50 U.S.C. § 3027 — National Intelligence Council

(a) National Intelligence^* Council^* There is a National Intelligence Council.

(b) Composition
(1) The National Intelligence Council is composed of senior analysts within the intelligence community^* and substantive experts from the public and private sector, who is appointed by, report to, and serve at the pleasure of, the Director of National Intelligence.
(2) The Director must prescribe appropriate security requirements for personnel appointed from the private sector as a condition of service on the Council, or as contractors of the Council or employees of such contractors, to ensure the protection of intelligence sources and methods while avoiding, wherever possible, unduly intrusive requirements which the Director considers to be unnecessary for this purpose.

(c) Duties and responsibilities
(1) The National Intelligence Council must— (A) produce national intelligence estimates for the United States Government, including alternative views held by elements of the intelligence community and other information as specified in paragraph (2);
(B) evaluate community-wide collection and production of intelligence by the intelligence community and the requirements and resources of such collection and production; and
(C) otherwise assist the Director of National Intelligence in carrying out the responsibilities of the Director under section 3024 of this title .
(2) The Director of National Intelligence must ensure that the Council satisfies the needs of policymakers and other consumers of intelligence.

(d) Service as senior intelligence advisers Within their respective areas of expertise and under the direction of the Director of National Intelligence, the members of the National Intelligence Council must constitute the senior intelligence advisers of the intelligence community for representing the views of the intelligence community within the United States Government.

(e) Authority to contract Subject to the direction and control of the Director of National Intelligence, the National Intelligence Council can carry out its responsibilities under this section by contract, including contracts for substantive experts necessary to assist the Council with particular assessments under this section.

(f) Staff The Director of National Intelligence must make available to the National Intelligence Council such staff as can be necessary to permit the Council to carry out its responsibilities under this section.

(g) Availability of Council and staff
(1) The Director of National Intelligence must take appropriate measures to ensure that the National Intelligence Council and its staff satisfy the needs of policymaking officials and other consumers of intelligence.
(2) The Council is readily accessible to policymaking officials and other appropriate individuals not otherwise associated with the intelligence community.

(h) Support The heads of the elements of the intelligence community must, as appropriate, furnish such support to the National Intelligence Council, including the preparation of intelligence analyses, as can be required by the Director of National Intelligence.
(i) National Intelligence Council product for this section, the term “National Intelligence Council product” includes a National Intelligence Estimate and any other intelligence community assessment that sets forth the judgment of the intelligence community as a whole on a matter covered by such product.