NEWS

DIA 50th Anniversary Defense Intelligence Digest: Special Historical Edition

On 1 October, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Defense Intelligence Agency.

Since 1961, DIA contributions have been instrumental in shaping significant events in U.S. history. To recognize this important milestone and to inspire reflection on 50 years of DIA's commitment to excellence in defense of the nation, the DIA Historical Research Support Branch, in collaboration with the Directorate for Analysis, has prepared this special edition of the Defense Intelligence Digest.

In compiling this special edition, we selected a significant historical event from each of the five decades and asked our historians to prepare an article to provide background and context, to discuss DIA's unique defense intelligence contributions, and to examine the historical significance of these contributions. With each article, we also present examples of the original intelligence products our predecessors provided to DIA customers. We prepared this special edition to highlight the broad range of challenges faced by DIA's intelligence professionals throughout the Agency's history and to demonstrate the degree to which many of these challenges continue to resonate with today's generation of intelligence professionals.

The selection of articles for this special edition is necessarily arbitrary and should not detract from an appreciation of the Agency's contribution to other historical events that have shaped our nation's history. From the Cold War to the Gulf War, from the conflict in Vietnam to the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, from confronting communism to battling terrorism, the dedicated professionals of DIA have repeatedly demonstrated their commitment to excellence in defense of the nation. The coming decades will present the Agency and the nation with a complex array of national security challenges and opportunities. One of the best ways to prepare for this future is to understand our past.

LTG Ronald L. Burgess, Jr., USA

DIA is the nation’s premier all-source military intelligence organization.

It provides the nation’s most authoritative assessments of foreign military intentions and capabilities. The agency’s four core competencies -- human intelligence, all-source analysis, counterintelligence and technical intelligence -- enable military operations while also informing policy-makers at the defense and national levels.

DIA’s mission is unique and no other agency matches its military expertise across such a broad range of intelligence disciplines.