| Director of the Central Intelligence Agency | |
|---|---|
 Seal of the Central Intelligence Agency | |
 Flag of the Central Intelligence Agency | |
 | |
| Central Intelligence Agency | |
| Abbreviation | D/CIA |
| Reports to | Director of National Intelligence (DNI) |
| Seat | George Bush Center for Intelligence,Langley,Fairfax County,Virginia |
| Appointer | Thepresident withSenateadvice and consent |
| Term length | No fixed term |
| Constituting instrument | 50 U.S.C. § 3036 |
| Precursor | Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) |
| Formation | December 17, 2004 |
| First holder | Porter J. Goss |
| Deputy | Deputy director |
| Salary | $225,700Executive Schedule, Level II[1] |
| Website | www |
Thedirector of the Central Intelligence Agency (D/CIA) is a statutory office (50 U.S.C. § 3036) that functions as the head of theCentral Intelligence Agency, which in turn is a part of theUnited States Intelligence Community.
The director reports to thedirector of national intelligence (DNI) and is assisted by thedeputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency (DD/CIA). The director is a civilian or ageneral orflag officer of theUnited States Armed Forces[2] nominated by thepresident of the United States, with the recommendation from the DNI,[3] and must be confirmed by a majority vote of theUnited States Senate.[4]
Before December 17, 2004 thedirector of central intelligence (DCI) headed both theIntelligence Community and the Central Intelligence Agency. In addition, DCI served as an advisor to thepresident of the United States on intelligence matters and was the statutory intelligence advisor to theNational Security Council.
The post of DCI was established in 1946 byPresidentHarry S. Truman;[5] it thus predates the establishment of the Central Intelligence Agency (created by theNational Security Act of 1947). After the end ofWorld War II, theOffice of Strategic Services was dismantled. Its functions were split between the departments of state and war.[6] Truman soon recognized the inefficiency of this arrangement and created theCentral Intelligence Group,[7] which could be considered a smaller precursor to the National Security Council.[8] The following year theNational Security Act of 1947 created the Central Intelligence Agency and National Security Council, while formally defining the duties of the director of Central Intelligence. The duties of the DCI had been further defined over the years by tradition, congressional acts, andExecutive Orders.
Beginning in February 2017, the D/CIA was elevated toCabinet of the United States level status, as designated by theTrump administration. This ended with the beginning of theBiden administration.[9] In July 2023, the D/CIA was once again elevated toCabinet of the United States level status by the Biden administration.[10]
The order of succession determines which official shall act and perform the functions and duties of the director in the event the director dies, resigns, or otherwise becomes unable to perform their duties. The official will serve as acting director.
If the official is already serving in an acting capacity, or otherwise not eligible under theFederal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998, the order skips to the next person in line. However, thepresident of the United States retains discretion to depart from the list in designating an acting director.[11]
| No. | Title |
|---|---|
1 | Deputy director |
2 | Chief operating officer |
3 | Deputy director of CIA for operations |
4 | Deputy director of CIA for analysis |
5 | Deputy director of CIA for science and technology |
6 | Deputy director of CIA for digital innovation |
7 | Deputy director of CIA for support |
8 | General counsel |
9 | Deputy chief operating officer |
10 | Senior CIA representative for the United Kingdom |
11 | Senior CIA representative for the East Coast |
12 | Senior CIA representative for the West Coast |
Position succeeded thedirector of Central Intelligence.
Denotes acting capacity. |
| No. | Image | Name | Start | End | Duration | President | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | .jpg) | Porter Goss[12] | December 17, 2004 | May 5, 2006 | 1 year, 24 days | George W. Bush (2001–2009) | |
| 2 | .jpg) | Michael Hayden[13] | May 30, 2006 | February 12, 2009 | 2 years, 260 days | ||
| 3 | .jpg) | Leon Panetta[14] | February 13, 2009 | June 30, 2011 | 2 years, 138 days | Barack Obama (2009–2017) | |
| – | .jpg) | Michael Morell Acting | July 1, 2011 | September 6, 2011 | 68 days | ||
| 4 | .jpg) | David Petraeus[15] | September 6, 2011 | November 9, 2012 | 1 year, 66 days | ||
| – | | Michael Morell Acting | November 9, 2012 | March 8, 2013 | 130 days | ||
| 5 | .jpg) | John Brennan[16] | March 8, 2013 | January 20, 2017 | 3 years, 320 days | ||
| – |  | Meroe Park Acting | January 20, 2017 | January 23, 2017 | 3 days | Donald Trump (2017–2021) | |
| 6 |  | Mike Pompeo[17] | January 23, 2017 | April 26, 2018 | 1 year, 94 days | ||
| 7 | .jpg) | Gina Haspel | April 26, 2018 | May 21, 2018 | 26 days | ||
| May 21, 2018 | January 20, 2021 | 2 years, 245 days | |||||
| – |  | David Cohen Acting | January 20, 2021 | March 19, 2021 | 59 days | Joe Biden (2021–2025) | |
| 8 |  | Bill Burns | March 19, 2021 | January 20, 2025 | 3 years, 308 days | ||
| – | Maura Burns[18] | January 20, 2025 | 0 days | Donald Trump (2025–present) | |||
| – | Tom Sylvester Acting | January 20, 2025 | January 23, 2025 | 3 days | |||
| 9 | | John Ratcliffe | January 23, 2025 | Incumbent | 303 days | ||
| Organization |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Geographic activities | ||
| Transnational activities | ||
| Directors of Central Intelligence and Directors of the Central Intelligence Agency |
| |
| Major international operations | ||
| Notable works |
| |
| CIA activities by country | ||
