National Security Division (NSD)

The National Security Division (NSD) was created by the reauthorization of the USA PATRIOT Act in March 2006, and formally began operations on October 2, 2006. The NSD consolidated the Office of Intelligence Policy and Review (OIPR, now the Office of Intelligence, or OI) and the Counterterrorism and Counterespionage Sections of the Criminal Division. The Division’s core mission is to coordinate the Department’s efforts to combat terrorism and protect national security. The NSD is responsible for assisting the Attorney General and other senior Department and Executive Branch officials in ensuring that the national security-related activities of the U.S. are consistent with relevant law, overseeing terrorism investigations and prosecutions, handling counterespionage cases and matters, obtaining court authorization for the collection of foreign intelligence under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), and conducting oversight of intelligence agency compliance with certain national security legal requirements. FOIA Reference Guide FOIA Regulations