Defence Intelligence facts for kids

Defence Intelligence (DI) is a very important part of the United Kingdom's "intelligence community". This community is a group of organisations that gather secret information to help keep the country safe. DI works alongside other well-known groups like the SIS (also known as MI6), GCHQ, and the Security Service.

DI is not a separate company. Instead, it is a key part of the Ministry of Defence (MOD). The MOD is the government department responsible for the UK's armed forces. Defence Intelligence has both civilian staff (people who don't wear a military uniform) and military staff (people from the army, navy, or air force). Before 2009, it was called the Defence Intelligence Staff, or DIS.

What Does Defence Intelligence Do?

Defence Intelligence collects information from many different places. This information is super important for the UK's military. It helps with planning military operations, making big decisions about defence, and understanding what's happening around the world.

Gathering Information for the UK

DI looks at many types of changes that could affect the UK. This includes political changes, military developments, and new discoveries in science and technology. For example, they might look at new weapons being developed by other countries. They also study how different countries' armies are organised.

The information DI gathers helps many other groups. It supports the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC), which advises the Prime Minister. It also helps other government departments. DI shares its findings with international friends and partners. These include organisations like NATO and the European Union.

How DI Is Different

What makes Defence Intelligence special is how it gathers information. It uses an 'all-source' approach. This means they combine information from all possible sources. They don't just rely on one type of secret gathering.

Other intelligence groups often focus on just one main way of getting information:

• The SIS (MI6) mainly collects 'human intelligence' (called HUMINT). This means they get information from people, often through secret agents.
• GCHQ mostly focuses on 'signals intelligence' (called SIGINT). This involves listening to and analysing electronic communications, like radio signals or internet traffic.

But Defence Intelligence combines everything. They look at satellite images, listen to communications, read reports, and talk to people. By putting all these pieces together, they get a full picture of what's happening. This helps them understand complex situations and predict future events that could affect the UK's safety.