AOIMAF, AOIMEXEC and the role of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security

 

Kathleen Hicks

DEPUTY SECRETARY OF DEFENSE 

 

 

 

 

Ronald S. Moultrie

 UNDER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE

   FOR INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY  

since June 1, 2021

The under secretary of defense for intelligence & security or USD(I&S) is a high-ranking civilian position in the Office of the Secretary of Defense  (OSD) within the  U.S. Department of Defense that acts as the principal civilian advisor and deputy to the secretary of defense and  deputy secretary of defense on matters relating to  military intelligense & security. The under secretary is appointed as a civilian by the president and confirmed by the Senate to serve at the pleasure of the president.

In 2019, Congress renamed the office to Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security or USD(I&S) as part of the FY2020 National Defense Authorization Act.     

 

As the secretary of defense's representative, the USD(I) exercises oversight over, among others, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), the National Security Agenc (NSA), and the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA). In addition, the Under Secretary is also dual-hatted, serving as the Director of Defense Intelligence (DDI) under the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI); in this capacity, the Under Secretary is principal defense intelligence & security advisor to the DNI. With the rank of Under Secretary, the USD(I&S) is a Defense Intelligence Senior Executive Service (DISES) Level III position within the Executive Schedule. [**information taken from Wikipedia].