The U.S. intelligence community consists of agencies and organizations that gather and analyze intelligence to help policymakers formulate and implement U.S. foreign policy. In addition to administering the Central Intelligence Agency, the director of central intelligence oversees this network of agencies. They focus on providing the latest relevant information to National Security Council (NSC) members and articulating the capabilities and interests of the intelligence community.

The director of central intelligence’s goals are to

-provide complete, accurate, and up-to-date information to the NSC on the situation under discussion; and
-serve as the principal advisor to the president and the NSC on intelligence matters.