Bureau of Intelligence and Research

For other uses, see INR (disambiguation).
Bureau of Intelligence and Research
Seal of the Bureau
Bureau overview
FormedOctober 1, 1945; 79 years ago (1945-10-01)
Preceding agencies
  • Interim Research and Intelligence Service
  • Research and Analysis Branch, Office of Strategic Services
JurisdictionExecutive branch of the United States
Employees310[citation needed]
Annual budgetUS$59M[citation needed]
Bureau executive
Parent departmentDepartment of State
Websitestate.gov/bureau-of-intelligence-and-research

The Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) is an intelligence agency in the United States Department of State.[1] Its central mission is to provide all-source intelligence and analysis in support of U.S. diplomacy and foreign policy.[2] INR is the oldest civilian element of the U.S. Intelligence Community and among the smallest, with roughly 300 personnel.[3] Though lacking the resources and technology of other U.S. intelligence agencies,[4] it is "one of the most highly regarded" for the quality of its work.[5][6][7]

INR is descended from the Research and Analysis Branch (R&A) of the World War II-era Office of Strategic Services (OSS), which was tasked with identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the Axis powers.[8] Widely recognized as the most valuable component of the OSS,[9] upon its dissolution in 1945, R&A assets and personnel were transferred to the State Department, forming the Office of Intelligence Research.[8] INR was reorganized into its current form in 1947.[7]

In addition to supporting the policies and initiatives of the State Department, INR contributes to the President's Daily Briefings (PDB) and serves as the federal government's primary source of foreign public opinion research and analysis.[10] INR is primarily analytical and does not engage in counterintelligence or espionage, instead utilizing intelligence collected by other agencies, Foreign Service reports and open-source materials, such as news media and academic publications.[11][7] INR reviews and publishes nearly two million reports and produces about 3,500 intelligence assessments annually.[citation needed]

The INR is headed by the Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research reporting directly to the Secretary of State and serves as the secretary's primary intelligence advisor.[12] In March 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Brett Holmgren to lead INR.[13]

  1. ^ "Bureau of Intelligence and Research". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
  2. ^ "Bureau of Intelligence and Research". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  3. ^ Intelligence, Office of the Director of National. "Dept. of State Bureau of Intelligence and Research". www.intelligence.gov. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
  4. ^ Jehl, Douglas (2004-07-19). "THE REACH OF WAR: INTELLIGENCE; Tiny Agency's Iraq Analysis Is Better Than Big Rivals'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-08-22.
  5. ^ Loch K. Johnson, National Security Intelligence: Secret Operations in Defense of Democracies (Cambridge, UK: Polity Press, 2012), 18; Justin Rood, "Analyze This," Washington Monthly Jan-Feb. 2005, and Hank Hogan, "Agency Spotlight: State Department Bureau of Intelligence & Research Analysis with Diplomacy in Mind," Homeland Security Today 12 August 201
  6. ^ "State Dept. intel 'doing more outside of the SCIF' with open-source data". Federal News Network. 2020-04-23. Retrieved 2020-12-08.
  7. ^ a b c Matthews, Dylan (2024-05-28). "Why the State Department's intelligence agency may be the best in DC". Vox. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
  8. ^ a b "The Office of Strategic Services: Research and Analysis Branch". cia.gov. CIA. Archived from the original on 29 April 2017. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  9. ^ "OSS Legacy". www.soc.mil. Retrieved 2020-12-08.
  10. ^ "About Us – Bureau of Intelligence and Research". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2020-12-01.
  11. ^ "Questions Pondered by State Department Intelligence in Recently Declassified Reports from the 1960s | Wilson Center". www.wilsoncenter.org. Retrieved 2020-12-08.
  12. ^ "President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Personnel to Key Administration Posts". whitehouse.gov. Retrieved 13 June 2018 – via National Archives.
  13. ^ "President Biden Announces his Intent to Nominate Key Members for the Department of State". The White House. 2021-03-26. Retrieved 2021-04-23.