Legal Definitions - Central Intelligence Agency

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is a government agency that collects information about other countries and advises the President and National Security Council on matters of national security. It was created in 1947 by the National Security Act.

The National Security Council (NSC) is a group of advisors to the President on national security issues. It was also created by the National Security Act in 1947.

The CIA might gather information about a foreign country's military capabilities or plans for a terrorist attack. They would then analyze this information and provide a report to the President and NSC, who would use it to make decisions about how to protect the United States.

For example, if the CIA discovered that a foreign country was planning to launch a missile attack on the United States, they would alert the President and NSC. The President and NSC would then decide how to respond to this threat, such as by launching a counterattack or negotiating with the foreign country to prevent the attack.