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![handle is hein.crs/govethp0001 and id is 1 raw text is:
Congressonal Research So
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Updated January 16, 2026
Defense Primer: Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and
Security
The Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and
Security (USD(I&S)) (who is using Under Secretary of War
for Intelligence and Security as a secondary title under
Executive Order (E.O.) 14347 dated September 5, 2025) is
a civilian official, appointed by the President and confirmed
by the Senate, who reports directly to the Secretary of
Defense (who is using Secretary of War as a secondary
title under E.O. 14347). The USD(I&S) is the Principal
Staff Assistant and advisor to the Secretary of Defense on
intelligence, counterintelligence (CI), security, sensitive
activities, and other intelligence-related matters. On behalf
of the Secretary, the USD(I&S) also exercises authority,
direction, and control over Department of Defense (DOD)
(using Department of War as a secondary title under E.O.
14347) intelligence and security policy, intelligence
organization, and intelligence support to military
decisionmakers and warfighters.
Congress redesignated the position of Under Secretary of
Defense for Intelligence (USD(I)) as the Under Secretary of
Defense for Intelligence and Security in the National
Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2020
(Section 1621 of P.L. 116-92). This change increased the
emphasis on the importance and scope of the USD(I&S)'s
security responsibilities, which include responsibility for
conducting most of the federal government's background
investigations to determine eligibility for access to
classified information (consistent with Executive Order
13869)
As the head of the defense intelligence and security
enterprise, the USD(I&S) has responsibility for a significant
portion of the personnel and funding supporting the
Intelligence Community (IC) overall. The USD(I&S) and
staff, however, are not statutory elements of the IC. Title 50
U.S. Code §3003(4) lists the 18 organizational elements of
the IC, two of which are independent-the Office of the
Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and Central
Intelligence Agency-and 16 of which are components of
six separate departments of the federal government. The
nine IC elements within DOD comprise the defense
intelligence and security enterprise overseen by the
USD(I&S). They include the Defense Intelligence Agency
(DIA), National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA),
National Security Agency (NSA), National Reconnaissance
Office (NRO), and the intelligence components of the
Navy, Marine Corps, Army, Air Force, and Space Force.
These elements, in turn, provide the Joint Staff and
Combatant Commands with the personnel and expertise for
their component joint intelligence organizations.
Origin of the USD S) Poston
Leadership of intelligence-related functions within the
Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) has been
realigned multiple times over the course of DOD's history.
The most recent development came when Congress
established the USD(I) position in the aftermath of the
September 11, 2001 terror attacks.
DOD requested the establishment of the USD(I) position,
asserting that in exercising delegated oversight over
intelligence, CI, and security functions, the position would
provide the Secretary of Defense with the flexibility ...
require[d] to respond to heightened demands on the [DOD]
to support the President's efforts to prevent and respond to
acts of terrorism against the United States. The legislative
language establishing the position of USD(I) was included
under Section 901 of the Bob Stump National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003 (P.L. 107-314),
which was codified as 10 U.S.C. §137.
Under Secretaries of Defense (I&S)
* Stephen A. Cambone (March 2003-December 2006)
* James R. Clapper (April 2007-August 2010)
* Michael G. Vickers (March 2011-April 2015)
* Marcel Lettre (December 2015-January 2017)
* Todd Lowery (acting) (January 2017-June 2017)
* Kari Bingen (acting) (June 2017-December 2017)
* Joseph D. Kernan (December 2017-November 2020)
* Ezra Cohen-Watnick (acting) (November 2020-January
2021)
* David M. Taylor (acting) (January 2021-June 2021)
* Ronald S. Moultrie (June, 2021-February 2024)
* Milancy D. Harris (acting) (March 2024-January 2025)
* Dustin Gard-Weiss (acting) (January 2025-July 2025)
* Bradley H. Hansell (July 2025-present)
Orign nof Dua Hatted Role for USD(I&S)
In May 2007, the Secretary of Defense and the Director of
National Intelligence (DNI) signed a Memorandum of
Agreement (MOA) to establish a dual role for the USD(I).
In a news release announcing the issuance of the MOA,
then-USD(I) James Clapper indicated that the creation of a
Director of Defense Intelligence (DDI) position was
intended to strengthen the relationship between the DNI
and the DOD ... [and] to facilitate staff interaction and
promote synchronization. Under the dual-hatting
arrangement, the incumbent within OSD serves as the
USD(I&S). and within the ODNI as the DDI. In the role of](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.crs/govethp0001&div=1&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)