The frustrating evolution of the Defense Intelligence Agency

In 1961, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) was established to meet the foreign military and military-related intelligence requirements of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the Unified and Specified (U&S) Commands, and other components with defense intelligence needs. DIA has had difficulty fulfilling this mission, however, because many intelligence consumers perceive DIA as a second-rate organization. DIA's struggle to become the nationally recognized leader of military intelligence stems from its turbulent beginnings. Resistance by the three armed services, personnel problems, mission complexity, and organizational matters are the core issues that contributed to DIA's initial difficulties. Today, the end of the Cold War and the declining defense budget is forcing the entire Intelligence Community to undergo an in-depth reorganization. Thus, DIA has an opportunity to continue to make substantial improvements. This thesis reviews DIA's history, traces its recurring problems, and offers prescriptions for DIA's future. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).