United States intelligence has taken place all throughout history, dating all the way back to the earliest days of the very first President, George Washington. Intelligence is an essential tool used by the federal government to maintain command and control, as well as providing protective measures to ensure the safety of society today. However, central intelligence was not implemented on a government-wide basis until the conclusion of World War II. With the passing of the National Security Act of 1947 by former President Harry S. Truman, the Central Intelligence Agency was established. Nearly 60 years later, the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, called for a dividing line between central and national intelligence. As a result, the primary mission of the Central Intelligence Agency underwent minor alterations. Today, the overall mission of the CIA is to act as an independent US Government agency responsible for providing national security intelligence to senior US policymakers (CIA, 2011). Hidden beneath the mission, also lies the core values that every sworn CIA member pledges to uphold, which are: service, integrity and excellence. Service is at the forefront where the individual must place the country and agency before their own personal desires. Integrity is the backbone of the organization in which the agency upholds the highest standards of conduct, and honors those who have served before them, and those who are currently serving as their colleagues. Lastly, excellence is the devotion of the individual to condemn themselves to holding the highest standard, as well as motivating their peers to do the same, by learning from their mistakes and prospering from their successes (CIA, 2011). There are many more aspects to the Central Intelligence Agency, besides those that the general public is subjected to through rumors and the media. With such covert and important information that must remain secluded from society, the CIA is faced with maintaining excellent command and control, from the highest position to the lowest position, using administrative techniques commonly utilized by even the smallest law enforcement agency. In today’s CIA, the complexity, vertical and horizontal, of the organization seems endless, due to the numerous components of the CIA. Not to mention, the countless sub-components of those components. Seeing how the CIA not only extends its differentiation of functions through the major components (horizontal), but also displays a substantial of amount of differentiation through all of the positions encompassed by those components (vertical) (Champion, 2003, p.80). The four basic components of the CIA are: 1. The Directorate of Intelligence 2. The National Clandestine Service 3. The Directorate of Science and Technology 4. The Directorate of Support
These four components are charged with upholding the mission, values, and vision of the Central Intelligence Agency. Tasked with anticipating and quickly assessing international developments, and both positive and negative impacts on US policies, is the Directorate of Intelligence. Being able to identify potential threats is at the forefront of this component. With the advancement in technology, threats can be transmitted faster, from farther away and even without warning; however, it is the sole responsibility of DI analysts to identify and halt those threats (CIA, 2011). The National Clandestine Service vows to strengthen both national security and foreign policy through the utilization of human intelligence and covert operations. Faced with collecting, processing, and analyzing information, the Directorate of Science and Technology employs highly advanced technology to ensure the accuracy of information discovered (CIA, 2011). Although the previous three components sound as though they hold equivalent importance, the fourth and final component of the Central Intelligence Agency stands above them all. The Directorate of Support provides all logistical requirements needed for conducting successful operations. Responsible for initiating key support functions ranging from communications, security, and supply chains, to financial and medical services so that operations can run smoothly (CIA, 2011).
In order to maintain successful management of the agency, one must appoint an extremely qualified individual to disseminate orders effectively and in a timely manner. The mastermind behind all operations on the administrative side lays the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, David H. Petraeus (CIA, 2011). Faced with such a daunting task of heading one of the most covert and important agencies of our nation, Petraeus cannot manage the entire organization alone. Although the number of personnel residing within the CIA remains publicly disclosed, under Petraeus’ direct supervision lie the Deputy Director, Associate Deputy Director, and the Chief of Staff, which is comprised of various individuals (CIA, 2011).
Petraeus, joined by his general staff of elite individuals, are charged with coordinating tasks for the multiple offices of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA, 2011). As one can see from the table positioned below, it is clear that it would be impossible for a single individual to control all the functions within the CIA. As a result, the CIA has made a change, from its earliest establishment, to decentralize the organization as a whole. Decentralization is the act of distributing the responsibilities of the top management position to some of the lower management individuals, either of the same headquarters or of a local office (Champion, 2003, p. 83). One might also realize that the CIA’s span of control, or the number of persons or departments under the direct control of a supervisor or individual department, directly reflects the use of decentralization within the agency as a whole (Champion, 2003, p.84).

CIA Organizational Chart. Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/about-cia/leadership/cia-organization-chart.html

As a result, communication, accountability, interpersonal relations as well as productivity, are most likely to improve substantially. Organizational control is among one of the most important organizational variables when referring to a law enforcement agency, due to the fact that without proper guidance, the tasks that are assigned are most likely to fail.
Prior to September 11, 2001, the government did not comprehend the need of adaptation to catastrophic situations, if one should arise. That day will always remain as a reminder of how unprepared the United States government was to foreign attacks. Following the tragic incident, former President George W. Bush called for change within the intelligence agencies responsible for the safety of our nation’s borders, and requested that all information should be shared between federal agencies in order to aide in the upholding of those responsibilities. With this mandate, the flexibility of the CIA organization exceedingly improved, simply meaning the ability of the organization to adapt to ever-changing conditions, internal or external, such as the change in hierarchy of authority, or even the use of advancing technology created to inflict physical or emotional pain to others (Champion, 2003, p.86). After achieving desired flexibility, the CIA has one tool in its arsenal that helps provide global services to those that seek it: technology. Technology is the most important contribution the successful service that the Central Intelligence Agency provides. Similar to the number of personnel, the annual budget allocated to the CIA remains disclosed for obvious reasons, however, according to the CIA website, the combined budget for all intelligence-related activities was $26.6 billion in fiscal year 1997 (CIA, 2011). Although the CIA is but one part of all intelligence utilized by the federal government, one can imagine that a substantial amount of money was awarded to aid research and services conducted by several CIA components.
Although the Central Intelligence Agency has multiple aspects which are outstanding, no agency in the world is perfect. There will always be need for improvement, no matter how much change is made, due to the fast-changing environment. The following, however, are opinionated suggestions that could improve the overall organizational effectiveness of the CIA. According to the CIA website, one credential that many agencies are looking for is the ability of an individual to speak fluently in a foreign language. Well instead of categorizing this credential as “recommended,” label it as a requirement, since the need for multilingual individuals has been a growing concern, dealing with the influx of immigrants and operating overseas. Another suggestion is to have members familiarize themselves with the latest U.S. Supreme Court decisions and the matter of evidence presented in those trials. Throughout the years, convicting criminals has been much easier than apprehending them. One final suggestion is for the CIA to work more closely with other agencies to promote greater interagency information exchanges concerning criminals. With these improvements, the Central Intelligence Agency can not only apprehend some of the most dangerous criminals, but as well as improve the organization as a whole by motivating members to be a proud part of the organization and maintaining excellent command and control.

Works Cited
Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/index.html.
Champion, J. (2003). Administration of criminal justice: Structure, function, and process. Upper Saddler River, New Jersey: Pearson Education.
CIA Organizational Chart. Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/about-cia/leadership/cia organization-chart.html.