https://crsreports.congress.gov
Updated December 12, 2022
Defense Primer: Intelligence Support to Military Operations
Nine of 18 total statutory elements of the Intelligence
Community reside within the Department of Defense
(DOD). This includes the National Security Agency (NSA),
Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), National Geospatial-
Intelligence Agency (NGA), and the intelligence
components of the military services. Non-DOD intelligence
community elements, such as the Central Intelligence
Agency (CIA), also provide support to the military.
Integrated intelligence community support of the military
includes strategic, operational, and tactical intelligence
activities, products and services necessary for military
strategy, planning, and operations.
The Director of National Intelligence (DNI) serves as
community manager for the intelligence community and the
principal intelligence advisor to the President. The core
mission of the DNI is to ensure the integration of
intelligence activities across the elements of the intelligence
community. The Under Secretary of Defense (Intelligence
and Security) (USD(I&S)) manages the DOD intelligence
elements. This position is dual-hatted. When acting as the
USD(I&S), the incumbent reports directly to the Secretary
of Defense and serves as the Secretary’s principal staff
assistant on intelligence, counterintelligence, security, and
other intelligence-related matters. When acting as Director
of Defense Intelligence (DDI), the incumbent reports
directly to the DNI and serves as principal advisor on
defense intelligence matters. Together, the DNI and
USD(I&S) coordinate a number of interagency activities
designed to facilitate the integration of national and tactical-
level intelligence.
The Intelligence Process for Supporting
Military Operations
The intelligence community supports the entire spectrum of
DOD missions, from peacetime to combat operations. Joint
Publication 2-0, Joint Intelligence, (or, JP 2-0, the
publication of the Joint Chiefs of Staff that provides
definitive guidance on intelligence support for military
operations) notes that the intelligence process for
supporting joint (i.e., multi-service, integrated) military
operations consists of six interrelated categories of
intelligence operations, all aimed at providing commanders
and national-level decision-makers with relevant and timely
intelligence. These categories include planning and
direction; collection, processing and exploitation; analysis
and production; dissemination and integration; and
evaluation and feedback. Intelligence professionals
participate in the planning and decision-making processes
to align intelligence resources with operational objectives
effectively. Collection management ensures the appropriate
collection resources are tasked to address specific
intelligence requirements pertaining to operational
objectives. Because the operational environment is
dynamic, the intelligence process is iterative: each category
or phase of the process is ongoing and complements the
other phases for the duration of the military operation or
campaign.
Intelligence Roles and Responsibilities
Table 1 summarizes the roles and responsibilities of joint
intelligence to assist commanders in deciding which forces
to deploy, when, how, and where to deploy them, and how
to employ them in a manner that accomplishes a specific
mission consistent with the commander’s priorities.
Table 1. Roles and Responsibilities of Joint Intelligence
Source: Joint Publication 2-0, Joint Intelligence, p. I-5.
According to JP 2-0, intelligence should support a
commander’s planning, execution, and assessment of the
impact of military operations. It should, therefore, include a
comprehensive analysis of the threat and relevant aspects of
the operating environment in assessments enabling the
commander to create and exploit opportunities to
accomplish friendly force objectives.
In describing the operational environment, JP 2-0 specifies
that intelligence should identify for the commander
associated issues such as the political context; governance;
leadership intentions; military capabilities and tactics;
communications and critical infrastructure; economy;
terrain; weather; cultural considerations; social stability;
and health conditions. Intelligence should also provide
military planners clearly defined, achievable, and
measurable objectives that meet the commander’s intent.
Changes to the threat and the operational environment
require intelligence professionals to continuously review
their objectives to determine whether they remain relevant.
To counter an adversary’s deception efforts, JP 2-0
specifies that intelligence should confirm previous analysis
using multiple analytical methods and processes. This may
include multiple methods to confirm, for example, an
