Which organization is responsible for managing human intelligence?

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is the organization primarily responsible for managing human intelligence, commonly referred to as HUMINT. HUMINT involves gathering information through interpersonal contact, such as through interviews, espionage, and other forms of direct engagement with individuals. The CIA conducts operations to collect valuable intelligence from human sources, making it the key agency in this area.

The CIA also plays a crucial role in analyzing and interpreting the information collected from these human sources, which helps inform decision-making at various levels of government, including national security and foreign policy. Its specialized training, operational capabilities, and legal authorities are geared toward effectively managing and utilizing human intelligence assets.

In contrast, while the Intelligence Community encompasses a broader network of agencies that includes the CIA, as well as other entities like the NSA, the primary focus of these organizations may not be exclusively on HUMINT. Each agency within the Intelligence Community has different functions and areas of expertise, which may include signals intelligence (SIGINT), geospatial intelligence (GEOINT), and measurement and signature intelligence (MASINT), in addition to human intelligence. Thus, the specific responsibility for HUMINT management is rightly attributed to the CIA.