Australian Army Intelligence Corps
Encyclopedia
The Australian Intelligence Corps (AUSTINT) is a corps within the Australian Army
. It was formed on 6 December 1907 and provides intelligence personnel in every formation headquarters in the Army. The corps currently consists of 169 officers and 232 other ranks.
James Whiteside McCay
.
The corps was disbanded on 30 September 1914 and replaced by Intelligence Sections of the General Staff in each Australian military district. It was re-formed in 1939 and was tasked with the following: intelligence; security; passport control; rail, air and shipping security; censorship; and prisoner of war interrogation and data compilation. The corps has been formally allied with the British Army Intelligence Corps since 1950.
The AUSTINT colours are green on scarlet on black. Green symbolises the Corps' alliance with the British Army Intelligence Corps, black for the Corps' links with the Australian Staff Corps and scarlet, signifying the Corps combat support role.
The AUSTINT badge was modelled on the British Army
Intelligence Corps badge and accepted in 1953. It has the motif of a white and red Tudor rose
which is flanked by laurel
leaves and rests on a scroll inscribed with "Australian Intelligence Corps". A crown surmounts the whole motif. The Rose symbolises security, confidentiality and trustworthiness, derived from the Cromwellian use of a rose displayed to indicate when secret matters were being discussed. The laurel wreath depicts honour and the crown represents allegiance to the Sovereign.
Recruits can not join AUSTINT directly, instead, the corps recruit from within the army itself. Soldiers who volunteer to join the corps must have served for at least 24 months on full-time duty in another Corps (this does not include recruit or employment training), achieved the rank of Corporal
and have the endorsement from the Corps Suitability Board. Soldiers accepted into the Intelligence Corps attend 11 weeks employment training, consisting of a three week introduction course and an eight week land intelligence course. Both courses are conducted at the Defence Intelligence Training Centre in Canungra
, Queensland
. Training for Intelligence Corps soldiers is broken into two main streams, text and diagram.
Officers are able to enter the Intelligence Corps after completing their officer course at the Royal Military College, Duntroon
. However they must undergo a rigorous selection process before being employed in the Corps.
Intelligence Corps staff work with the Defence Intelligence Organisation
, Defence Signals Directorate
and Defence Security Authority
. There are also intelligence officers and staff on most of the major Army commands and headquarters providing operational or counter intelligence support.
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
. It was formed on 6 December 1907 and provides intelligence personnel in every formation headquarters in the Army. The corps currently consists of 169 officers and 232 other ranks.
Role
The role of AUSTINT is to provide intelligence support consisting of knowledge of the enemy and the area of operations. Its role also includes the active and passive measures undertaken to prevent the enemy from acquiring intelligence about friendly forces and their intentions.History
The corps was formed on 6 December 1907 with the aim of providing training for soldiers in intelligence work, including collecting and recording topographic and military information about Australia, its dependencies and foreign countries (especially those of the Pacific region), as well as preparing strategic and tactical maps and plans. The first Director of Military Intelligence was Lieutenant ColonelLieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
James Whiteside McCay
James Whiteside McCay
Lieutenant General Sir James Whiteside McCay KCMG, KBE, CB, VD was an Australian general and politician. A graduate of the University of Melbourne, where he earned Master of Arts and Master of Laws degrees, he established a successful legal practice, McCay & Thwaites...
.
The corps was disbanded on 30 September 1914 and replaced by Intelligence Sections of the General Staff in each Australian military district. It was re-formed in 1939 and was tasked with the following: intelligence; security; passport control; rail, air and shipping security; censorship; and prisoner of war interrogation and data compilation. The corps has been formally allied with the British Army Intelligence Corps since 1950.
Corps Embellishments
The AUSTINT badge was modelled on the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
Intelligence Corps badge and accepted in 1953. It has the motif of a white and red Tudor rose
Tudor rose
The Tudor Rose is the traditional floral heraldic emblem of England and takes its name and origins from the Tudor dynasty.-Origins:...
which is flanked by laurel
Bay Laurel
The bay laurel , also known as sweet bay, bay tree, true laurel, Grecian laurel, laurel tree, or simply laurel, is an aromatic evergreen tree or large shrub with green, glossy leaves, native to the Mediterranean region. It is the source of the bay leaf used in cooking...
leaves and rests on a scroll inscribed with "Australian Intelligence Corps". A crown surmounts the whole motif. The Rose symbolises security, confidentiality and trustworthiness, derived from the Cromwellian use of a rose displayed to indicate when secret matters were being discussed. The laurel wreath depicts honour and the crown represents allegiance to the Sovereign.
Training
Members of the Intelligence Corps work in the following areas:- Intelligence analysisIntelligence analysisIntelligence analysis is the process of taking known information about situations and entities of strategic, operational, or tactical importance, characterizing the known, and, with appropriate statements of probability, the future actions in those situations and by those entities...
; - Combat intelligence;
- Security intelligence;
- Language translationTranslationTranslation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
and interpretationInterpretingLanguage interpretation is the facilitating of oral or sign-language communication, either simultaneously or consecutively, between users of different languages...
; - Electronic warfareElectronic warfareElectronic warfare refers to any action involving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum or directed energy to control the spectrum, attack an enemy, or impede enemy assaults via the spectrum. The purpose of electronic warfare is to deny the opponent the advantage of, and ensure friendly...
; - Human intelligenceHUMINTHUMINT, a syllabic abbreviation of the words HUMan INTelligence, refers to intelligence gathering by means of interpersonal contact, as opposed to the more technical intelligence gathering disciplines such as SIGINT, IMINT and MASINT...
; - Counter intelligenceCounter-intelligenceCounterintelligence or counter-intelligence refers to efforts made by intelligence organizations to prevent hostile or enemy intelligence organizations from successfully gathering and collecting intelligence against them. National intelligence programs, and, by extension, the overall defenses of...
; - Imagery intelligenceIMINTImagery Intelligence , is an intelligence gathering discipline which collects information via satellite and aerial photography. As a means of collecting intelligence, IMINT is a subset of intelligence collection management, which, in turn, is a subset of intelligence cycle management...
; and - Psychological operationsPsychological warfarePsychological warfare , or the basic aspects of modern psychological operations , have been known by many other names or terms, including Psy Ops, Political Warfare, “Hearts and Minds,” and Propaganda...
.
Recruits can not join AUSTINT directly, instead, the corps recruit from within the army itself. Soldiers who volunteer to join the corps must have served for at least 24 months on full-time duty in another Corps (this does not include recruit or employment training), achieved the rank of Corporal
Corporal
Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
and have the endorsement from the Corps Suitability Board. Soldiers accepted into the Intelligence Corps attend 11 weeks employment training, consisting of a three week introduction course and an eight week land intelligence course. Both courses are conducted at the Defence Intelligence Training Centre in Canungra
Canungra, Queensland
Canungra is a small picturesque rural township in South East Queensland, Australia. Its economy depends on tourism, being a popular destination for short drives from the Gold Coast and Brisbane. Canungra, also called the "Valley of the Owls", is situated in the Gold Coast Hinterland, west of the...
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. Training for Intelligence Corps soldiers is broken into two main streams, text and diagram.
Officers are able to enter the Intelligence Corps after completing their officer course at the Royal Military College, Duntroon
Royal Military College, Duntroon
The Royal Military College, Duntroon is the Australian Army's officer training establishment. It was founded at Duntroon, in the Australian Capital Territory, in 1911 and is situated on picturesque grounds at the foot of Mount Pleasant near Lake Burley Griffin, close to the Department of Defence...
. However they must undergo a rigorous selection process before being employed in the Corps.
Intelligence Corps staff work with the Defence Intelligence Organisation
Defence Intelligence Organisation
The Defence Intelligence Organisation is an Australian government intelligence agency responsible for assessing intelligence obtained from or provided by other Australian and foreign intelligence agencies, supporting Defence and Government decision-making and the planning and conduct of Australian...
, Defence Signals Directorate
Defence Signals Directorate
Defence Signals Directorate is an Australian government intelligence agency responsible for signals intelligence and information security .-Overview:According to its website, DSD has two principal functions:...
and Defence Security Authority
Defence Security Authority
The Defence Security Authority is an agency in the Defence Intelligence and Security Group of the Australian Department of Defence responsible for protective security, providing vetting services, developing security policy, investigating major security incidents and monitoring security performance...
. There are also intelligence officers and staff on most of the major Army commands and headquarters providing operational or counter intelligence support.
See also
- Defence Intelligence OrganisationDefence Intelligence OrganisationThe Defence Intelligence Organisation is an Australian government intelligence agency responsible for assessing intelligence obtained from or provided by other Australian and foreign intelligence agencies, supporting Defence and Government decision-making and the planning and conduct of Australian...
- Defence Imagery and Geospatial OrganisationDefence Imagery and Geospatial OrganisationThe Defence Imagery and Geospatial Organisation is an Australian government intelligence agency responsible for the tasking , exploitation , and dissemination of geospatial intelligence...
- Defence Signals DirectorateDefence Signals DirectorateDefence Signals Directorate is an Australian government intelligence agency responsible for signals intelligence and information security .-Overview:According to its website, DSD has two principal functions:...
- Australian Secret Intelligence ServiceAustralian Secret Intelligence ServiceThe Australian Secret Intelligence Service is the Australian government intelligence agency responsible for collecting foreign intelligence, undertaking counter-intelligence activities and cooperation with other intelligence agencies overseas...
- Australian Security Intelligence OrganisationAustralian Security Intelligence OrganisationThe Australian Security Intelligence Organisation is Australia's national security service, which is responsible for the protection of the country and its citizens from espionage, sabotage, acts of foreign interference, politically-motivated violence, attacks on the Australian defence system, and...