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By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and laws of the United States of 

America, including section 103(c)(8) of the National Security Act of 1947, as amended (Act), 

and to protect the security of the United States through strengthened intelligence analysis and 

strategic planning and intelligence support to operations to counter transnational terrorist threats 

against the territory, people, and interests of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered 

as follows: 

Section 1. Policy 

(a) To the maximum extent consistent with applicable law, agencies shall give the highest 

priority to 

(i) the detection, prevention, disruption, preemption, and mitigation of the effects of 

transnational terrorist activities against the territory, people, and interests of the 

United States of America, 

(ii) the interchange of terrorism information among agencies, 

(iii) the interchange of terrorism information between agencies and appropriate 

authorities of States and local governments, and 

(iv) the protection of the ability of agencies to acquire additional such information. 

(b) Agencies shall protect the freedom, information privacy, and other legal rights of 

Americans in the conduct of activities implementing section 1(a) of this order. 

Section 2. Establishment of National Counterterrorism Center. 

(a) There is hereby established a National Counterterrorism Center (Center). 

(b) A Director of the Center shall supervise the Center. 

(c) The Director of the Center shall be appointed by the Director of Central Intelligence with 

the approval of the President. 

(d) The Director of Central Intelligence shall have authority, direction, and control over the 

Center and the Director of the Center. 

Section 3. Functions of the Center. 

The Center shall have the following functions: 

(a) serve as the primary organization in the United States Government for analyzing and 

integrating all intelligence possessed or acquired by the United States Government 

pertaining to terrorism and counterterrorism, excepting purely domestic counterterrorism 

information. The Center may, consistent with applicable law, receive, retain, and 

Executive Order 13354

National Counterterrorism Center

27 August 2004
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disseminate information from any Federal, State, or local government, or other source 

necessary to fulfill its responsibilities concerning the policy set forth in section 1 of this 

order; and agencies authorized to conduct counterterrorism activities may query Center 

data for any information to assist in their respective responsibilities; 

(b) conduct strategic operational planning for counterterrorism activities, integrating all 

instruments of national power, including diplomatic, financial, military, intelligence, 

homeland security, and law enforcement activities within and among agencies; 

(c) assign operational responsibilities to lead agencies for counterterrorism activities that 

are consistent with applicable law and that support strategic plans to counter terrorism. 

The Center shall ensure that agencies have access to and receive intelligence needed 

to accomplish their assigned activities. The Center shall not direct the execution of 

operations. Agencies shall inform the National Security Council and the Homeland 

Security Council of any objections to designations and assignments made by the Center 

in the planning and coordination of counterterrorism activities; 

(d) serve as the central and shared knowledge bank on known and suspected terrorists and 

international terror groups, as well as their goals, strategies, capabilities, and networks 

of contacts and support; and 

(e) ensure that agencies, as appropriate, have access to and receive allsource intelligence 

support needed to execute their counterterrorism plans or perform independent, 

alternative analysis. 

Section 4. Duties of the Director of Central Intelligence. 

The Director of Central Intelligence shall: 

(a) exercise the authority available by law to the Director of Central Intelligence to 

implement this order, including, as appropriate, the authority set forth in section 

102(e)(2)(H) of the Act; 

(b) report to the President on the implementation of this order, within 120 days after the date 

of this order and thereafter not less often than annually, including an assessment by the 

Director of Central Intelligence of: 

(1) the effectiveness of the United States in implementing the policy set forth in 

section 1 of this order, to the extent execution of that policy is within the 

responsibilities of the Director of Central Intelligence; 

(2) the effectiveness of the Center in the implementation of the policy set forth in 

section 1 of this order, to the extent execution of that policy is within the 

responsibilities of the Director of Central Intelligence; and 

(3) the cooperation of the heads of agencies in the implementation of this order; and 

(c) ensure the performance of all-source intelligence analysis that, among other qualities, 

routinely considers and presents alternative analytical views to the President, the Vice 

President in the performance of executive functions, and other officials of the executive 

branch as appropriate. 
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Section 5. Duties of the Director of the Center. 

In implementing the policy set forth in section 1 of this order and ensuring that the Center 

effectively performs the functions set forth in section 3 of this order, the Director 

of the Center shall: 

(a) access, as deemed necessary by the Director of the Center for the performance of the 

Centerís functions, information to which the Director of the Center is granted access by 

section 6 of this order; 

(b) correlate, analyze, evaluate, integrate, and produce reports on terrorism information; 

(c) disseminate transnational terrorism information, including current terrorism threat 

analysis, to the President, the Vice President in the performance of Executive functions, 

the Secretaries of State, Defense, and Homeland Security, the Attorney General, the 

Director of Central Intelligence, and other officials of the executive branch as 

appropriate; 

(d) support the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Justice, and other 

appropriate agencies, in fulfillment of their responsibility to disseminate terrorism 

information, consistent with applicable law, Executive Orders and other Presidential 

guidance, to State and local government officials, and other entities, and coordinate 

dissemination of terrorism information to foreign governments when approved by the 

Director of Central Intelligence; 

(e) establish both within the Center, and between the Center and agencies, information 

systems and architectures for the effective access to and integration, dissemination, and 

use of terrorism information from whatever sources derived; 

(f) undertake, as soon as the Director of Central Intelligence determines it to be practicable, 

all functions assigned to the Terrorist Threat Integration Center; 

(g) consistent with priorities approved by the President, assist the Director of Central 

Intelligence in establishing requirements for the Intelligence Community for the collection 

of terrorism information, to include ensuring military force protection requirements are 

met; 

(h) under the direction of the Director of Central Intelligence, and in consultation with heads 

of agencies with organizations in the Intelligence Community, identify, coordinate, and 

prioritize counterterrorism intelligence requirements for the Intelligence Community; and 

(i) identify, together with relevant agencies, specific counterterrorism planning efforts to be 

initiated or accelerated to protect the national security. 

Section 6. Duties of the Heads of Agencies. 

(a) To implement the policy set forth in section 1 of this order: 
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(i) the head of each agency that possesses or acquires terrorism information: 

(A) shall promptly give access to such information to the Director of the 

Center, unless prohibited by law (such as section 103(c)(7) of the Act or 

Executive Order 12958, as amended) or otherwise directed by the 

President; 

(B) shall cooperate in and facilitate the production of reports based on 

terrorism information with contents and formats that permit 

dissemination that maximizes the utility of the information in protecting 

the territory, people, and interests of the United States; and 

(C) shall cooperate with the Director of Central Intelligence in the 

preparation of the report to the President required by section 4 of this 

order; and 

(ii) the head of each agency that conducts diplomatic, financial, military, homeland 

security, intelligence, or law enforcement activities relating to counterterrorism 

shall keep the Director of the Center fully and currently informed of such 

activities, unless prohibited by law (such as section 103(c)(7) of the Act or 

Executive Order 12958, as amended) or otherwise directed by the President. 

(b) The head of each agency shall, consistent with applicable law, make available to the 

Director of the Center such personnel, funding, and other resources as the Director of 

Central Intelligence, after consultation with the head of the agency and with the approval 

of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, may request. In order to ensure 

maximum information sharing consistent with applicable law, each agency 

representative to the Center, unless otherwise specified by the Director of Central 

Intelligence, shall operate under the authorities of the representativeís agency. 

Section 7. Definitions. 

As used in this order: 

(a) the term "agency" has the meaning set forth for the term "executive agency" in section 

105 of title 5, United States Code, together with the Department of Homeland Security, 

but includes the Postal Rate Commission and the United States Postal Service and 

excludes the Government Accountability Office; 

(b) the term "Intelligence Community" has the meaning set forth for that term in section 

3.4(f) of Executive Order 12333 of December 4, 1981, as amended; 

(c) the terms "local government", "State", and, when used in a geographical sense, "United 

States" have the meanings set forth for those terms in section 2 of the Homeland 

Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 101); and 

(d) the term "terrorism information" means all information, whether collected, produced, or 

distributed by intelligence, law enforcement, military, homeland security, or other United 

States Government activities, relating to 
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(i) the existence, organization, capabilities, plans, intentions, vulnerabilities, means 

of finance or material support, or activities of foreign or international terrorist 

groups or individuals, or of domestic groups or individuals involved in 

transnational terrorism; 

(ii) threats posed by such groups or individuals to the United States, United States 

persons, or United States interests, or to those of other nations; 

(iii) communications of or by such groups or individuals; or 

(iv) information relating to groups or individuals reasonably believed to be assisting 

or associated with such groups or individuals. 

Section 8. General Provisions. 

(a) This order: 

(i) shall be implemented in a manner consistent with applicable law, including 

Federal law protecting the information privacy and other legal rights of 

Americans, and subject to the availability of appropriations; 

(ii) shall be implemented in a manner consistent with the authority of the principal 

officers of agencies as heads of their respective agencies, including under 

section 199 of the Revised Statutes (22 U.S.C. 2651), section 201 of the 

Department of Energy Reorganization Act (42 U.S.C. 7131), section 102(a) of the 

Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 112(a)), and sections 301 of title 5, 

113(b) and 162(b) of title 10, 503 of title 28, and 301(b) of title 31, United States 

Code; and 

(iii) shall not be construed to impair or otherwise affect the functions of the Director of 

the Office of Management and Budget relating to budget, administrative, and 

legislative proposals. 

(b) This order and amendments made by this order are intended only to improve the internal 

management of the Federal Government and are not intended to, and do not, create any 

rights or benefits, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by a party 

against the United States, its departments, agencies, instrumentalities, or entities, its 

officers, employees, or agents, or any other person. 

George W. Bush 

THE WHITE HOUSE, 

August 27, 2004.