Departments, Agencies, and Organizations

During this topic you learned about the important roles that different federal departments and agencies play in U.S. foreign policy. The Department of State is the main foreign policy agency of the U.S. The Department of Defense is responsible for supervising the U.S. military, including the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and the National Guard. The CIA serves as an intelligence organization and performs covert activities to advance foreign policy goals. The heads of these departments and agencies sit on the National Security Council with the President and other important government officials, where important matters of foreign policy and national security are discussed.

You learned about the United Nations and its six principal organs: the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the International Court of Justice, the Trusteeship Council, and the Secretariat. The UN serves different roles in the international community, but its primary focus is to maintain international peace and security.

You also learned how the global economy and foreign policy influence each other. The pursuit of free trade has led America to sign many free trade agreements and join important international economic organizations like the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank.