Director of National Intelligence

Since its inception, the intelligence community (IC) has had several persistent problems that continue today--information sharing, activity coordination, and validity of analysis. As a result of 9/11, the IC was closely scrutinized. The findings of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States led to the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 creating a Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to serve as the principal advisor to the president on intelligence. The 9/11 Commission's recommendation is thought to be an all-encompassing solution to some problems plaguing the IC. While creating a unbiased director who could equally focus on all members of the IC may seem like an all-encompassing solution, this research will examine the responsibilities of the DNI and determine what solutions it can bring to the existing problems of the IC. The primary research question is: Is the DNI able to solve the persisting problems of the IC as required by the Intelligence Reform Act? The conclusion of the analysis indicates the most likely hypothesis to the research question is that the DNI will be able to help solve the problems of the IC; however, the director requires additional authority.