Publication

No intelligence authorization legislation was passed in the United States between December 2004 and October 2010. This report aims to see what effects this absence of legislation had. It also reviews the impact of the 2010 Intelligence Authorization Act. It suggests that even without such legislation, intelligence activities continue to be carried out and intelligence systems continue to be approved. However, it also argues that this lack of legislation could lead to congressional oversight of intelligence activities and, arguably, implications for the nation’s intelligence effort as a whole.