GRC-Global Response Center; a watch center within CIA where overseas operations are monitored.

HPSCI-House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

HVD-High-value detainee.

INA-Iraqi National Accord; an Iraqi political party founded in 1991 to provide opposition to the Saddam Hussein regime.

INC-Iraqi National Congress; an umbrella organization of Iraqi opposition groups set up in the early 1990s under the leadership of Ahmed Chalabi.

In-Q-Tel-A nonprofit organization, funded by CIA, to seek information technology solutions to the Agency's most critical needs.

INR-The Bureau of Intelligence and Research; a member of the intelligence community. A small organization within the Department of State providing intelligence a.n.a.lysis.

IRGC-Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Formed in 1979 as a military force loyal to the Ayatollah Khomeini, the IRGC has become a large military organization focused on special operations.

ISG-Iraq Survey Group; a unit established in Iraq in 2003 to investigate whether Iraq had WMD stockpiles and programs.

JI-Jemaah Islamiya; a Southeast Asian Islamic militant group with close ties to al-Qa'ida.

JSOC-Joint Special Operations Command; a U.S. military organization charged with planning special operations missions.

KDP-Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iraq. One of the two major Iraqi Kurdish political parties, the KDP was founded in the 1940s and is led by Ma.s.soud Barzani, an influential Kurdish politician.

KGB-Soviet "Committee for State Security"; the Soviet Union's premier intelligence service and CIA's main rival during the cold war.

MOIS-Ministry of Information and Security; Iranian intelligence service.

Mossad-Israeli Inst.i.tute for Intelligence and Special Operations; counterpart to CIA in Israel.

NALT-Northern Afghanistan Liaison Team; small CIA units deployed to Northern Afghanistan both before and after 9/11 to coordinate with members of the Afghan Northern Alliance.

NCTC-National Counterterrorist Center; established in August 2004 to serve as the primary organization in the U.S. government for integrating and a.n.a.lyzing all intelligence pertaining to terrorism and counterterrorism and to conduct strategic operational planning.

NGA-National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency; provides exploitation and a.n.a.lysis of imagery and geospatial information to describe, a.s.sess, and visually depict physical features and geographically referenced activities on Earth. (Formerly the National Imagery and Mapping Agency).

NIC-National Intelligence Council; the intelligence community's center for mid-term to long-term strategic thinking.

NIE-National Intelligence Estimate. Produced by the NIC, the NIE is the intelligence community's most authoritative written judgment concerning national security issues. It contain the coordinated judgments of the intelligence community regarding the likely course of future events.

NILE-Northern Iraq Liaison Element; small CIA teams that operated in Northern Iraq prior to the start of the 2003 war.

NIMA-National Imagery and Mapping Agency. (See NGA NGA.)

Northern Alliance-Also known as the United Islamic Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan; an umbrella organization of Mujahideen who fought the communist and later Taliban governments in Afghanistan.

NSA-National Security Agency; U.S. cryptologic organization; coordinates, directs, and performs highly specialized activities to protect U.S. government information systems and produce foreign signals intelligence information.

NSC-National Security Council; the president's princ.i.p.al forum for considering national security and foreign policy matters with his senior national security advisors and Cabinet officials. The NSC also serves as the president's princ.i.p.al arm for coordinating these policies among various government agencies.

ORHA-Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian a.s.sistance in Iraq. Established just prior to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, ORHA was replaced by CPA.

OVP-Office of the Vice President.

PC-Princ.i.p.als Committee; NSC committee made up of the national security advisor, secretaries of State and Defense, DCI, etc. In the Bush administration, the vice president also attended.

PDB-President's Daily Brief; compilation of intelligence presented to the president each day.

Predator-Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) used for surveillance and, post-9/11, capable of delivering h.e.l.lfire missiles on targets.

PUK-Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. One of the two major Iraqi Kurdish political parties, the PUK was founded in the 1970s and is led by Jalal Talabani, an influential Kurdish politician and the current president of Iraq.

Red Cell-A group of CIA a.n.a.lysts established immediately following 9/11 to provide "out-of-the-box" and contrarian a.n.a.lysis.

Rendition-The practice of moving terrorists and other criminals from one foreign country to another, where they may be wanted by law enforcement officials, and interrogated.