrote that
ffectiveness in performing its missions is an
the agencies involved (including NCTC) had “generally
oversight matter for Congress. Some observers have
shared information and followed procedures appropriately.”
suggested that NCTC’s joint operational planning
Nevertheless, the IGs also noted a need for broader sharing
responsibilities are unclear. Others have questioned the
of threat information, especially with state and local
effectiveness of threat analysis and information sharing
partners. Similarly, in a March 2017 review, the IGs of the
within the IC, to include NCTC.
IC, DHS, and DOJ wrote that NCTC, along with other
In an unclassified May 2010 report on the December 25,
members of the IC, should develop “guidance” for
2009 attempted terrorist bombing on Northwest Airlines
information sharing “that accounts for the roles and
Flight 253, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
responsibilities the agencies have according to statute.”
Figure 1. NCTC Organizational Chart

Source: NCTC, as of April 10, 2017.

IF10709
Michael E. DeVine, Analyst in Intelligence and National
Security
https://crsreports.congress.gov

National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC)

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