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Congressional Research Service
Inknminu  I m IeqislThve debate since 1914


Updated January 10, 2025


Defense Primer: Intelligence Support to Military Operations


The statutory responsibility for resourcing and coordinating
the activities of the Intelligence Community (IC) in support
of military activities belongs to two senior officials:

*  The Director of National Intelligence (DNI), who serves
   as the principal intelligence advisor to the President as
   commander   in chief (and in the President's other
   constitutional responsibilities), is responsible for
   national intelligence strategy, and the overall resourcing
   and coordination of intelligence activities across
   multiple agencies in support of the military's strategic,
   operational, and tactical priorities.

*  The Under  Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and
   Security (USD(I&S))  is the senior-most Department of
   Defense (DOD)   official responsible for managing the
   resources, capabilities, and activities of 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.

Many  of the 18 statutory intelligence elements, such as the
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), directly support the
military. Nine of these reside within the Department of
Defense (DOD),  providing integrated intelligence support
to military strategy, planning, and operations. They include
the National Security Agency (NSA), National Geospatial-
Intelligence Agency (NGA), National Reconnaissance
Office (NRO), Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and the
intelligence components of the five military services (along
with the Coast Guard intelligence element when operating
as part of DOD).

The ntehgence Process for Support ng
Miltary Operations
The IC supports the entire spectrum of DOD missions, from
peacetime to combat operations. Joint Publication 2-0, Joint
Intelligence, (or, JP 2-0, the Joint Chiefs of Staff
publication that provides definitive guidance on intelligence
support to 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 to
commanders   and national-level decisionmakers 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
decisionmaking processes to align intelligence resources
with operational objectives. Collection managers ensure
collection resources support 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 campaign or operation.

ka1nt  Inte      ence   Roles   and
lesponsibilties
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  I. Roles and Responsibilities of Joint Intelligence


Source: Joint 'ublication L-U,Jont Intelligence, p. 1-5.


According to JP 2-0, intelligence should support a
commander's  planning, execution, and assessment of the
impact of military operations. It should, therefore, by JP 2-
0, 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 describe the operational
environment for the commander, 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. JP 2-
0 further holds that 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

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