The Central Intelligence Agency CIA was formed during World War II to coordinate espionage activities against the Axis Powers for the branches of the United States Armed Forces. The National Security Act of 1947 established the CIA affording it "no police or law enforcement functions either at home or abroad".
The CIA is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States Government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence with responsibility for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers. Intelligence gathering is performed by non-military commissioned civilian intelligence agents many of whom are trained to avoid tactical situations. The CIA also oversees and sometimes engages in tactical and covert activities at the request of the President of the United States.
