Defence Intelligence Staff

Defence Intelligence Staff

Defence Intelligence Staff (DIS) – The DIS is an integral part of the Ministry of Defence and an essential part of Britain’s intelligence machine. Located in the Old War Office in the MoD building in Whitehall, London, the DIS is the main provider of strategic defence information to the Ministry of Defence and HM Armed Forces, while supporting other government departments with advice and intelligence assessments. The DIS has a crucial role in support of NATO.

The DIS analyses information from a wide variety of sources, including open literature and classified reports, both overt and covert. Military planners,

DIS assess potential opponent weapons such as this DPRK Hwasong missile © BBC

MoD policy makers and Armed Forces commanders utilise such analyses to create an accurate view of world developments and gain timely warning of impending crises in areas where British forces are or may be deployed. These assessments range from studies of weapon systems held by potential opponents, to the political influences at work in the parts of the world where the United Kingdom has important interests.


The DIS has a total staff of 4,600 both military and civilian, about 700 of whom are located in the DIS Headquarters in the Old War Office Building, the rest based at sites within the UK and abroad. About 60% of the workforce are members of HM Armed Forces, the rest being civilian researchers, scientific staff and linguists. The head of the DIS is the Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI), a serving 3 star officer who may be drawn from either of HM’s Armed Forces and reports to the Chief of the Defence Staff and the Secretary of State for Defence.

The Old War Office building in Whitehall, London, home of the Defence Intelligence Service

The CDI is deputy chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC), which produces authoritative intelligence assessments on behalf of the UK intelligence community and which is the main national body for advising on intelligence collection priorities and assessment. The JIC agrees on the broad intelligence requirements and tasking to be laid upon SIS and GCHQ. These are reviewed annually in a process managed by the Intelligence Co-ordinator. This combines a rigorous analysis of the need for secret intelligence with extensive consultation with customer Departments and consideration of the financial and other resources required. The resulting requirements are submitted to Ministers for approval. The intelligence requirements are then ordered into three priorities according to their importance to the national security and economic well being of the United Kingdom.

British soldiers on peace implementation work in the former Yugoslavia © BBC

The DIS also runs a situation centre at Whitehall and provides intelligence support to British forces deployed on Peace Implementation Force (IFOR) work in the former Yugoslavia. The service runs a full-time Yugoslav Crisis Cell, which can call upon the in-depth expertise of all directorates within the DIS, including military, infrastructure, technical and industries analysts and the embargo-monitoring cell. All assessments are rapidly and securely disseminated to British forces operating as part of the IFOR deployment via the Joint Headquarters at the same time as they are passed to the Department. Wherever possible and appropriate, they are sent to Allies operating alongside our own forces in the former Yugoslavia, both through the NATO communications system and via the intelligence liaison staffs resident within the DIS itself.

The DIS is able to draw upon information provided by the GCHQ, SIS, the Security Service, Allied intelligence services and military intelligence collection assets, in addition to diplomatic reporting and a wide range of open-source information.

Defence Intelligence and Security Centre

The Defence Intelligence and Security Centre (DISC), based in Chicksands in Bedfordshire, was created on 1st October 1996 to integrate intelligence and security training into one tri-service organisation. DISC trains the Armed Forces and other intelligence agencies in intelligence and security disciplines, conduct after capture. It also contributes advice on appropriate intelligence and security policy matters, and maintains an operational capability. In 1998/99, it employed an average of 484 staff and its net operating cost was £27 million.

Defence Geographic and Imagery Intelligence Agency

DGIA support British forces through imagery and mapping techniques © Crown Copyright

The Defence Geographic and Imagery Intelligence Agency (DGIA) was formed in May 1999 through the merger of Military Survey and the Joint Air Reconnaissance Intelligence Centre and is based in Feltham, West London and operates from various stations throughout the UK and Germany. The DGIA is the Ministry’s center of excellence for intelligence imagery and geographic and geospatial information that supports current military operations, defence planning, general intelligence requirements on behalf of the SIS and GCHQ and wider government interests. Intelligence imagery includes photographic processing from various collection points, including the Royal Air Force, imagery analysis and 3D representations. The DGIA also provides the Armed Forces with the mapping they require throughout the world. The agency employs some 1700 staff, just over half of which are civilian, with the rest comprised of members of all three services (Royal Air Force, Royal Navy, British Army).

Royal Air Force

51 Squadron, RAF Waddington- Swift and Sure
51 Squadron operate the Nimrod R1, an adaption of the maritime patrol MR2 variant. The aircraft are equipped with highly sophisticated and sensitive systems used for reconnaissance and the gathering of electronic intelligence. The ability of the Nimrod to loiter for long periods, following a high-speed dash to the required area of operation, make the aircraft ideally suited to this task.

Hawker Siddeley Nimrod R1s of 51 Squadron, Royal Air Force © RAF Waddington Enthusiasts

No. 39 (1 PRU) Squadron, RAF Marham - Die noctique ('By day and night')
1 Photographic Reconnaissance Unit is the RAF’s front line high altitude reconnaissance squadron, operating the venerable Canberra PR9 that can reach altitudes of 60,000ft in support of its highly sensitive role. As a testament to the Canberra’s design and quality, the same aircraft in service with the RAF today were first used to photograph Soviet shipping movements in Cuba in 1962. Since then they have seen active service in Cyprus, the Gulf and the former Yugoslavia.

An English Electric Canberra PR9 of No. 39 (1PRU) Squadron, Royal Air Force © Federation Of American Scientists

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