In the United States Armed Forces, Military Intelligence (sometimes referred to as MI) refers specifically to the intelligence components of the United States Army. Other branches of the service have their own military intelligence components, referred to by other names.
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The primary mission of military intelligence in the United States Army is to provide timely, relevant, accurate, and synchronized intelligence and electronic warfare support to tactical, operational and strategic-level commanders. The Army’s intelligence components produce intelligence both for Army use and for sharing across the national intelligence community.[1]
Approximately 28,000 military personnel and 3,800 civilian personnel are assigned to intelligence duties, comprising the Military Intelligence Corps. Some of the key components include:
Intelligence personnel were a part of the Continental Army from its founding in 1775.
In January 1863, Major General Joseph Hooker established the Bureau of Military Information for the Union Army during the Civil War, headed by George H. Sharpe. Allan Pinkerton and Lafayette C. Baker handled similar operations for their respective regional commanders. All of those operations were shut down at the end of the Civil War in 1865.[2]
In 1885, the Army established the Military Intelligence Division (MID). In 1903, the MID was placed under the new general staff in an elevated position.[3]
In March 1942, the Military Intelligence Division was reorganized as the Military Intelligence Service (MIS). Originally consisting of just 26 people, 16 of them officers, it was quickly expanded to include 342 officers and 1,000 enlisted personnel and civilians. It was tasked with collecting, analyzing, and disseminating intelligence. Initially it included:
In May 1942, Alfred McCormack established the Special Branch of MIS, which specialized in COMINT.
In 1945, the Special Branch became the Army Security Agency. In 1946, the Counter-Intelligence Group became the US Army Counter Intelligence Corps.
It was in July 1967, that a number of intelligence and security organizations were combined to form the military intelligence branch.[4][5] [6] In 1977 they eventually recombined with the Army Intelligence Agency and Army Security Agency to become the US Army Intelligence and Security Command.
The Military Intelligence Corps is one of the basic branches of the United States Army.[7] In 1971, the United States Army Intelligence Center was established at Fort Huachuca, Arizona as the home of the military intelligence branch. On 1 July 1987 the Military Intelligence Corps was activated as a regiment under the U.S. Army Regimental System.[8] All United States Army Military Intelligence personnel are members of the Military Intelligence Corps.
Battlefield Surveillance Brigades (BfSB) are meant to improve the situational awareness about the battlefield for commanders at division level or higher, so they can adapt their units combat power for the current operations. For this the Battlefield Surveillance Brigades can deploy unmanned aerial vehicles, signals gathering equipment, human intelligence collectors and long range surveillance patrols.[9]
There are currently three active Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, each supporting one of the three Corps of the US Army: the 201st BfSB at Fort Lewis, the 504th BfSB at Fort Hood and the 525th BfSB at Fort Bragg. A fourth brigade is scheduled to activate at Fort Polk in 2013 but is not yet named. The Army National Guard has additional seven BfSB's.
Each BfSB consists of a headquarters and headquarters company, two military intelligence battalions, a reconnaissance squadron with a long range surveillance troop, a signals company and a support company.
| Name | Insignia | Subordinate to | Garrison |
|---|---|---|---|
| 201st Battlefield Surveillance Brigade |
|
Fort Lewis | |
| 504th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade |
|
Fort Hood | |
| 525th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade |
|
Fort Bragg |
| Name | Insignia | Supports | Garrison |
|---|---|---|---|
| 66th Military Intelligence Brigade | United States Army Europe | Wiesbaden Army Airfield, (Germany) | |
111th Military Intelligence Brigade
|
United States Army Intelligence Center, (TRADOC) | Fort Huachuca | |
470th Military Intelligence Brigade
|
United States Army South | Fort Sam Houston | |
| 500th Military Intelligence Brigade | United States Army Pacific | Schofield Barracks | |
501st Military Intelligence Brigade
|
US Forces Korea (USFK) and Eighth United States Army | Yongsan Garrison, (South Korea) | |
513th Military Intelligence Brigade
|
United States Army Intelligence and Security Command | Fort Gordon | |
| 704th Military Intelligence Brigade | United States Army Intelligence and Security Command | Fort George G. Meade | |
780th Military Intelligence Brigade
|
United States Army Intelligence and Security Command | Fort George G. Meade |
I am a Soldier first, but an intelligence professional second to none.
With pride in my heritage, but focused on the future,
Performing the first task of an Army:
To find, know, and never lose the enemy.
With a sense of urgency and of tenacity, professional and physical fitness,
and above all, INTEGRITY, for in truth lies victory.
Always at silent war, while ready for a shooting war,
The silent warrior of the ARMY team.
The United States Army Intelligence Museum is located at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. It features the history of American military intelligence from the Revolutionary War to present.