Command Palette

Search for a command to run...

Defense Intelligence Agency

Intelligence

Pentagon agency created in 1961 to provide unified military intelligence and manage defense attaché offices

The DIA collects and analyzes foreign military capabilities for U.S. commanders. It coordinates human intelligence operations worldwide and produces strategic assessments for policymakers.12345

Established on 1 October 1961 after Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara accepted the Joint Chiefs of Staff plan for a unified military intelligence body, the Agency replaced separate service intelligence branches that had produced costly, conflicting estimates.2 Lieutenant General Joseph F. Carroll—formerly deputy director of the FBI—became the first director and oversaw the phased transfer of analytic and attaché functions to the new headquarters while the Cold War crisis over Berlin and, soon after, the Cuban Missile Crisis, proved the need for an integrated defense-wide intelligence center.2

  Structural Evolution and Milestones

During the 1970s manpower reductions forced reorganization around core directorates of Production, Operations, Resources, and External Affairs. The Goldwater–Nichols Act of 1986 formally designated the Agency a combat-support organization, accelerating collaboration with combatant commands and leading to the creation of the National Military Joint Intelligence Center.

In 1995 DIA assumed management of Measurement and Signature Intelligence for the entire Intelligence Community, and today it also operates the Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System and is developing the Machine-Assisted Analytic Rapid-Repository System (MARS) to supersede the legacy MIDB database.34

    Directors

From Carroll to the current director, Lieutenant General Scott Berrier, successive leaders have expanded analytic tradecraft, clandestine collection and technical sensing capabilities. Notable tenures include James Clapper (1991-1995), who prioritised digital modernisation after DESERT STORM, and Michael Maples (2005-2009), who integrated counter-terrorism analysis with deployed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.23

  Signature Programs and Projects

Program/ProjectDescriptionReference
Defense Clandestine ServiceUnifies Department of Defense HUMINT case-officer efforts under DIA management, complementing CIA operations in austere environments.3
Missile and Space Intelligence Center & National Center for Medical IntelligenceThe Missile and Space Intelligence Center in Huntsville provides global missile threat analysis, while the National Center for Medical Intelligence at Fort Detrick tracks bioscience and pandemic indicators for combatant commanders.4
Soviet Military Power Reports (1981–1991)Annual reports authored by DIA analysts shaped NATO force-posture debates and showcased Agency open-source and technical analytic depth.4

  Contemporary Posture

Headquartered at Joint Base Anacostia–Bolling, Washington, D.C., the Agency employs roughly 16,500 civilian and military personnel, maintains more than 140 Defense Attaché Offices, and provides all-source intelligence to U.S. and allied decision-makers across every combatant command. Its stated mission is to "provide intelligence on foreign militaries to prevent and decisively win wars," and its vision is to "illuminate opportunities to enable the United States to outpace strategic competition."13

  References

  1. intelligencecareers.gov ↩ ↩2

  2. irp.fas.org ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  3. intelligence.gov ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  4. archive.org ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  5. en.wikipedia.org ↩

Published on October 1, 1961

3 min read