CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia. [AP=Yonhap News]

Ha Bong-gyu, Professor Emeritus at Pukyong National University · Director of the UN Research Institute

We are the Nation's first line of defense.

(We are the Nation's first line of defense.)

This is the slogan of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United States. 

Established in 1947, shortly after World War II, the CIA's predecessor was the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). It is a civilian foreign intelligence agency and an independent federal government agency not subordinate to any specific department within the executive branch. Specifically, it is responsible for human intelligence for the U.S. Intelligence Community, including the Department of Justice (FBI), Department of War (DIA), Department of State, Department of the Treasury, Department of Energy, and DEA. 

Langley, where the CIA is located, is an unincorporated area of McLean in Fairfax County, Virginia. An unincorporated area refers to a region outside the jurisdiction of a municipal government. And the name 'Langley' is often used as a metonym for the CIA. 

The CIA organization is effectively managed by two Deputy Directors and has a staff of 20,000. Its main components include the Directorate of Operations, Directorate of Analysis, Directorate of Science and Technology, Directorate of Support, and Directorate of the Director. 

Among these, the Directorate of Analysis and the Directorate of Operations form the two major pillars of the CIA. The former handles regional (continental) divisions and issues such as trans-national, narcotics, arms control, and counterintelligence analysis, while the latter oversees tasks related to special missions, nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, and counter-terrorism. 

Recently, the Directorate of Science and Technology has been recognized as an important department. This directorate specializes in the development of modern weapons, particularly weapons of mass destruction and special clandestine weapons. Several years ago, it developed a special drone that eliminated the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

In addition, the CIA's scope of activity is extensive, encompassing everything from official U.S. diplomatic bodies to international organizations, various groups (including non-governmental organizations and international relief organizations), and even corporations. It also operates military and paramilitary organizations to carry out special missions. 

However, the exact number of CIA operatives and the details of its covert actions remain veiled in secrecy. 

The head of the CIA is known as the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). The DNI is a member of the National Security Council (NSC), oversees the 'President's Daily Brief,' and is involved in the allocation of budgets for the Intelligence Community. 

However, despite being the nominal head of foreign intelligence, the budgets of various agencies, which account for 85% of the foreign intelligence budget, are controlled by the Department of War (Department of Defense) or operate independently, rather than being under the DNI's purview. 

Numerous executive orders and the Intelligence Authorization Act of 1993 have granted the DNI the authority on paper to set the requirements and priorities for the Intelligence Community, but this cannot be implemented under the current structure. 

The 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001 posed a challenge to the U.S. Intelligence Community, including the CIA. Furthermore, the subsequent confirmation of prior warnings from Israeli intelligence agencies necessitated innovation in the analytical capabilities of the U.S. Intelligence Community, particularly the CIA. 

In the 1970s, traditional human intelligence (HUMINT), meaning conventional espionage and operations, accounted for over half of national intelligence. However, since the 1980s, with technological advancements, there has been a shift towards the dominance of technical intelligence (TECHINT). 

This led to a doubling of the intelligence budget within the U.S. military budget, from 5% to 10%. As such, 9/11 represents a significant turning point in recognizing the collaborative importance of foreign intelligence agencies. 

Ha Bong-gyu, Professor Emeritus at Pukyong National University · Director of the UN Research Institute