This is part two of two in the Federal Agency power rankings, where you will get to see the top five and some honorable mentions. Here they are:
5) FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation)
EST: 1908
Employees: 35,664
Budget: 8.3 Billion USD
What they do: Protect the United States from threats foreign and domestic. They protect against everything from terrorism to public corruption and civil rights. They are essentially the United States Police Department.
Why: Arguably the most recognizable agency on the list, the FBI is similar to the US Marshalls in that they have a hand in almost all federal law enforcement. However their size allows them to take center stage in many federal cases.
EST: 1924
Employees: 60,000+
Budget: 13.6 Billion USD
What they do: They protect the United States from dangerous goods and people from entering the country. They also promote and maintain legitimate trade between countries. Their main responsibility is the US-Mexico border, however they also are stationed along both coasts and the US-Canada border.
Why: These agents are on the front lines of the violence that results in drug trafficking, primarily in the south. They are responsive for keeping the lucrative drug trade to a minimum, a fight that is often more dangerous than the ones in Afghanistan and Iraq. They have one of the most dangerous jobs a federal agent can have.
Source: CBP
3) CIA (Central Intelligence Agency)
EST: 1947
Employees: Not open to the public
Budget: Not open to the public
What they do: To uncover and protect against foreign threats to the United States by gathering intelligence and using covert operations authorized by the President. They also keep the deep national secrets that are vital to national security.
Why: While there always is a cloud of speculation on what the CIA actually does (I.E. aliens in Area 51 or assassinating political targets around the world) they are the ones abroad that keep us safe at their own expense. They have to live their whole life quietly and as someone they are not. While there are controversies surrounding some of the ethical tactics used in interrogating suspected terrorists, they are great at what they do. We may not know what they really do, but the fact that there has only been one major attack on the USA since it's inception shows that they are active in fighting terrorism to the highest levels. They also have that reputation that if you are a suspected terrorist you win an all expenses paid trip to Guantanamo Bay detention camp for an indefinite amount of time. Scary stuff.
Source: CIA
2) DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency)
EST: 1973
Employees: 5,000
Budget: 2.02 Billion
What they do: They are responsible for carrying out any illegal drug related laws of the United States. That involves the seizure of any drugs and taking the lead in any crimes that have ties with illicit drugs in them.
Why: I personally strive to be a DEA agent somewhere down the road in my life. I think the war on drugs is one of the hardest to fight, especially with cartel violence coming north of the border. I also think it would be very interesting to learn in depth about how the cartels work and why they are so successful at what they do. Plus Hank from Breaking Bad earns them some bonus points.
Before we unveil the number one, here are some that didn't make the cut:
NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service)
US Park Rangers-Law Enforcement
USMP (United States Mint Police)
Federal Reserve Police
1) NSA (National Security Agency)
EST: 1952
Employees: According to Deputy Director John C. Inglis "somewhere between 37,000 and one billion." Lets go with somewhere between 30,000-40,000.
Budget: Not open to the public (However the Washington Post reported that both the NSA and CIA requested military spending budgets of well over ten billion dollars each.)
What they do: To be honest the official NSA website is pretty vague. It says they specialize in Cryptology to support the nation and its allies. However it is a relatively well known fact that they spy of people using technology.
Why: While this agency is often seen as the least ethical of the bunch, specifically because they have access to every phone call, email, google search you do every day. They could be very well reading this blog right now. The information is stored in a large facility in Utah for safekeeping, however it is enough to bother people. The NSA is numero uno on this list because they have the most covert and intelligence power out of all the agencies in my opinion. Plus they are always watching what you do (allegedly), but it is done in the name of protection of our country, which I am okay with.
While all these agencies have different jobs and reputations, they all have one common goal. To protect and defend the United States from threats foreign and domestic, by whatever means necessary (and legal hopefully). Every single agent takes an oath to do so and for the vast majority of the time do a great job. So hopefully after reading this you get an insight on what they do and why. If you thought my list was good, horrible, or somewhere in-between feel free to comment your thoughts.
Employees: 60,000+
Budget: 13.6 Billion USD
What they do: They protect the United States from dangerous goods and people from entering the country. They also promote and maintain legitimate trade between countries. Their main responsibility is the US-Mexico border, however they also are stationed along both coasts and the US-Canada border.
Why: These agents are on the front lines of the violence that results in drug trafficking, primarily in the south. They are responsive for keeping the lucrative drug trade to a minimum, a fight that is often more dangerous than the ones in Afghanistan and Iraq. They have one of the most dangerous jobs a federal agent can have.
Source: CBP
3) CIA (Central Intelligence Agency)
EST: 1947
Employees: Not open to the public
Budget: Not open to the public
What they do: To uncover and protect against foreign threats to the United States by gathering intelligence and using covert operations authorized by the President. They also keep the deep national secrets that are vital to national security.
Why: While there always is a cloud of speculation on what the CIA actually does (I.E. aliens in Area 51 or assassinating political targets around the world) they are the ones abroad that keep us safe at their own expense. They have to live their whole life quietly and as someone they are not. While there are controversies surrounding some of the ethical tactics used in interrogating suspected terrorists, they are great at what they do. We may not know what they really do, but the fact that there has only been one major attack on the USA since it's inception shows that they are active in fighting terrorism to the highest levels. They also have that reputation that if you are a suspected terrorist you win an all expenses paid trip to Guantanamo Bay detention camp for an indefinite amount of time. Scary stuff.
Source: CIA
2) DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency)
EST: 1973
Employees: 5,000
Budget: 2.02 Billion
What they do: They are responsible for carrying out any illegal drug related laws of the United States. That involves the seizure of any drugs and taking the lead in any crimes that have ties with illicit drugs in them.
Why: I personally strive to be a DEA agent somewhere down the road in my life. I think the war on drugs is one of the hardest to fight, especially with cartel violence coming north of the border. I also think it would be very interesting to learn in depth about how the cartels work and why they are so successful at what they do. Plus Hank from Breaking Bad earns them some bonus points.
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| Image Credit: KKCB |
Before we unveil the number one, here are some that didn't make the cut:
NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service)
US Park Rangers-Law Enforcement
USMP (United States Mint Police)
Federal Reserve Police
1) NSA (National Security Agency)
EST: 1952
Employees: According to Deputy Director John C. Inglis "somewhere between 37,000 and one billion." Lets go with somewhere between 30,000-40,000.
Budget: Not open to the public (However the Washington Post reported that both the NSA and CIA requested military spending budgets of well over ten billion dollars each.)
What they do: To be honest the official NSA website is pretty vague. It says they specialize in Cryptology to support the nation and its allies. However it is a relatively well known fact that they spy of people using technology.
Why: While this agency is often seen as the least ethical of the bunch, specifically because they have access to every phone call, email, google search you do every day. They could be very well reading this blog right now. The information is stored in a large facility in Utah for safekeeping, however it is enough to bother people. The NSA is numero uno on this list because they have the most covert and intelligence power out of all the agencies in my opinion. Plus they are always watching what you do (allegedly), but it is done in the name of protection of our country, which I am okay with.
While all these agencies have different jobs and reputations, they all have one common goal. To protect and defend the United States from threats foreign and domestic, by whatever means necessary (and legal hopefully). Every single agent takes an oath to do so and for the vast majority of the time do a great job. So hopefully after reading this you get an insight on what they do and why. If you thought my list was good, horrible, or somewhere in-between feel free to comment your thoughts.
Great topic! It's kinda of crazy to think the DEA has more power than the FBI and the CIA.
ReplyDeleteThanks! These rankings are not strictly factual in the amount of power they have, but I thought that with drugs being a huge part of American law enforcement they have a hand in a lot.
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