Which 1947 act created the Department of Defense and the CIA and reorganized U.S. national security institutions?

• A. The War Powers Act
• B. The National Security Reform Act
• C. The National Security Act of 1947
• D. The Central Intelligence Agency Establishment Act

Answer: (C)

The act that reorganized U.S. national security and created both the Department of Defense and the Central Intelligence Agency is the National Security Act of 1947. This law fundamentally restructured how the United States organized its military and intelligence communities to meet the postwar and Cold War realities. It created the Department of Defense by merging the War Department and Navy Department under a single Secretary of Defense, establishing the Air Force as a separate service within the new DoD, and creating the Joint Chiefs of Staff to coordinate among the services. It also established the National Security Council to advise the president on security policy and created the Central Intelligence Agency to unify foreign intelligence gathering and analysis. These moves consolidated civilian leadership over the military and integrated intelligence with defense planning, reflecting a shift from the older, more fragmented structure.

The other options don’t fit this combination: one is about limiting presidential war powers, another is not the 1947 act that reorganized the system, and one is not a real act that established the CIA.