RAF Intelligence
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The Royal Air Force (RAF) Intelligence branch is a dedicated organisation within the RAF that maintains intelligence staff and equipment. Intelligence Officers and Enlisted Personnel of the branch and trade are involved in many duties including:
- Air Intelligence Analysis
- Imagery analysis
- Signals Analysis
- Human Intelligence
- Briefing Duties for aircrew, politicians and commanders
- Targeting
- OPINTEL (Operational Intelligence).
Training
Air Intelligence training is carried out at the Defence College of Intelligence at Chicksands in Bedfordshire, by Horus Training Delivery Wing. The Joint Air Intelligence Course (JAIC) lasts 22 weeks and qualifies students as Air Intelligence Officers. Other ranks start by completing the Operational Air Intelligence Course (Op A I) before specialising in either Imagery or Signals Analysis after their first tour. A further 4 months at Chicksands at the Medmenham TDW (Formally Joint School of Photographic Interpretation) qualifies those specialising in imagery analysis and a longer course at Blechley TDW for those specialising in Signals.History
The RAF Intelligence Branch dates back toWorld War II, however officers have been employed in intelligence duties since the formation of the RAF in 1918. At the time, Officers of the General Duties Branch (mainly pilots on a ground tour or who could no longer fly due to medical reasons) performed the duty of Squadron Intelligence Officer, or aircrew on ground tours in the Air Ministry Intelligence Department. By the late 1930s there was a dedicated Intelligence Branch (Administrative and Special Duties Branch (for Intelligence duties)). In 1939 SIS established a dedicated Air Intelligence Section under command of Gp Capt F W Winterbottom (Chief of Air Intelligence MI6). During World War II, the Intelligence Branch became larger to encompass the Signals Intelligence staff at Bletchley Park and the Imagery Intelligence set-up at Medmenham.There is known to be an RAF Intelligence School, (badge featured above - signed by King George in June 1943), no further details known.
Following the war, the Branch split up into Administrative and Special Duties Branch (Photography) & Administrative and Special Duties Branch (Signals) with no dedicated Air Intelligence section. In the 1970s the Photographic Interpretation (PI) branch was formed for commissioned officers to be employed at the reconnaissance intelligence centres attached to aircraft units, and also to work at the Joint Air Reconnaissance Intelligence Centre (JARIC) at RAF Brampton. By the start of the 1990s, the RAF could see the benefit of an independent Intelligence Branch, creating the General Duties (Intelligence) branch. They required more information and warning on the potential enemies around the world in order to maintain the diminishing RAF's ability to react. In 1997 GD (INT) then became the Operations Support (Intelligence) Specialisation that is in existence today.
Staff Roles and Trades
The RAF Intelligence trades currently consist of Intelligence Analyst (Imagery), (Communications) and (Voice). Essentially, these three areas comprise photographic interpretation, signals analysis and linguistics analysis respectively. The trades are soon to be merged into a generic trade group, where individuals can specialise in one or more fields as well as generalist intelligence duties.Officer Roles
- Station Intelligence Officer - Strike Command Flying Stations
- HQ Intelligence Staff - J2/A2 (PJHQ, JFACHQ, NATO, Army)
- Targeteer - Targets Staff (DTIO, PJHQ, JFHQ, JFACHQ)
- Human Intelligence Operator - HUMINT - Defence Humint Unit
- Squadron Intelligence Officer - SQINTO - Attached to each Flying Squadron
- Air Warfare Centre Intelligence Staff
- Defence Intelligence Staff
- Flight / Squadron Commander - Intelligence Units (Joint and RAF)
- Information Operations
- Special Forces Air Intelligence
- Instructor - Recruit Training, Intelligence Training, Specialist Training
Airmen / Non-Commissioned Officer Trades
- Strategic Imagery Analysis - JARIC
- Tactical Imagery Analysis - TIW
- Signals Analysis
- Translation / Transcription
- Air Warfare Centre
- Squadron Intelligence
- Station Intelligence
- Instructor Duties
- HQ Intelligence Staff
University Air Squadron
Within the UAS, intelligence sponsored students have the opportunity to work with real time intelligence material, in conjunction with a "mentor" responsible for the students vocational training during their time with the UAS. In addition to the vocational aspect of the branch, intelligence students participate in a wide variety of the squadron's other activities.Famous Former members of RAF Intelligence
- Pam Ayres - Poet
- Christopher Lee - Actor
- Michael Bentine - Comedian & Actor
- Tony Scannell - Actor
- Air Chief Marshal Sir Claude Pelly KCB MC GC(G)
- Air Chief Marshal Sir John Steel
- Air Vice Marshall Alan Patrick Ritchie CBE
- Air Commodore Archibald Robert Boyle
See also
Links
- [Official Royal Air Force Website]
- [RAF Careers - Job file: Intelligence Officer]
- [RAF Careers - Job file: Intelligence Analyst]
- [RAF Careers - Job file: Intelligence Analyst (Voice)]
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