Federal Bureau of Investigation

Abstract

Abstract The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States Department of Justice is one of the United States' principal investigative and law enforcement agencies. Its assigned missions and responsibilities in counterintelligence and counterterrorism makes it a member of the U.S. intelligence community. Its number one priority is to protect the Nation from terrorist attacks. The FBI is the lead agency for assessing and investigating weapons of mass destruction (WMD) threats and incidents, coordinating investigations among agencies, and managing the law enforcement and investigative response to an incident. The FBI's capabilities to combat the threat of WMD include: the FBI Laboratory Division with increasing forensic capabilities and its extensive network of Federal and State laboratories for analysis of WMD materials; the WMD Directorate within the National Security Branch, which coordinates all FBI responses to WMD threats; the FBI's Directorate of Intelligence, whose intelligence analysts within the WMD Directorate collect, analyze, and disseminate intelligence related to the WMD threat; and the FBI's partnerships with domestic and international law enforcement and intelligence agencies. The FBI plays a critical role in the U.S.'s prevention and response to biodefense, a critical component of WMD.