CIA
CIA stands for the Central Intelligence Agency. The CIA is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for gathering, analyzing, and disseminating intelligence related to foreign governments, organizations, and individuals. Commonly referred to as “the Agency” and historically nicknamed “the Company,” the CIA plays a central role in safeguarding U.S. national security interests abroad.
The CIA operates primarily overseas and is tasked with conducting foreign intelligence collection, covert operations, and counterintelligence. It does not serve a law enforcement function and has limited domestic authority, in contrast to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which handles internal security and counterintelligence within U.S. borders.
The CIA reports to the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and serves as a key advisor to the President and the National Security Council. While the CIA was originally created in 1947 under the National Security Act as a centralized entity for coordinating foreign intelligence, its mission has since expanded. Today, the CIA is primarily responsible for producing strategic intelligence assessments, conducting covert actions authorized by the President, and supporting U.S. policymakers with timely and reliable information about global developments.
[Last reviewed in June of 2025 by the Wex Definitions Team]
Wex