Homeland Security: Office of Intelligence and Analysis Should Improve Strategic Oversight of Intelligence Enterprise
Fast Facts
The Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis leads the department’s “Intelligence Enterprise”—which includes relevant offices within DHS components such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Federal Protective Service.
The office performs strategic oversight and helps ensure DHS components coordinate their intelligence and related activities.
But we found that the office hasn’t consistently completed some of its oversight tasks. For example, it didn’t finish an Intelligence Enterprise budget until 2024, even though it had been required by policy since 2013. Our recommendations address this and other issues.
Department of Homeland Security building sign
Highlights
What GAO Found
The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) has four primary strategic oversight requirements based in statute and policy: develop (1) an annual consolidated budget proposal, (2) an annual intelligence priorities framework, (3) enterprise program reviews and submit an evaluation report annually to the DHS Secretary, and (4) intelligence training for enterprise staff.
Although these have been policy requirements since 2013, GAO found that I&A has not consistently completed them due to a lack of leadership focus. For example, I&A had not fulfilled its requirement to propose a consolidated budget for the Intelligence Enterprise until fiscal year 2025. Developing and implementing procedures to develop a consolidated budget would help I&A complete this annual requirement. In turn, this would help ensure components are budgeting the necessary resources to share intelligence on threats.
GAO found that I&A addressed six of eight leading collaboration practices. For example, I&A ensured accountability for enterprise-wide activities by establishing performance standards to evaluate collaboration.
Status of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) Actions to Collaborate with the DHS Intelligence Enterprise that Address Leading Practices
However, I&A has partially addressed two of eight practices. For instance, with respect to the leading practice of leveraging resources and information, GAO found that at the time of its review, I&A lacked a process to identify experts in relevant components to coordinate on reviews of intelligence products. According to I&A and component analysts this has caused errors in products. In June 2025, I&A finalized a coordination list of experts, but it is too soon to tell if it is working as intended. Fully implementing this process could help I&A ensure its product reviews are more robust and avoid publishing inaccurate or incomplete information.
Why GAO Did This Study
Violent extremists and adversarial nation-states pose a complex set of threats to the U.S. Addressing these threats requires coordinated intelligence sharing across the DHS Intelligence Enterprise—the primary method to integrate DHS's intelligence programs. Led by I&A, it includes the intelligence offices of nine other DHS components. Internal DHS reviews have proposed enhancements to I&A's oversight and coordination roles for the enterprise.
GAO was asked to review issues related to I&A's oversight of the DHS Intelligence Enterprise. This report addresses the extent to which I&A is (1) conducting its required strategic oversight, and (2) addressing leading practices in its required collaboration with the DHS Intelligence Enterprise.
GAO reviewed DHS policies for I&A's strategic oversight requirements and enterprise collaboration efforts. GAO interviewed management officials from all enterprise components. GAO conducted discussion groups with analysts in three components and three I&A analytic centers that collaborate most frequently with I&A on intelligence products. Finally, GAO compared I&A efforts to leading collaboration practices.
Recommendations
GAO is making seven recommendations to DHS, including that I&A develop and implement procedures to complete its required strategic oversight activities. DHS concurred with the recommendations.
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Homeland Security | The Secretary of Homeland Security should ensure the Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis develops and implements procedures with milestones and time frames for the annually required DHS Intelligence Enterprise consolidated budget. (Recommendation 1) |
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| Department of Homeland Security | The Secretary of Homeland Security should ensure the Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis develops and implements procedures with milestones and time frames for the annually required DHS Intelligence Enterprise intelligence priorities framework. (Recommendation 2) |
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| Department of Homeland Security | The Secretary of Homeland Security should ensure the Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis develops and implements procedures with milestones and time frames for the required program reviews of the DHS Intelligence Enterprise and associated annually required report. (Recommendation 3) |
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| Department of Homeland Security | The Secretary of Homeland Security should ensure the Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis develops and documents a plan with milestones and time frames to finalize its Intelligence Enterprise training study and implement any recommendations, as appropriate. (Recommendation 4) |
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| Department of Homeland Security | The Secretary of Homeland Security should ensure the Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis, in coordination with the heads of DHS Intelligence Enterprise components, fully implements the required product coordination list and process for finished intelligence products. (Recommendation 5) |
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| Department of Homeland Security | The Secretary of Homeland Security should ensure the Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis updates and clarifies the policy definition of a Component Intelligence Program. (Recommendation 6) |
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
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| Department of Homeland Security | The Secretary of Homeland Security should ensure the Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis develops and documents procedures with milestones and time frames for periodically updating the list of Component Intelligence Programs. (Recommendation 7) |
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
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