The Directorate of Mission Systems (DMS), the Agency’s newest directorate, powers integrated intelligence so that artificial intelligence, data, applications, infrastructure, and cybersecurity operate as a single mission system. DMS ensures that CIA has the most advanced and resilient technology foundation possible, providing teams the tools, techniques, and infrastructure they need to operate in a modern, connected world and still be clandestine. From AI and data to IT infrastructure to cybersecurity, DMS officers are armed with the expertise needed to ensure CIA continues to operate at the cutting edge.
We are the Directorate of Mission Systems
We are the Directorate of Mission Systems.
We are transforming America’s intelligence capabilities for the digital age.
We discover cutting-edge solutions to cyber threats and vulnerabilities.
We are the explorers and experimenters who never accept the status quo.
From Data Scientists, Project Managers, IT Engineers, and everything in between, we push boundaries and shape tomorrow’s digital solutions.
We are revolutionizing digital technology throughout the entire Agency, to help keep our nation safe.
We are the Directorate of Mission Systems.
Our Mission and Priorities
To maintain our strategic advantage across all domains, CIA must win in the digital domain against our most capable adversaries. DDI’s Digital Strategy emphasizes integration, agility, and innovation to accelerate the development and deployment of digital capabilities across all aspects of CIA’s mission, to ensure CIA remains the forerunner in the global struggle for digital intelligence supremacy. Our strategy focuses on five key pillars.
- Drive data-driven decision-making
- Scale global IT presence
- Defend Agency data and networks
- Integrate cutting-edge AI technologies
- Equip the CIA workforce with innovative technologies and access to our data
What We Do
DMS officers are at the forefront of the complex and continuously evolving technological landscape. They must be experts in the technology environment of today as well as change agents for the CIA, anticipating and preparing for over-the-horizon technology trends of the future. DMS brings together the expertise and functions of IT, data, artificial intelligence, and cyber defense. The alignment and integration of these elements allows the Agency to have the most advanced and resilient technology foundation possible.
Through their daily work and continuous training, DMS officers and our partners bring and continue to develop the expertise needed to keep pace with evolving and rapid advancements in technology. DMS supports teams and groups both locally and all over the world. Though DMS is one directorate, it is part of a broader team of officers and individuals across the CIA, the Intelligence Community, industry, and academia focused on delivering the best in technology and tradecraft.
History
Technological change is happening at breakneck speed, and it is woven into just about every major national security challenge. The intelligence profession is quickly evolving, with the volume of data growing exponentially and artificial intelligence changing how information is collected, analyzed, and acted upon. CIA revolutionized our approach to technology and created DMS in June 2026 as a fundamental part of this transformation. DMS’s predecessor organization, the Directorate of Digital Innovation (DDI), was created in October 2015 to effectively optimize and leverage the power of digital technologies. The future of intelligence is data-driven and AI-enabled, and DMS exists to drive technology to fuel CIA’s mission and securely deliver the most decisive intelligence to protect our Nation.
DMS brings together IT, data, artificial intelligence, and cyber defense to harness their power for the Agency in a way that was never possible before they were streamlined and sharpened as elements of an integrated team. The Directorate also houses the Agency’s Chief Technology Officer, Chief Information Officer, and Chief Data and Artificial Intelligence Officer, uniting these functions to deliver integrated intelligence faster and with more precision than ever before.
Careers
DMS serves as CIA’s technical engine of creativity and integration necessary in today’s digital age. DMS ensures that our culture, tradecraft, and knowledge management practices meet the challenges and opportunities of a rapidly changing world. DMS officers arm the Agency with forward-thinking techniques and tools to create mission advantage everywhere the CIA operates. They work as a team within CIA, as well as across the Intelligence Community, industry, and academia to proactively deliver the best in technology and tradecraft.
DMS is filled with innovators and implementers across many professions, leveraging emerging technologies. With such a wide range of needs, DMS prioritizes a culture of continuous learning and growth throughout each officers’ entire careers to ensure our officers stay agile and adapt throughout their careers.