The National Intelligence Council (NIC) is the center for midterm and long-term strategic thinking within the United States Intelligence Community (IC). It was formed in 1979. According to its official website:

• It leads the IC's effort to produce National Intelligence Estimates and other documents;
• It supports (and reports to) the Director of Central Intelligence;
• It serves as a focal point for policymaker's questions;
• It contributes to the effort to allocate IC resources in response to policy changes; and
• It communicates with experts in academia and the private sector to broaden the IC's perspective;

The NIC's goal is to provide policymakers with the best information: unvarnished, unbiased and without regard to whether the analytic judgments conform to current U.S. policy.

Organization

As of 2004, the Chairman of the NIC is Robert L. Hutchings , who was appointed in December 2002. There is also a Vice Chairman, a Vice Chairman for Evaluation, a Director of Strategic Plans and Outreach, a Director of Analysis and Production Staff, a Special Advisor, and National Intelligence Officers for each of the following areas and subject matters:

• Africa
• East Asia
• Europe
• Latin America
• Near East and South Asia
• Russia and Eurasia
• Economics & Global Issues
• Intelligence Assurance
• Military Issues
• Transnational Threats
• Warning
• Weapons of Mass Destruction and Proliferation

External link

• NIC official website