Which of the following is NOT an example of an independent executive agency?

Which of the following is NOT an example of an independent executive agency?

• A. The Pentagon
• B. NASA
• C. Environmental Protection Agency
• D. Central Intelligence Agency

Answer: (A)

Independent executive agencies are parts of the executive branch that operate outside the main cabinet departments and have leaders who report directly to the President, giving them a degree of autonomy to pursue specific missions. The Pentagon is not one of these. It is the central component of the Department of Defense, a cabinet department led by a Secretary of Defense. Cabinet departments are the major line agencies in the executive branch, not independent agencies. NASA, the EPA, and the CIA fit the independent executive agency model because they function outside the traditional department structure and have leadership that reports directly to the President (within the broader oversight framework of the executive branch).

Independent executive agencies are parts of the executive branch that operate outside the main cabinet departments and have leaders who report directly to the President, giving them a degree of autonomy to pursue specific missions.

The Pentagon is not one of these. It is the central component of the Department of Defense, a cabinet department led by a Secretary of Defense. Cabinet departments are the major line agencies in the executive branch, not independent agencies.

NASA, the EPA, and the CIA fit the independent executive agency model because they function outside the traditional department structure and have leadership that reports directly to the President (within the broader oversight framework of the executive branch).