# Name the 16 spy agencies! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 21, 2007, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-16-spy-agencies/393087 "2007-02-21T14:14:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2007, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-16-spy-agencies/393087/1 "2007-02-21T14:14:50Z")
Did you know the US has 16 spy agencies? I certainly didn’t until this morning. So here’s the question of the hour: how many can you name? I guessed about half of them correctly. Some, it turns out, I had never even heard of. So, ready, set, play! Top prize is a field assignment in Peshawar, and the undying thanks of a grateful nation! ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2007, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-16-spy-agencies/393087/2 "2007-02-21T14:31:36Z")
FBI CIA National Security Agency Section 31 Obsidian Order ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2007, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-16-spy-agencies/393087/3 "2007-02-21T14:35:25Z")
NRO Do the individual military intelligence organisations count? ---
**Author:** ![brownie55](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f14d63/32.png) [@brownie55](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brownie55)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2007, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-16-spy-agencies/393087/4 "2007-02-21T14:39:46Z")
NSA to add to the others. Is NDIC on the list? ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@Winston\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Smith)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2007, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-16-spy-agencies/393087/5 "2007-02-21T14:44:45Z")
Illuminati Masons NRA ---
**Author:** ![Sal\_Ammoniac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@Sal\_Ammoniac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sal_Ammoniac)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2007, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-16-spy-agencies/393087/6 "2007-02-21T14:45:30Z")
[QUOTE=Struan] Do the individual military intelligence organisations count? [/QUOTE] That’s for me to know and you to find out. Or in other words, “yes.” ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2007, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-16-spy-agencies/393087/7 "2007-02-21T14:50:25Z")
FBI CIA NSA DIA NIS NRO That’s all I can think of ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2007, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-16-spy-agencies/393087/8 "2007-02-21T15:02:06Z")
Add NGA. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2007, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-16-spy-agencies/393087/9 "2007-02-21T15:12:12Z")
Spies-R-Us I can’t Believe it’s Intelligence Starbucks ---
**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2007, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-16-spy-agencies/393087/10 "2007-02-21T15:45:18Z")
I’m sorry citizen. That information is not available at your security clearance. Why are you asking about restricted information? Are you sure this isn’t part of a Commie Mutant Traitor plot? ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2007, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-16-spy-agencies/393087/11 "2007-02-21T15:52:55Z")
[Office of Naval Intelligence](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_Naval_Intelligence) Upon further review, it appears that Wikipedia lists all 16 here: > **[United States Intelligence Community](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Intelligence_Community)** > > The United States Intelligence Community (IC) is a group of separate United States government intelligence agencies and subordinate organizations that work both separately and collectively to conduct intelligence activities which support the foreign policy and national security interests of the United States. Member organizations of the IC include intelligence agencies, military intelligence, and civilian intelligence and analysis offices within federal executive departments. > The IC is overse... ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2007, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-16-spy-agencies/393087/12 "2007-02-21T15:54:45Z")
The PTA WCTU Homeland Security ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2007, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-16-spy-agencies/393087/13 "2007-02-21T15:57:29Z")
Oh, boy. Hmmm… DNI CIA DIA NSA NGA FBI Army Navy Air Force Marines Treasury State Energy NRO DEA? Coast Guard That’s my stab. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2007, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-16-spy-agencies/393087/14 "2007-02-21T16:39:57Z")
Disney Starbucks Walmart NASCAR Girl Scouts ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2007, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-16-spy-agencies/393087/15 "2007-02-21T16:42:50Z")
Haliburton Springshield Microsoft ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2007, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-16-spy-agencies/393087/16 "2007-02-21T16:43:26Z")
Psi Corps. They’re everywhere. For your convenience. ---
**Author:** ![stolichnaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bcef8e/32.png) [@stolichnaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stolichnaya)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2007, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-16-spy-agencies/393087/17 "2007-02-21T16:44:53Z")
You’re forgetting CTU. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2007, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-16-spy-agencies/393087/18 "2007-02-21T16:47:49Z")
[QUOTE=UncleRojelio] Upon further review, it appears that Wikipedia lists all 16 here: > **[United States Intelligence Community](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Intelligence_Community)** > > The United States Intelligence Community (IC) is a group of U.S. federal government intelligence agencies and subordinate organizations that work to conduct intelligence activities which support the foreign policy and national security interests of the United States. Member organizations of the IC include intelligence agencies, military intelligence, and civilian intelligence and analysis offices within federal executive departments. The IC is overseen by the Office of the Director of National... [/QUOTE] Pfft. Look at the history for that article – it was clearly started by some moron. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2007, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-16-spy-agencies/393087/19 "2007-02-21T16:57:31Z")
[QUOTE=friedo] Pfft. Look at the history for that article – it was clearly started by some moron. [/QUOTE] I’ve always said, “If it’s on the internet, it must be true”. Now I can say, “If it’s on the internet it must be true, and if it was written by freido, even better” ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2007, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-16-spy-agencies/393087/20 "2007-02-21T17:42:08Z")
Office of making up Shit to start Pointless wars (OSP) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-the-16-spy-agencies/393087.md?page=2)