Defence Intelligence is a joint organisation, employing over 4,500 staff which include members of all three Armed Forces and civilians. About 700 staff work in Whitehall, mainly in the Defence Intelligence Assessments Staff (DIAS), while the remainder are located at sites in the UK and overseas.
Distribution of Defence Intelligence personnel
| Location |
Number of personnel |
| Whitehall |
700 |
| ICG |
1600 |
| DISC |
500 |
| Force Elements |
1700 |
Serving members of the Armed Forces make up approximately 60 per cent of the manpower of Defence Intelligence. They provide the majority of staff engaged in intelligence collection. There is also an important requirement for current military expertise in a wide range of analytical and intelligence support posts throughout Defence Intelligence.
The majority of posts in the DIAS are filled by civilian Intelligence Analysts, recruited directly by Defence Intelligence on the basis of academic qualifications (usually the minimum of a 2:1 Degree) or previous relevant experience or an Armed Forces background. We also employ a small number of language specialists and psychologists.
Civilian experts in science or engineering disciplines provide specialist skills. These experts are generally drawn from a group of centrally recruited specialists working within the MOD and MOD research establishments. They may all be employed in Defence Intelligence, in the wider MOD, in posts overseas or in the wider intelligence community.
The Intelligence Collection Group also recruits imagery analysts and mapping and charting officers.
Administrative staff are either recruited locally or drawn from the MOD's central staff resource.
In addition to any relevant specialist abilities and qualifications, it is essential that our staff are of the highest integrity, resilient, sensitive to others and open to new ideas and working practices. They should also have good interpersonal and organisational skills, whilst being effective team members.
Although staff may be recruited for particular roles within Defence Intelligence, they are encouraged to diversify into other roles and can pursue a career across the Ministry of Defence as a whole.