CISMIL

CISMIL or Centro de Informações e Segurança Militares (Portuguese for "Military Security and Informations Center") is the joint military intelligence service of the Armed Forces of Portugal.

CISMIL is the body responsible for the production of the intelligence needed for the fulfillment of specific missions of the Portuguese Armed Forces and for ensuring the military security. It is part of the General staff of the Armed Forces (EMGFA) and is headed by a major-general or a rear-admiral.

Organization

In its organization, CISMIL includes:

1. Planning Bureau;
2. Research Coordination and Management Bureau;
3. Production Bureau;
4. Security and Counter-Information Bureau;
5. Defense and Military Attachés Liaison Office;
6. Support Section.

History

CISMIL was created in 2010 in the scope of the reorganization of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Portugal (EMGFA). It is the successor of several Portuguese joint military intelligence services that existed in the past, namely the EMGFA 2nd Division (1974–75), the SDCI (1975–1976), the DINFO (1977–93) and the DIMIL (1993–97).

The framework law of the Informations System of the Portuguese Republic (SIRP) of 1984, predicted the existence of the SIM (Military Informations Service), that however was never created like that, the role of military intelligence continuing to be performed by the DINFO.

The reorganization of the SIRP, led to the creation of the SIEDM (Military and Defense Strategic Informations Service) in 1997. The new SIEDM assumed the roles previously planned to be divided by the two distinct and never activated agencies SIM (military intelligence) and SIED (foreign strategic intelligence).

In 2007, the new reorganization of the SIRP led again to the separation of the foreign strategic intelligence from the military intelligence. The SIEDM became again the SIED (Defense Strategic Informations Service), with the sole role of foreign intelligence. To fulfill the role of military intelligence, the CISMIL was created in 2010.

It is known that CISMIL operatives were active in support of the Portuguese Forces in Kosovo, Lebanon and Afghanistan.^[1]

References

Portuguese Armed Forces Branches Navy (Marinha) Army (Exército) Air Force (Força Aérea) Equipment and facilities Naval ships Military aircraft Air bases Organisation Ministry of National Defence General Staff of the Armed Forces (EMGFA) Academies and colleges Joint Command and Staff College (IESM) Naval School Military Academy Air Force Academy Military College Pupilos do Exército Instituto de Odivelas Special forces Commandos Force Protection Unit Marines Paratroopers Pathfinders Sappers Divers Special Actions Detachment Special Operations Related CISMIL Eurofor Euromarfor Eurogendfor IGeoE JALLC JC Lisbon Military history of Portugal Military ranks of Portugal National Republican Guard (GNR) NATO NATO CIS School Portuguese Naval Aviation STRIKFORNATO