What is the National Reconnaissance Office?

The National Reconnaissance Office is one of the sixteen intelligence agencies of the United States Federal Government. The primary responsibility of the National Reconnaissance Office is to design, build and operate the spy satellites of the United States Federal Government.

National Reconnaissance Office Quick Facts:

The following details outline the administration of the National Reconnaissance Office:

The National Reconnaissance Office was formed in 1961

The headquarters of the National Reconnaissance Office are located in Chantilly, Virginia

The annual operating budget for the National Reconnaissance Office is classified

The National Reconnaissance Office operates with approximately 3,000 employees

The National Reconnaissance Office is responsible for the jurisdiction over the United States Federal Government

The head of the National Reconnaissance Office is General Bruce Carlson; the Principal Deputy of the National Reconnaissance Office is Betty Sapp; the Major General of the National Reconnaissance Office is Susan Mashiko.

The parent agency to the National Reconnaissance Office is the United states Department of Defense.

Mission of the National Reconnaissance Office:

The National Reconnaissance Office develops and subsequently operates space reconnaissance systems to conduct intelligence-related activities for the United States National Security Systems. Additionally, the National Reconnaissance Office coordinates collection and the analysis of information delivered from airplane and satellite reconnaissance by the military service of the Federal Government as well as the Central Intelligence Agency.

The National Reconnaissance Office is funded through the National Reconnaissance Program, which is an integral part of the National Foreign Intelligence Program—the agency is grouped within the Department of Defense.

The National Reconnaissance Office works with its intelligence and space partners, including the National Security Agency, the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the United States Strategic Command, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the United States Strategic Command, the Naval Research laboratory and various other organizations and governmental agencies.

How is the National Reconnaissance Office Organized?

The National Reconnaissance Office is part of the United States Department of Defense. The Director or head of the office is appointed by the Secretary of Defense with the implicit consent of the Director of National Intelligence; subsequent confirmation from Congress is not needed.

With the inception of the National Reconnaissance Office, several organizations were incorporated into the model including:

Program A: Secretary of the Air Force Space Systems

Program B: CIA Office for Engineering & Development

Program C: Naval Research Lab and elements of the Naval Security Group

Program D: National Reconnaissance Program Aircraft Reconnaissance

Government Agency of the Executive Branch:

Government agencies are defined as organizations, councils, and offices operating under the jurisdiction of the Federal Government of the United States of America; each federal agency retains specific administrative jurisdiction over specific facets latent within the operations of the United States Government.

What is the Naval Criminal Investigative Service?

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service (better known as the NCIS) is a Federal agency that operates within the United States of America that is responsible for security, counter-terrorism, counter-intelligence and law enforcement for the United States Department of the Navy.

Naval Criminal Investigative Service Quick Facts:

The following details outline the administration of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service:

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service was founded in 1992

The headquarters of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service are located in the Russell Knox Building at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico.

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is responsible for the jurisdiction over the Federal Government of the United States of America

The head of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service is Executive Mark D. Clookie

The Parent Agency of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service is the United States Department of the Navy

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service Office is comprised of 16 field offices and several units positioned throughout the world. The Naval Criminal investigative Service Office operates with approximately 2,500 employees; roughly half of these employees are civilian special agents who are trained to carry out a number of assignments throughout the world.

Naval Criminal investigative Service special agents are armed federal law enforcement investigators, who will frequently coordinate with other government agencies of the United States Government. These agents are supported by analysts and other experts skilled in various disciplines such as: surveillance, forensics, surveillance countermeasures, computer investigations, polygraph examinations and physical security operations. 

Government Agency of the Executive Branch:

Government agencies are defined as organizations, councils, and offices operating under the jurisdiction of the Federal Government of the United States of America; each federal agency retains specific administrative jurisdiction over specific facets latent within the operations of the United States Government.

What is the Bureau of Economic Analysis?

The Bureau of Economic Analysis is a Federal agency in the United States Department of Commerce that provides critical economic statistics, most notably the gross domestic product of the United States. The stated mission of the Bureau of Economic Analysis is to “promote a better understanding of the United States economy by providing the most timely, relevant and accurate data in an objective and cost-effective manner.”

Bureau of Economic Analysis Quick Facts:

The following details outline the administration of the Bureau of Economic Analysis:

The Bureau of Economic Analysis was formed on January 1st of 1972.

The headquarters of the Bureau of Economic Analysis are located in Washington D.C.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis  is responsible for the jurisdiction over the Federal Government of the United States of America

The head of the Bureau of Economic Analysis  is Director J. Steven Landefeld

The preceding agency of the Bureau of Economic Analysis is the Office of Business Economics. The parent agency of the Bureau of Economic Analysis is the Economics and Statistics Administration

What is the Gross Domestic Product?

The Gross Domestic Product or GDP, refers to the market value of all final goods and services produced within a country in a specified time period—usually a fiscal year. The Gross Domestic Product is often considered a primary indicator of a country’s standard of living. As a vital economic statistic, the gross domestic product is related to national accounts and is a fundamental subject in macroeconomics.

The Gross Domestic Product can be determined in three specific ways, each of which should yield the same numerical value. The three ways for determine the GDP are the product (or output) approach, the expenditure approach and the income approach. The most common approach for calculating a nation’s GDP is the product approach, which sums the nation’s outputs of every class of enterprise.

What is the Defense Contract Audit Agency?

The Defense Contract Audit Agency is a Federal agency that operates within the United States of America that, under the direction and control of the United States Under Secretary of Defense, is responsible for performing contract audits for the United States Department of Defense.

What is the Defense Finance and Accounting Service?

The Defense Finance and Accounting Service is a Federal agency that operates within the United States Department of Defense to provide finance and accounting services for the civil and military members of the agency. The Defense Finance and Accounting Service, more specifically pays all Department of Defense military and civilian personnel, annuitants, retirees, as well as major contractors and venders of the Department.

The Defense Finance and Accounting Service is a working capital fund agency that is financed through the reimbursement of operating costs from its various governmental customers, most notably the military service departments. This unique service to provider relationship with its customers enables the department to experience continuous innovation and improvement in regards to the quality of services offered by the Defense Finance and Accounting Service.

In 2010, the Defense Finance and Accounting Service processed approximately 168.9 million pay transactions, which accounts to roughly 6.4 million people. In addition, the Defense Finance and Accounting Service coordinated approximately 8.1 million travel payments, paid roughly 11.4 million commercial invoices, maintained over 255 million worth of General Ledger accounts and managed both military retirement as well as health benefit funds (over 490 billion dollars).

What is the Defense Intelligence Agency?

The Defense Intelligence Agency is a Federal agency that stands as a fundamental member of the Intelligence Community of the United States’ Federal Government. The Defense Intelligence Agency is a major producer and manager of military intelligence for the Department of Defense; the Defense Intelligence Agency is responsible for providing military intelligence to defense policymakers, warfighters and force planners positioned within the Department of Defense and the United States Intelligence Community.

What is the Defense Logistics Agency?

The Defense Logistics Agency is a Federal agency within the United States Department of Defense responsible for providing supplies to the military services stationed throughout the world. In addition to this crucial service, the Defense Logistics Agency supports the military’s acquisition of weapons repair parts and other materiel crucial for the basic functions of the United States military forces. Aside from providing support to the United States Military, the Defense Logistics Agency also engages in crucial effort for victims of natural disasters and to those in need.

Defense Logistics Agency Quick Facts:

The following details outline the administration of the Defense Logistics Agency:

The Defense Logistics  Agency was founded in 1961

The headquarters of the Defense Logistics  Agency are located in Fort Belvoir, Virginia

The Defense Logistics  Agency is responsible for the jurisdiction over the United States Federal Government and more specifically the United States Department of Defense

The head of the Defense Logistics  Agency is Agency Executive Alan S. Thompson—the Vice Director of the Defense Logistics Agency is Mae DeVincentis

The Defense Logistics Agency operates with roughly 26,000 employees

How is the Defense Logistics Agency Organized?

In July 2010, the Defense Logistics Agency began to rename several field activities to concisely identify how each subdivision and activity contributes to the general mission of Warfighter support. The following agencies and subdivisions comprise the broader Defense Logistics Agency:

Defense Supply Center Columbus to DLA Land and Maritime

Defense Supply Center Philadelphia to DLA Troop Support

Defense Supply Center Richmond to DLA Aviation

Defense Energy Support Center to DLA Energy

Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service to DLA Disposition Services

Defense Distribution Center to DLA Distribution

Defense Logistics Information Service to DLA Logistics Information Service

Document Automation and Production Service to DLA Document Services

Defense National Stockpile Center to DLA Strategic Materials

Government Agency of the Executive Branch:

Government agencies are defined as organizations, councils, and offices operating under the jurisdiction of the Federal Government of the United States of America; each federal agency retains specific administrative jurisdiction over specific facets latent within the operations of the United States Government.

What is the Defense Security Service?

The Defense Security Service is a Federal agency within the United States Department of Defense. As a result of this grouping, the Defense Security Service is responsible for fulfilling numerous responsibilities and objectives aligned with the Department of Defense’s general mission statement. More specifically, the Defense Security Service is tasked with facilitating personnel security investigations, performing security education and awareness training, and supervising the industrial security sector as a whole.

Although the aforementioned roles are crucial, the Defense Security Service is not a Federal Law Enforcement Organization of the United States Federal Government; the Defense Security Service does not possess any sort of police power. The Defense Security Service, formally known as the Defense Investigative Service, was formally established in 1972—the agency underwent a name change in 1999.

Defense Security Service Quick Facts:

The following details outline the administration of the Defense Security Service:

The Defense Security Service was founded in 1972

The headquarters of the Defense Security Service are located in Washington D.C.

The Defense Security Service is responsible for the jurisdiction over the Federal Government of the United States

The Defense Security Service contains roughly 620 civilian employees; of those civilian employees, approximately 350 of them are Industrial Security Representatives, who are responsible for the 12,000 industry facilities under the Defense Security Service jurisdiction. All Industrial Security Representatives and Information System Security Professionals of the Defense Security Service are credentialed Special Agents of the Federal Government of the United States.

The head of the Defense Security Service is

Government Agency of the Executive Branch:

Government agencies are defined as organizations, councils, and offices operating under the jurisdiction of the Federal Government of the United States of America; each federal agency retains specific administrative jurisdiction over specific facets latent within the operations of the United States Government. The Defense Security Service functions as a government agency under the Executive Branch of the United States government, which is comprised of 3 total branches; in addition to the Executive branch – which is responsible for the regulation and enforcement of operational legislation existing within the United States of America – there also exists the Legislative and Judicial Branches.

What is the International Trade Administration?

The International Trade Administration is a Federal agency that operates within the United States Department of Commerce. The primary mission of the International Trade Administration is to promote the country’s exports of nonagricultural American services and goods.

The stated goals of the International Trade Administration are as follows:

The International Trade Administration aims to provide practical information to help Americans in their selection of various markets and products

The International Trade Administration aims to ensure that Americans have access to international markets as mandated by the United States’ several trade agreements.

The International Trade Administration provides a safeguard for Americans from unfair competition regarding dumped and subsidized imports.

International Trade Administration Quick Facts:

The following details outline the administration of the International Trade Administration:

The International Trade Administration was formed on January 2nd of 1980

The headquarters of the International Trade Administration are located in Washington D.C.

The International Trade Administration is responsible for the jurisdiction over the Federal Government of the United States

The head of the International Trade Administration is Agency Executive Francisco Sanchez.

The Parent Agency of the International Trade Administration is the Department of Commerce.

The International Trade Commission operates with roughly 1,500 employees and under and annual budget of approximately $535 million.

How is the International Trade Administration Organized?

The International Trade Administration is divided into the following four sub-units: The Import Administration Department, Market Access and Compliance, Manufacturing and Services and the United States Commercial Service.

The International Trade Administration is chaired by the Secretary of Commerce for International Trade. Operating directly under this post is the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Trade Promotion/the Director General of the Commercial Service, as well as the Office of International Operations and the Office of Domestic Operations.

The United States Commercial, through its Strategic Corporate Partnership Program, possesses several public private partnership agreements with 17 private organizations, including various banks, transportation and shipping organizations, event organizers, legal and regulatory organizations, and several trade risk service companies.

Government Agency of the Executive Branch:

Government agencies are defined as organizations, councils, and offices operating under the jurisdiction of the Federal Government of the United States of America; each federal agency retains specific administrative jurisdiction over specific facets latent within the operations of the United States Government.

What is the National Institute of Standards and Technology?

The National Institute of Standards and Technology is a non-regulator agency of the United States Department of Commerce. In essence, the National Institute of Standards and Technology is a measurement standards science facility that aims to complete the following mission (as stated by agency itself): “To Promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve quality of life.”

As part of its general mission, the National Institute of Standards and Technology supplies, academia, government, and industry with over 1,300 Standard Reference Materials. These various artifacts are certified as possessing specific characteristics or component content, used as a form of calibration standard to measure equipment and procedures, as well as quality control benchmarks for industrial processes and experimental control samples.

In early 2002, the National Institute of Standards and Technology conducted an investigation into the collapse of the World Trade Center buildings 1 and 2, as well as the 47-story 7 World Trade Center. The investigation, covered the following aspects: a technical building and fire safety evaluation to study the factors which contributed to the cause of the collapses of the towers, a research and development program to provide a technical basis for improved building and fire codes and a technical assistance program to engage leaders of the construction community to implement proposed changes to codes, standards and practices.

National Institute of Standards and Technology Quick Facts:

The following details outline the administration of the National Institute of Standards and Technology:

The headquarters of the National Institute of Standards and Technology are located in Gaithersburg, Maryland—the National Institute of Standards and Technology also possesses a fully-functional facility in Boulder, Colorado.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology is aligned into six functional laboratories: An Engineering Laboratory, an Information Technology Laboratory, a Physical measurement Laboratory, the Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology, and the NIST Center for Neutron Research. In addition to these laboratories, the national Institute of Standards and Technology also possesses several extramural programs.

The National institute of Standards and Technology possesses an operating budget of approximately $992 million dollars; however, the agency also receives donations and grants, most notably a $610 million gift as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology employs roughly 2,900 scientists, technicians, engineers and various support and administrative personnel. Roughly 1,800 associates of the National Institute of Standards and Technology agency complement the core staff; additionally, the National Institute of Standards and Technology partners with approximately 1,400 manufacturing specialists and staff members in nearly 350 affiliated centers throughout the United States of America.