Authority and Oversight

The NVTC serves as an element of the United States Intelligence Community.

Congress in Section 907 of the USA Patriot Act of 2001, requested a report on the establishment of a National Virtual Translation Center (NVTC), and in response to Congress, in Section 313 of the Intelligence Authorization Act for FY 2003, the Director of Central Intelligence directed the creation of the NVTC and approved the Federal Bureau of Investigation as the Executive Agent.

While the FBI serves as the NVTC Executive Agent, the NVTC has authority to create operational and technical processes to accomplish its unique mission, with approval from the Director of National Intelligence (DNI).

H.R.3162
THE USA PATRIOT ACT OF 2001

SEC. 907. NATIONAL VIRTUAL TRANSLATION CENTER.

(a) REPORT ON ESTABLISHMENT-

(1) Not later than February 1, 2002, the Director of Central Intelligence shall, in consultation with the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report on the establishment and maintenance within the intelligence community of an element for purposes of providing timely and accurate translations of foreign intelligence for all other elements of the intelligence community. In the report, the element shall be referred to as the `National Virtual Translation Center'.

 

(2) The report on the element described in paragraph (1) shall discuss the use of stateof-the-art communications technology, the integration of existing translation capabilities in the intelligence community, and the utilization of remote-connection capacities so as to minimize the need for a central physical facility for the element.

 

(b) RESOURCES- The report on the element required by subsection (a) shall address the following:

(1) The assignment to the element of a staff of individuals possessing a broad range of linguistic and translation skills appropriate for the purposes of the element.

 

(2) The provision to the element of communications capabilities and systems that are commensurate with the most current and sophisticated communications capabilities and systems available to other elements of intelligence community.

 

(3) The assurance, to the maximum extent practicable, that the communications capabilities and systems provided to the element will be compatible with communications capabilities and systems utilized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in securing timely and accurate translations of foreign language materials for law enforcement investigations.

 

(4) The development of a communications infrastructure to ensure the efficient and secure use of the translation capabilities of the element.

 

(c) SECURE COMMUNICATIONS- The report shall include a discussion of the creation of secure electronic communications between the element described by subsection (a) and the other elements of the intelligence community.

(d) DEFINITIONS- In this section:

(1) FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE- The term `foreign intelligence' has the meaning given that term in section 3(2) of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 401a(2)).

 

(2) ELEMENT OF THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY- The term `element of the intelligence community' means any element of the intelligence community specified or designated under section 3(4) of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 401a(4)).

 

H.R.4628
Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003
(Enrolled as Agreed to or Passed by Both House and Senate)

SEC. 313. NATIONAL VIRTUAL TRANSLATION CENTER.

(a) ESTABLISHMENT- The Director of Central Intelligence, acting as the head of the intelligence community, shall establish in the intelligence community an element with the function of connecting the elements of the intelligence community engaged in the acquisition, storage, translation, or analysis of voice or data in digital form.

(b) DESIGNATION- The element established under subsection (a) shall be known as the National Virtual Translation Center.

(c) ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS-

(1) The Director shall retain direct supervision and control over the element established under subsection (a).

(2) The element established under subsection (a) shall connect elements of the intelligence community utilizing the most current available information technology that is applicable to the function of the element.

(d) DEADLINE FOR ESTABLISHMENT- The element required by subsection (a) shall be established as soon as practicable after the date of the enactment of this Act, but not later than 90 days after that date.

National Virtual Translation Center © 2012