The NUMA Files is a series of novels by Clive Cussler that focuses on Kurt Austin, who leads the team of NUMA's Special Assignments division, and his partner Joe Zevala. The series is related to Cussler's Dirk Pitt series and even features some of the Pitt characters in the books, in small roles. The two series take place in the same universe (Dirk becomes director of NUMA in the later Dirk Pitt novels), they just have different main characters. The acronym NUMA, refers to the United States National Underwater and Marine Agency.