The Deputy General Counsel (for Intelligence), (DGC(I)), serves as the principal legal advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security (OUSD(I&S)) and the Office of the USD(I&S).  In addition, the DGC(I) serves as the principal advisory attorney to the General Counsel and Principal Deputy General Counsel and other Deputy General Counsels for legal advice and services in the broad areas of intelligence (including clandestine operations, covert action, information operations, computer network operations, counter narcotics operations, intelligence policy, counterintelligence policy, intelligence oversight, and intelligence sharing) and security (including personnel and information security, physical security, industrial security, and security classification policy).

The DGC(I) has primary responsibility to provide legal advice and services relating to those matters to principals and principal assistants within the offices of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, the DoD Chief Information Officer, and the Director, DoD Special Access Program Central Office, as well as the DoD Senior Intelligence Oversight Official, for matters within their respective jurisdictions.  The DGC(I) serves as the primary DoD representative for Intelligence Community Interagency Lawyers group matters.  In addition, the DGC(I) personally provides legal advice and support to the General Counsel with respect to Intelligence, Special Access Programs, and the Special Access Programs Oversight Committee.  The DGC(I) also serves as the supervisor for the General Counsels of the Defense Intelligence Agency, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, National Reconnaissance Office, and Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency.