WASHINGTON — The nation's spy chief would not identify what CIA interrogators are allowed to do in getting information from terror suspects but tried Sunday to assure critics that torture is not condoned or used.

National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell, in a rare broadcast interview, defended a new order from President Bush that broadly outlines the limits of how suspects may be questioned in the CIA's terror-interrogation program.

The executive order bans torture, cruel and inhumane treatment, sexual abuse, acts intended to denigrate a religion, and other degradation "beyond the bounds of human decency." It pledges that detainees will receive adequate food, water and medical care and be protected from extreme heat and cold.

It does not, however, say what techniques are permitted during harsh questioning of suspects, a matter of debate in the United States and elsewhere.

McConnell would not elaborate.

"If I announce what the specific measures are, it would aid those who want to resist those measures," he said. "So I won't be too specific."

When asked if the permissible techniques would be troubling to the American people if the enemy used them against a U.S. citizen, McConnell said: "I would not want a U.S. citizen to go through the process. But it is not torture, and there would be no permanent damage to that citizen."

Bush's order is intended, in part, to quell international criticism of some of the CIA's most debated work.

In the past, CIA methods are believed to have included sleep deprivation and disorientation, exposing prisoners to cold or heat for long periods, stress positions and a simulated drowning technique known as waterboarding.

Without getting specific, Bush's homeland-security adviser, Frances Fragos Townsend, said some techniques used earlier are no longer allowed.

"It's a different program going forward today, that's correct," she said.

Human-rights groups have decried the CIA's methods and said the agency's techniques have eroded the United States' reputation.

McConnell spoke on NBC's "Meet the Press." Townsend spoke on "Fox News Sunday" and CNN's "Late Edition."