National Counterterrorism Center#Directors

The idea of a center to merge intelligence on terror threats was proposed by the 9/11 Commission following the completion of its investigation into the September 11 attacks, the deadliest attack in world history.{{cite web |date=July 22, 2004 |title=Public Statement Release of 9/11 Commission Report The Hon. Thomas H. Kean and the Hon. Lee H. Hamilton |url=http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report_Statement.pdf |access-date=22 Feb 2010}} Plans to create such a center were announced by President George W. Bush in his January 2003 State of the Union address. On May 1, 2003, Executive Order 13354 established the Terrorist Threat Integration Center (TTIC).{{cite web|title=The Terrorist Threat Integration Center: One Year Later|url=https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2004/april/threat_043004|work=FBI.gov|publisher=FBI|access-date=1 July 2013}}{{Cite web|url=https://fas.org/irp/agency/ttic/|title=Terrorist Threat Integration Center|access-date=2016-01-01|archive-date=2016-04-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160412083941/http://fas.org/irp/agency/ttic/|url-status=dead}}

In 2004, the center was renamed the NCTC and placed under the United States Director of National Intelligence by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act.

After the Christmas 2009 terrorist attempt on Northwest Airlines Flight 253, the NCTC was tasked with creating a process to "thoroughly and exhaustively" prioritize terrorism threat threads; identify follow-up action by intelligence, law enforcement, and homeland security; and enhance the "Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment" database, to add names to watchlists.{{cite news |last=Pelofsky |first=Jeremy |date=January 7, 2010 |title=Factbox: Actions Obama ordered after December 25 bomb plot |publisher=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6065ZB20100107 |access-date=2010-02-22}}

In 2012, United States attorney general Eric Holder granted the NCTC the authority to collect, store, and analyze extensive data collections on U.S. citizens compiled from governmental and non-governmental sources for suspicious behavior through pattern analysis and to share the databases with foreign states. The effort has drawn controversy for its pre-crime effort, which has been likened to the Information Awareness Office and its proposed mass surveillance.{{cite news |last=Angwin |first=Julia |author-link=Julia Angwin |date=December 12, 2012 |title=U.S. Terrorism Agency to Tap a Vast Database of Citizens |newspaper=WSJ |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324478304578171623040640006}}{{cite news |last=Zetter |first=Kim |date=December 13, 2012 |title=Attorney General Secretly Granted Gov. Ability to Develop and Store Dossiers on Innocent Americans |newspaper=WIRED |url=https://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/12/gov-dossiers-on-us-citizens/}}{{cite news |last=Kelley |first=Michael |date=Dec 13, 2012 |title=CONFIRMED: US Counterterrorism Agency Can Amass Data On Any Citizen |newspaper=Business Insider |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/confirmed-us-counterterrorism-agency-collect-170500003.html}}{{cite news |last=Hill |first=Kashmir |date=December 14, 2012 |title=The Little Known Spy Agency That Knows Your Flight Plans And Much More |newspaper=Forbes |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/12/14/the-little-known-spy-agency-that-knows-your-flight-plans-and-much-more/}}

In August 2019, The Daily Beast reported that the NCTC had begun to work on counterintelligence to combat domestic terrorism.{{Cite news |last=Woodruff |first=Betsy |date=2019-08-07 |title=Post-9/11 Intel Center Goes After Domestic Terror |language=en |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/national-counterterrorism-center-set-up-after-911-now-going-after-domestic-terrorism |access-date=2019-08-07}}

The center analyzes terrorism intelligence including potential domestic threat intelligence; monitors communications internationally and domestically for potential threats; generates actionable information to potentially prevent criminal acts domestically; stores terrorism information; supports U.S. counterterrorism activities using information technology (IT); and plans counter-terrorism activities as directed by the president of the United States, the National Security Council, and the Homeland Security Council.

It provides terrorism information to the intelligence community; makes detailed lists of terrorists, terrorist groups, and worldwide terrorist incidents; supports the response to terrorist incidents in the United States and worldwide; and writes assessments and briefings for policymakers.

The NCTC has access to various databases, including those from the NSA and the CIA, and is in charge of the Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment (TIDE) database.DeYoung Karen (January 7, 2010). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/06/AR2010010605158.html "After attempted airline bombing, effectiveness of intelligence reforms questioned"]. The Washington Post. It also operates the publicly accessible Worldwide Incidents Tracking System database.

The NCTC's Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment (TIDE) database contains more than 1.2 million identities of people who are known to be terrorists, suspected of it, or linked to people who are.

Source:{{cite web |title=Acting Director NCTC |url=https://www.dni.gov/index.php/nctc-who-we-are/director-nctc |website=National Counterterrorism Center |publisher=Office of the Director of National Intelligence |access-date=August 13, 2020 |language=en}}

• John O. Brennan (Interim) (August 27, 2004 – August 1, 2005)
• Vice Admiral (Ret.) John Scott Redd (August 1, 2005 – November 10, 2007)
• Michael E. Leiter (Acting) (November 10, 2007 – June 12, 2008)
• Michael E. Leiter (June 12, 2008 – July 8, 2011)
• Matthew G. Olsen (August 16, 2011 – July 2014)
• Nicholas Rasmussen (December 18, 2014 – December 24, 2017){{cite web|title=Acting Director of NCTC Nicholas J. Rasmussen|url=http://www.nctc.gov/director.html|website=National Counterterrorism Center|access-date=19 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170120000329/https://www.nctc.gov/director.html|archive-date=20 January 2017|url-status=dead}}
• Russell Travers (acting) (December 24, 2017 – December 27, 2018)
• Joseph Maguire (December 27, 2018 – August 15, 2019)
• Russell Travers (acting) (August 16, 2019 – March 18, 2020)
• Lora Shiao (acting) (April 3, 2020 – August 10, 2020){{Cite press release |title=Acting DNI Grenell Names New NCTC Leadership |date=March 23, 2020 |publisher=Office of the Director of National Intelligence |url=https://www.dni.gov/index.php/newsroom/press-releases/item/2107-acting-dni-grenell-names-new-nctc-leadership |access-date=November 10, 2020 |archive-date=January 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220118150114/https://www.dni.gov/index.php/newsroom/press-releases/item/2107-acting-dni-grenell-names-new-nctc-leadership |url-status=dead }}
• Christopher C. Miller (August 10, 2020 – November 9, 2020){{cite web |title=DNI Ratcliffe Welcomes Chris Miller as NCTC Director |url=https://www.dni.gov/index.php/newsroom/press-releases/item/2138-dni-ratcliffe-welcomes-chris-miller-as-nctc-director |website=Office of the Director of National Intelligence |access-date=August 13, 2020 |archive-date=August 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200810212714/https://www.dni.gov/index.php/newsroom/press-releases/item/2138-dni-ratcliffe-welcomes-chris-miller-as-nctc-director |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |title=Director NCTC |url=https://www.dni.gov/index.php/nctc-who-we-are/director-nctc |website=National Counterterrorism Center |publisher=Office of the Director of National Intelligence |access-date=August 17, 2020 |language=en}}
• Steve Vanech (acting) (November 10, 2020 – June 29, 2021)
• Christine Abizaid (June 29, 2021 – July 5, 2024)
• Brett Holmgren (acting) (July 5, 2024 – January 20, 2025)
• Don Holstead (acting) (January 20, 2025 – Present)

• Arthur M. Cummings (2004–05)
• Kevin R. Brock (2005–07)
• Michael E. Leiter (2007–08)
• Geoff O'Connell (2008–2011)
• Andrew Liepman (2011–2012)
• Nicholas J. Rasmussen (2012–2014)
• L. Joseph Camilleri (2016–2017)
• John J. Mulligan
• Lora Shiao (April 3, 2020 – October 2020)
• Steve Vanech (acting) (November 10, 2020 – March 2024)
• Don Holstead (March 2024 – Present)

• Director of Central Intelligence Directive
• Counterterrorism Center
• Information Sharing Environment
• Disposition Matrix
• Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre – a similar body in the UK

{{Reflist|30em}}

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• [https://web.archive.org/web/20170311084731/https://www.nctc.gov/ NCTC Website]
• [http://www.dni.gov/ Office of the Director of National Intelligence Website]
• [http://www.nctc.gov/press_room/press_releases/02_feb_2007.html NCTC News Story on Appointment of Michael Leiter and retirement of Kevin Brock]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20051129180743/http://www.fbi.gov/page2/aug05/nctc082905.htm News about new NCTC on FBI website]
• [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6210090.stm BBC News article with internal photograph]
• [https://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2012/12/12/a-comparison-of-the-2008-and-2012-nctc-guidelines/ A Comparison of the 2008 and 2012 NCTC Guidelines], WSJ

{{National Counterterrorism Center Directors}}

{{Intelligence agencies of USA}}

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Category:Counterterrorist organizations

Category:United States intelligence agencies

Category:2003 establishments in the United States

Category:Buildings and structures in Fairfax County, Virginia

Category:Counterterrorism in the United States

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