Defense Clandestine Service

Not to be confused with National Clandestine Service.
Defense Clandestine Service
Agency overview
Preceding Agency
  • Defense Human Intelligence Service
JurisdictionFederal government of the United States
HeadquartersDefense Intelligence Agency Headquarters
Employeesc. 500[1]
Agency executive
Parent AgencyDefense Intelligence Agency
Websitewww.dia.mil

The Defense Clandestine Service (DCS) is an arm of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA),[3] which conducts clandestine espionage, intelligence gathering activities and classified operations around the world to provide insights and answer national-level defense objectives for senior U.S. policymakers and American military leaders. Staffed by civilian and military personnel, DCS is part of DIA's Directorate of Operations and works in conjunction with the Central Intelligence Agency's Directorate of Operations and the U.S. military's Joint Special Operations Command. DCS consists of about 500 clandestine operatives,[1] which is roughly how many case officers the CIA had in the early 2000s before its expansion.[4]

Contrary to some public and media misunderstanding, DCS is not a "new" intelligence agency but rather a consolidation, expansion and realignment of existing Defense HUMINT activities, which have been carried out by DIA for decades under various names, most recently as the Defense Human Intelligence Service.[5]

  1. ^ a b Naylor, Sean (31 July 2015). "Top Pentagon Intel Officer: Iraq 'May Not Come Back as an Intact State'". Foreign Policy.
  2. ^ "DIA Leadership". dia.mil. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  3. ^ Pellerin, Cheryl (15 August 2012). "Flynn: Integrated Intelligence System Provides Advantage". United States Department of Defense. Archived from the original on 2012-10-13.
  4. ^ Greg Miller. "Military Wants Its Own Spies". Los Angeles Times, March 04, 2003
  5. ^ Eric Schmitt (April 23, 2012). "Defense Department Plans New Intelligence Gathering Service", The New York Times.