The 9/11 Commission recommended centralized oversight of how many U.S. intelligence agencies?

• A. 15
• B. 12
• C. 8
• D. 20

Answer: (A)

Centralized oversight aims to unify leadership across the intelligence community to prevent silos and ensure better coordination and information sharing. The 9/11 Commission argued that the system was too fragmented and needed a single point of leadership to align priorities, streamline the budget, and improve national security response. To achieve that, it recommended creating a Director of National Intelligence who would oversee all U.S. intelligence agencies and components. In the Commission’s framework, this oversight covered fifteen major agencies and components of the Intelligence Community. That’s why the number fifteen is the best answer. Other counts don’t reflect the scope the Commission described for the centralized oversight reform.