Why It Matters
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) has published a primer on how national and defense intelligence are structured, funded, and coordinated across the 18 elements of the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC).
The IC is composed of 18 elements, nine of which sit within the Department of Defense (DOD), drawing funding from two separate streams: the National Intelligence Program (NIP), which funds strategic-level programs of DOD intelligence agencies and all non-DOD IC elements, and the Military Intelligence Program (MIP), which funds only the DOD components for defense-specific activities.
The National Intelligence Program (NIP) funds the DNI's office and civilian IC elements as well as major DOD intelligence agencies, while the Military Intelligence Program (MIP) separately funds the nine DOD IC elements, a division that creates a perennial oversight challenge for Congress.
According to the supplementary analysis accompanying the report, if the current administration were to reorganize Intelligence Community authorities or reshape the Director of National Intelligence's role, Congress might need to revisit the statutory framework governing the split between the National Intelligence Program and the Military Intelligence Program.
The Big Picture
The report incorporates a notable policy development: Executive Order 14347, signed Sept. 5, 2025, directed that DOD use "Department of War" as a secondary title, that the Secretary of Defense use "Secretary of War" as a secondary title, and that the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security use "Under Secretary of War for Intelligence & Security" as a secondary title.
The CRS report integrates these designations matter-of-factly into its structural description of IC leadership, signaling that the rebranding carries organizational relevance beyond symbolism.
That position is dual-hatted: when acting in the defense role, the incumbent reports to the Secretary of Defense; when acting as Director of Defense Intelligence, the incumbent reports to the DNI and serves as the DNI's principal advisor on defense intelligence, counterintelligence, and security matters.
The DNI's mandate, established by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, includes implementing policies to require analytical methods "independent of political considerations" across all IC elements.
Both the NIP and MIP are classified in their specific dollar amounts, meaning Congress's intelligence and armed services committees rely on primers like this one to contextualize classified budget briefings.
The Bottom Line
The Congressional Research Service has incorporated the "Department of War" secondary title, introduced under Executive Order 14347, into its structural description of the Intelligence Community's leadership and oversight roles.
With 18 elements spanning civilian and military bureaucracies, the report underscores the risk of fragmentation in intelligence sharing across the IC.
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