Military intelligence​ is a military discipline that uses information collection and analysis ​approaches

to provide guidance and direction to assist ​commanders​ in ​their decisions​. This aim is achieved by
providing an ​assessment​ of data from a range of sources, directed towards the commanders'
mission requirements or responding to questions as part of operational or campaign planning. To
provide an analysis, the commander's information requirements are first identified, which are then
incorporated into intelligence collection, analysis, and dissemination.
Areas of study may include the operational environment, hostile, friendly and neutral forces, the
civilian population in an area of combat operations, and other broader areas of interest.​[1]
Intelligence activities are conducted at all levels, from tactical to strategic, in peacetime, the period of
transition to war, and during a war itself.
Most governments maintain a military intelligence capability to provide analytical and information
collection personnel in both specialist units and from other arms and services. The military and
civilian intelligence capabilities collaborate to inform the spectrum of political and military activities.
Personnel performing intelligence duties may be selected for their analytical abilities and personal
intelligence before receiving formal training.

Levels of intelligence​[​edit​]

Military intelligence diagram of defense positions during the ​Battle of Okinawa​, 1945

Intelligence operations are carried out throughout the hierarchy of political and military activity.

Strategic intelligence​[​edit​]
Strategic intelligence​ is concerned with broad issues such as economics, political assessments,
military capabilities and intentions of foreign nations (and, increasingly, ​non-state actors​).​[2]​ Such
intelligence may be scientific, technical, ​tactical​, diplomatic or ​sociological​, but these changes are
analyzed in combination with known facts about the area in question, such as ​geography​,
demographics​ and industrial capacities.

Operational intelligence​[​edit​]
Operational intelligence is focused on support or denial of intelligence at operational tiers. The
operational tier is below the strategic level of leadership and refers to the design of practical
manifestation.
The term ​operation intelligence​ is sometimes used to refer to intelligence that supports long-term
investigations into multiple, similar targets. Operational intelligence is concerned primarily with
identifying, targeting, detecting and intervening in criminal activity.

Tactical intelligence​[​edit​]
Tactical intelligence is focused on support to operations at the tactical level and would be attached to
the battlegroup. At the tactical level, briefings are delivered to patrols on current threats and
collection priorities. These patrols are then debriefed to elicit information for analysis and
communication through the reporting chain.​[​citation needed]​

The ​Federal Bureau of Investigation​ (​FBI​) is the domestic ​intelligence​ and ​security​ service of the
United States​, and its principal ​federal​ ​law enforcement agency​. Operating under the jurisdiction of
the ​United States Department of Justice​, the FBI is also a member of the ​U.S. Intelligence
Community​ and reports to both the ​Attorney General​ and the ​Director of National Intelligence​.[3]​
​ A
leading U.S. ​counter-terrorism​, ​counterintelligence​, and criminal investigative organization, the FBI
has ​jurisdiction​ over violations of more than 200 categories of ​federal crimes​.[4]​
​ [5]

Although many of the FBI's functions are unique, its activities in support of national security are
comparable to those of the British ​MI5​and the Russian ​FSB​. Unlike the ​Central Intelligence Agency
(CIA), which has no law enforcement authority and is focused on intelligence collection abroad, the
FBI is primarily a domestic agency, maintaining 56 ​field offices​ in major cities throughout the United
States, and more than 400 resident agencies in smaller cities and areas across the nation. At an FBI
field office, a senior-level FBI officer concurrently serves as the representative of the ​Director of
National Intelligence​.[6]​
​ [7]

Despite its domestic focus, the FBI also maintains a significant international footprint, operating 60
Legal Attache (LEGAT) offices and 15 sub-offices in ​U.S. embassies and consulates​ across the
globe. These foreign offices exist primarily for the purpose of coordination with foreign security
services and do not usually conduct unilateral operations in the host countries.​[8]​ The FBI can and
does at times carry out secret activities overseas,​[9]​ just as the CIA has a ​limited domestic function​;
these activities generally require coordination across government agencies.
The FBI was established in 1908 as the ​Bureau of Investigation​, the BOI or BI for short. Its name
was changed to the ​Federal​ Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 1935. The FBI headquarters is the ​J.
Edgar Hoover Building​, located in ​Washington, D.C.

CIA​[​edit​]
DIA and the ​Central Intelligence Agency​ (CIA) are distinct organizations with different functions. DIA
focuses on national level defense-military topics, while CIA is concentrated on broader, more
general intelligence needs of the President and ​Cabinet​. Additionally, due to DIA's designation as a
combat support agency​, it has special responsibilities in meeting intelligence requirements
specifically for the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Combatant Commanders,
both in peace and at war. Although there are misconceptions in the media and public about the
DIA–CIA rivalry, the two agencies have a mutually beneficial relationship and ​division of labor​.
According to a former senior U.S official who worked with both agencies, "the CIA doesn't want to be
looking for surface-to-air missiles in ​Libya​" while it is also tasked with evaluating the Syrian
opposition.​[7]​ CIA and DIA Operations Officers all go through the same type of clandestine training at
an ​interagency Defense installation​ under CIA administration, best known in popular culture by its
CIA nickname "The Farm".​[7]

DIA and the Military Services​[​edit​]

DIA is not a collective of all U.S. military intelligence units and the work it performs is not in lieu of
that falling under intelligence components of individual ​services​. Unlike the Russian ​GRU​, which
encompasses equivalents of nearly all joint U.S. military intelligence operations, DIA assists and
coordinates the activities of individual service-level intelligence units (i.e. ​25 AF​, ​INSCOM​, etc.), but
they nevertheless remain separate entities. As a general rule, DIA handles national-level, long term
and strategic intelligence needs, whereas service-level intelligence components handle tactical,
short-term goals pertinent to their respective services.​[15]​ DIA does, however, lead coordination
efforts with the military intelligence units and with the national DOD intelligence services (​NSA​, ​NGA​,
NRO​) in its role as chair of the Military Intelligence Board and through the co-located ​Joint
Functional Component Command for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance​.

The ​Secret Intelligence Service​ (​SIS​), commonly known as ​MI6​, is the ​foreign intelligence service
of the ​government​ of the ​United Kingdom​, tasked mainly with the covert overseas collection and
analysis of ​human intelligence​ (HUMINT) in support of the UK's national security. SIS is a member of
the country's intelligence community​ and its ​Chief​ is accountable to the country's ​Foreign
Secretary​.[4]
​

Formed in 1909 as a section of the ​Secret Service Bureau​ specialising in ​foreign intelligence​, the
section experienced dramatic growth during ​World War I​ and officially adopted its current name
around 1920.​[5]​ The name ​MI6​ (meaning ​Military Intelligence, Section 6​) originated as a flag of
convenience during ​World War II​, when SIS was known by many names. It is still commonly used
today.​[5]​ The existence of SIS was not officially acknowledged until 1994.​[6]​ That year the
Intelligence Services Act 1994​ (ISA) was introduced to Parliament, to place the organisation on a
statutory footing for the first time. It provides the legal basis for its operations. Today, SIS is subject
to public oversight by the ​Investigatory Powers Tribunal​ and the ​Parliamentary Intelligence and
Security Committee​.
The stated priority roles of SIS are ​counter-terrorism​, ​counter-proliferation​, providing intelligence in
support of ​cyber security​, and supporting stability overseas to disrupt terrorism and other criminal
activities.​[7]​ Unlike its main sister agencies, the ​Security Service​(MI5) and ​Government
Communications Headquarters​ (GCHQ), SIS works exclusively in foreign intelligence gathering; the
ISA allows it to carry out operations only against persons outside the ​British Islands​.[8]​
​ Some of SIS's
actions since the 2000s have attracted significant controversy, such as its alleged acts of ​torture​ and
extraordinary rendition​.[9]​
​ [10]

Since 1995, SIS has been headquartered in the ​SIS Building​ in ​London​, on the ​South Bank​ of the
River Thames​.

War on Terror​[​edit​]
During the ​Global War on Terror​, SIS accepted information from the CIA that was obtained through
torture​, including the ​extraordinary rendition​ programme. ​Craig Murray​, a UK ambassador to
Uzbekistan​, had written several memos critical of the UK's accepting this information; he was then
sacked from his job.​[51]

SIS members were present in Afghanistan during the ​2001 invasion​ following the ​September 11
attacks​; after members of the 22nd ​Special Air Service (SAS)​ Regiment returned to the UK in
mid-December 2001, members of both territorial SAS regiments remained in the country to provide
close protection to SIS members.​[52]

In the run-up to the ​invasion of Iraq in 2003​, it is alleged, although not confirmed, that some SIS
conducted ​Operation Mass Appeal​ which was a campaign to plant stories about Iraq's WMDs in the
media. The operation was exposed in ​The Sunday Times​ in December 2003.​[53]​[54]​ Claims by former
weapons inspector ​Scott Ritter​ suggest that similar propaganda campaigns against Iraq date back
well into the 1990s. Ritter says that SIS recruited him in 1997 to help with the propaganda effort.
"The aim was to convince the public that Iraq was a far greater threat than it actually was."​[55]
Towards the end of the invasion, SIS agents operating out of Baghdad international airport with
Special Air Service​ (SAS) protection, began to re-establish a station in Baghdad and began
gathering intelligence; in particular on WMDs, after it became clear that Iraq did not possess any
WMDs, MI6 had to officially withdraw pre-invasion intelligence about them. In the months after the
invasion, they also began gathering political intelligence; predicting what would happen in
post-Baathist Iraq. MI6 personnel in the country never exceed 50; in early 2004, apart from
supporting ​Task Force Black​ in hunting down former senior Ba'athist party members, MI6 also made
an effort to target "transnational terrorism"/jihadist network that led to the SAS carrying out Operation
Aston in February 2004: They conducted a raid on a house in Baghdad that was part of a 'jihadist
pipeline' that ran from Iran to Iraq that US and UK intelligence agencies were tracking suspects on –
the raid captured members of ​Pakistan based terrorist group​.[56]
​

Shortly before the ​Second Battle of Fallujah​, MI6 personnel visited ​JSOCs​ TSF (Temporary
Screening Facility) at ​Balad​ to question a suspected insurgent, afterwards they raised concern about
the poor detention conditions there and as a result the British government informed JSOC in Iraq
that prisoners captured by British special forces would only turn them over to JSOC if there was an
undertaking not to send them to Balad. In Spring 2005, the SAS detachment operating in Basra and
southern Iraq, known as Operation Hathor, escorted MI6 "case" officers into Basra so they could
meet their sources and handlers and MI6 provided information that enabled the detachment to
carryout surveillance operations. MI6 were also involved in resolving the ​Basra prison incident​; the
SIS played a central role in the British withdrawal from Basra in 2007.​[56]

In July 2011 it was reported that SIS has closed several of its stations in the past couple of years,
particularly in Iraq, where it used to have several outposts in the south of the country in the region of
Basra according to the annual report of the parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee. The
closures have allowed the service to focus its attention on Pakistan and Afghanistan, which are its
principal stations.​[57]​ On 12 July 2011, MI6 intelligence officers, along with other intelligence
agencies tracked 2 British-Afghans to a hotel in ​Herat​, Afghanistan who were discovered to be trying
to "establish contact" with the Taliban or al-Qaeda to learn bomb-making skills; operators from the
SAS arrested captured them and they are believed to be the first Britons to be captured alive in
Afghanistan since 2001.​[58]​[59]

In October 2013, SIS appealed for reinforcements and extra staff from other intelligence agencies
amid growing concern about a terrorist threat from Afghanistan and that the country will become an
"intelligence vacuum" after British troops withdraw at the end of 2014.​[60]

In March 2016, it was reported that MI6 had been involved in the ​Libyan Civil War​ since January of
that year, escorted by the ​SAS​, to meet with Libyan officials to discuss the supplying of weapons
and training for the Syrian Army and the militias fighting against ​ISIS​.[61]​
​ In April 2016, it was
revealed that MI6 teams with members of the ​Special Reconnaissance Regiment​ seconded to them
had been deployed to Yemen to train Yemeni forces fighting ​AQAP​, as well as identifying targets for
drone strikes.​[62]​ In November 2016, the ​Independent​ reported that MI6, MI5 and GCHQ supplied
the SAS and other British special forces- as part of a multinational special forces operation- a list
(compiled from intelligence) of 200 British jihadist to kill or capture before they attempt to return to
the UK. The 200 male and female jihadists are senior members of ISIS that pose a direct threat to
the UK; Sources said SAS soldiers have been told that the mission could be the most important in
the regiment's 75-year history.​[63]

Other activities​[​edit​]
On 6 May 2004 it was announced that Sir ​Richard Dearlove​ was to be replaced as head of SIS by
John Scarlett​, former chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee. Scarlett was an unusually
high-profile appointment to the job, and gave evidence at the ​Hutton Inquiry​.[64]
​

SIS has been active in the ​Balkans​, playing a vital role in hunting down people wanted by the
International War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague​. British intelligence operations in the Balkans are
thought to have played a vital role in the handover of the former Yugoslav president ​Slobodan
Milošević​ to The Hague; SIS has also been heavily involved in the hunt for ​Radovan Karadžić​ and
General ​Ratko Mladic​, who are linked to a vast range of war crimes including the murder of
Srebrenica's surrendering male population and organising the ​Siege of Sarajevo​.[65]
​

On 27 September 2004, it was reported that British spies across the Balkans, including a SIS was
chief officer in ​Belgrade​ and another spy in ​Sarajevo​, were moved or forced to withdraw after they
were publicly identified in a number of media reports planted by disgruntled local intelligence
services – particularly in Croatia and Serbia. A third individual was branded a British spy in the
Balkans and left the office of the High Representative in Bosnia, whilst a further two British
intelligence officers working in ​Zagreb​, remained in place despite their cover being blown in the local
press. The exposure of the agents across the three capitals has markedly undermined the British
intelligence operations in the area, including SIS efforts to capture The Hague's most wanted men,
which riled many local intelligence agencies in the Balkans, some of which are suspected of
continuing ties to alleged war criminals. They were riled due to MI6 operating "not so much a spy
network as a network of influence within Balkan security services and the media," said the director of
the International Crisis Group in Serbia and Bosnia, which caused some of them to be "upset". In
Serbia, the SIS station chief was forced to leave his post August 2004 after a campaign against him
led by country's DB intelligence agency, where his work investigating the ​2003 assassination​ of the
reformist prime minister ​Zoran Djindjic​ won him few friends.​[65]

On 15 November 2006, SIS allowed an interview with current operations officers for the first time.
The interview was on the ​Colin Murray​ show​ on ​BBC Radio 1​. The two officers (one male and one
female) had their voices disguised for security reasons. The officers compared their real experience
with the fictional portrayal of SIS in the ​James Bond films​. While denying that there ever existed a
"​licence to kill​" and reiterating that SIS operated under British law, the officers confirmed that there is
a '​Q​'-like figure who is head of the technology department, and that their director is referred to as 'C'.
The officers described the lifestyle as quite glamorous and very varied, with plenty of overseas travel
and adventure, and described their role primarily as intelligence gatherers, developing relationships
with potential sources.​[66]
Sir ​John Sawers​ became head of the SIS in November 2009, the first outsider to head SIS in more
than 40 years. Sawers came from the Diplomatic Service, previously having been the ​British
Permanent Representative to the United Nations​.[67]
​

On 7 June 2011, John Sawers received Romania's President ​Traian Băsescu​ and George-Cristian
Malor, the head of the Serviciul Roman de Informatii (SRI) at SIS headquarters.​[68]

Five years before the ​Libyan Civil War​, a ​UK Special Forces​ unit was formed called E Squadron
which was composed of selected members of the 22nd SAS Regiment, the ​SBS​ and the SRR. It
was tasked by the ​Director Special Forces​ to support MI6's operations (akin to the CIA's ​SAD​ – a
covert paramilitary unit for SIS). It was not a formal squadron within the establishment of any
individual UK Special Forces unit, but at the disposal of both the Director Special Forces and the
SIS; previously, SIS relied primarily on contractor personnel. The Squadron carried out missions that
required 'maximum discretion' in places that were 'off the radar or considered dangerous'; the
Squadron's members often operated in plain clothes, with the full range of national support, such as
false identities at its disposal. In early March 2011, during the Libyan Civil War, a covert operation in
Libya involving E Squadron went wrong: The aim of the mission was to cement SIS's contacts with
the rebels by flying in two SIS agents in a Chinook helicopter to meet a Libyan Intermediary in a
town near Benghazi, who had thereafter promised to fix them up a meeting with the ​NTC​. A team
consisting of six E Squadron members (all from the SAS) and two SIS officers were flown into Libya
by an RAF Special Forces Flight Chinook; the Squadron's members were carrying bags containing
arms, ammunition, explosives, computers, maps and passports from at least four nationalities.
Despite technical backup, the team landed in Libya without any prior agreement with the rebel
leadership, the plan failed as soon as the team landed, the locals became suspicious they were
foreign mercenaries or spies and the team was detained by rebel forces and taken to a military base
in Benghazi. They were then hauled before a senior rebel leader, the team told them that they were
in the country to find out the rebels needs and to offer assistance, but the discovery of British troops
on the ground enraged the rebels who were fearful that Gaddafi would use such evidence to destroy
the credibility of the NTC. Negotiations between senior rebel leaders and British officials in London
finally led to their release and they were allowed to board ​HMS Cumberland​.[69]​
​ [70]​[71]

On 16 November 2011 SIS warned the national transitional council in Benghazi after discovering
details of planned strikes, said foreign secretary William Hague. 'The agencies obtained firm
intelligence, were able to warn the NTC of the threat, and the attacks were prevented,' he said. In a
rare speech on the intelligence agencies, he praised the key role played by SIS and GCHQ in
bringing Gaddafi's 42-year dictatorship to an end, describing them as 'vital assets' with a
'fundamental and indispensable role' in keeping the nation safe. 'They worked to identify key political
figures, develop contacts with the emerging opposition and provide political and military intelligence.
'Most importantly, they saved lives,' he said. The speech follows criticism that SIS had been too
close to the Libyan regime and was involved in the extraordinary rendition of anti-Gaddafi activists.
Mr Hague also defended controversial proposals for secrecy in civil court involving intelligence
material.​[57]

The ​Daily Star​ reported in November 2011 that SIS helped capture ​Saif al-Islam Gaddafi​. The
top-secret mission, dubbed Operation X to disguise its purpose, used modern electronic intelligence
(ELINT) technologies to bug him along with his friends and family. Gaddafi had been hiding out in
the desert for a month but the breakthrough came when he made two phone calls, one after the
other, to say he was safe. It allowed the joint British and French bugging operation to pinpoint his
location. SIS agents using the £25 million top-secret equipment closed in on him before calling in the
Libyan snatch squad to apprehend him.​[72]

In February 2013 Channel Four News reported on evidence of SIS spying on opponents of the
Gaddafi regime and handing the information to the regime in Libya. The files looked at contained "a
memorandum of understanding, dating from October 2002, detailing a two-day meeting in Libya
between Gaddafi's external intelligence agency and two senior heads of SIS and one from MI5
outlining joint plans for "intelligence exchange, counter-terrorism and mutual co-operation".​[73]

In February 2015, ​The Telegraph​ reported that MI6 contacted their counterparts in the South African
intelligence services to seek assistance in an effort to recruit a North Korean "asset" to spy on ​North
Korea's nuclear programme​. MI6 had contacted the man who had inside information on North
Korea's nuclear programme, he considered the offer and wanted to arrange another meeting, but a
year passed without MI6 hearing from him, which prompted them to request South African
assistance when they learnt he would be travelling through South Africa. It is not known whether the
North Korean man ever agreed to work for MI6.​[74]