The National Intelligence Department, also known as the National Institute of Defense and commonly abbreviated to simply NID, is a civilian branch of the United States Government, which often comes into conflict with Stargate Command. The precise origins of the NID are classified, however, it is likely that the organization was created sometime shortly after the famous Roswell Crash of 1947. The purpose of the NID is to provide civilian oversight of top-secret military operations, most frequently those pertaining to UFOs or other extra terrestrial phenomena. This has led to their involvement in the Stargate program from early on; they are also present at Area 51, where the alien technology retrieved by Stargate Command is stored and studied.