Defence Intelligence

Part of Strategic Command, Defence Intelligence (DI) empowers decision makers in the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and UK government by providing intelligence products and assessments.

Our responsibilities

Led by the Chief of Defence Intelligence, Adrian Bird, DI work in close partnership with other UK intelligence agencies GCHQ, MI5 and MI6, to provide intelligence products for policy makers in the Ministry of Defence and UK Government.

Our organisation

Defence Intelligence has around 5,000 staff, of which two thirds are armed forces personnel and one third are civilians. Our people are based mainly at locations in London, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire.

Defence Intelligence also has national responsibilities to wider departments across His Majesty’s Government, on top of its key defence outputs, The National Centre for Geospatial Intelligence (NCGI) is one of these such areas.

Our oversight

All Defence Intelligence activity must comply with relevant laws, government policies and is subject to external scrutiny.

The Investigatory Powers Commissioner inspects Defence Intelligence records for activities which may fall within the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (2000) and the Investigatory Powers Act (2016).

The Parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee oversees the administration, policy and expenditure of Defence Intelligence, and in certain circumstances operational activity. Both the Investigatory Powers Commissioner and the Intelligence and Security Committee publish their findings.

Defence Intelligence is subject to the Freedom of Information Act.

Career opportunities

You can search for civilian jobs within Defence Intelligence by searching for ‘Intelligence’ and ‘Ministry of Defence’ on the Civil Service Jobs page.

As an alternative to the civilian sector, you can explore the positions within our Armed Forces that are involved with intelligence delivery: