Legal Definitions - CIA

Definition: The CIA, or Central Intelligence Agency, is a government agency in the United States that collects information about foreign countries, organizations, and individuals. It is responsible for providing intelligence to the President and Cabinet to protect national security interests. The CIA also carries out covert operations.

For example, the CIA might gather information about a foreign government's military capabilities or a terrorist organization's plans for an attack. They might also carry out a secret mission to disrupt an enemy's operations.

The CIA was created to be a clearinghouse for foreign policy intelligence and analysis. Today, its main purpose is to collect, analyze, evaluate, and disseminate foreign intelligence, and to carry out covert operations. Unlike the FBI, which focuses on domestic security issues, the CIA's operations are mainly focused on foreign countries.