50 U.S.C. § 3027

(a) National Intelligence Council There is a National Intelligence Council. (b) Composition (1) The National Intelligence Council shall be composed of senior analysts within the intelligence community and substantive experts from the public and private sector, who shall be appointed by, report to, and serve at the pleasure of, the Director of National Intelligence. (2) The Director shall 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 shall— (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 shall 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 shall constitute the senior intelligence advisers of the intelligence community for purposes of 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 may 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 shall make available to the National Intelligence Council such staff as may 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 shall 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 shall be 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 shall, as appropriate, furnish such support to the National Intelligence Council, including the preparation of intelligence analyses, as may be required by the Director of National Intelligence. (i) National Intelligence Council product For purposes of 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.