§3026 Deputy Directors of National Intelligence

Summary

The President must appoint a Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence and the Senate must confirm that person. If the job is empty, the Director of National Intelligence will recommend someone to the President. Nominees must have strong national security and management experience. The Principal Deputy cannot hold another job in the intelligence community while serving. The Principal Deputy helps the Director and steps in with the Director’s powers if the Director is absent, disabled, or the job is vacant. The Director of National Intelligence can appoint up to four other Deputy Directors. The Director gives them their duties or the law can set duties. Of the two top jobs (Director and Principal Deputy), no more than one person may be an active commissioned officer in the military. Congress thinks it is usually good for one of those two people to be either an active officer or someone with military intelligence experience. A military officer in one of those jobs is not under the Secretary of Defense’s control while serving, does not get extra authority over Defense personnel just because they are an officer (unless the law allows it), and their military rank and benefits stay the same. An active-duty officer in one of those jobs keeps receiving military pay and allowances, does not get the civilian pay for the job, and the Director of National Intelligence must reimburse the military for that pay from DNI funds.