The 4th Military Intelligence Battalion (4 MI Bn) is a military intelligence unit of the British Army's Intelligence Corps, which provides close intelligence support to the headquarters for the only warfighting division in the army.

History

The 1999 Staff Officer's Handbook mentions 1st and 2nd Military Intelligence Battalions based in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

respectively. The 3rd (V) MI Battalion also appears here, however a 4th MI Bn is not mentioned. Therefore, it can be reasonably assumed the battalion was formed between 2000 and 2008 (when 5 Bn was formed). By 2007, the battalion appears as part of 1st Military Intelligence Brigade. Under the Army 2020 programme announced in 2013, the battalion left the disbanding 1 MI Bde to join the new 1st Intelligence and Surveillance Brigade along with the other 4 battalions of the Intelligence Corps (1–3 and 5). In addition, the battalion moved to its current location at Ward Barracks,

Bulford Camp Bulford Camp is a military camp on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England. Established in 1897, the site continues in use as a large British Army base. The camp is close to the village of Bulford and is about northeast of the town of Amesbury. Th ...

.'''' As part of the programme, the corps' reserve component was expanded. Therefore, in 2015 7 Military Intelligence Battalion was formed with its headquarters in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, based on 54 Military Intelligence Coy, 5 MI Bn. This new battalion was placed under 1 IS Bde and paired with 4 MI Bn shortly thereafter.''''

Role

The 4th Military Intelligence Battalion (4 MI Bn) is the largest concentration of Intelligence Corps (Int Corps) personnel in the Army, focused on supporting the

3rd (United Kingdom) Division The 3rd (United Kingdom) Division is a regular army division of the British Army. It was created in 1809 by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, as part of the Anglo-Portuguese Army, for service in the Peninsular War, and was known as the ...

. 4 MI Bn is a regular army unit, which sits under the

1st Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Brigade 1st Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Brigade (1 ISR Bde) of the British Army was created as part of the Army 2020 reform, to command military intelligence, ISTAR, and electronic warfare units. Brigade Under the Army 2020, Army 20 ...

. It is tasked with supporting 3 UK Div including its new armoured infantry and strike brigades. The current battalion is split between

and

Aldershot Garrison Aldershot Garrison, also known as Aldershot Military Town, is a major garrison in South East England, between Aldershot and Farnborough in Hampshire. The garrison was established when the War Department bought a large area of land near the villa ...

. Though supporting 3 (UK) Division is the battalion's primary role, it also provides MI support to

London District London District (LONDIST) is the name given by the British Army to the area of operations encompassing the Greater London area. It was established in 1870 as ''Home District''. History In January 1876 a ‘Mobilization Scheme for the forces in ...

Southern England Southern England, or the South of England, also known as the South, is an area of England consisting of its southernmost part, with cultural, economic and political differences from the Midlands and the North. Officially, the area includes G ...

, and

British Army Germany British Army Germany is the superior institution under which the remaining installations of the British Forces Germany are organised after the completion of the withdrawal of the British Forces from Germany in February 2020. Apart from the Alpine ...

. The battalion also oversees small intelligence sections at

Bovington Camp Bovington Camp () is a British Army military base in Dorset, England. Together with Lulworth Camp it forms part of Bovington Garrison. The garrison is home to The Armour Centre and contains two barracks complexes and two forest and heathland tr ...

, and until 2017, C Company was based Antwerp Barracks,

Paderborn Garrison Westfalen Garrison is a major British garrison with facilities located in Paderborn, Sennelager and Gütersloh in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany which now forms the major part of British Forces Germany. It was the home of 20th Armoured Brigad ...

Structure

Following the

Army 2020 Refine Army 2020 Refine was the name given to the restructuring of the British Army, in light of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015. Army 2020 Refine The Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 announced that the structure of the Reac ...

, the battalion was reorganised into three multi-functional companies, a headquarters, a logistic support section, and a new 'Operations Support MI Company'. * Battalion Headquarters * Headquarters Company * 41 Military Intelligence Company — supporting 1 Armoured Infantry Brigade (below organisation is standard throughout the companies) ** Company Headquarters ** Close Support (CS) Intelligence Section ** General Support (GS) Intelligence Section ** Battle Group Intelligence Support Section (BGISS) ** Counter Intelligence and Security (CI&Sy) Section * 42 Military Intelligence Company — supporting 12 Armoured Infantry Brigade * 43 Military Intelligence Company — supporting 20 Armoured Infantry Brigade * Operations Support Military Intelligence Company * Logistic Support Section, at

— supporting

101st Logistic Brigade 101st Logistic Brigade (101 Log Bde) is a logistic brigade within 3rd (United Kingdom) Division of the British Army, formed from the Combat Service Support Group in 1999. The brigade is held in high readiness and is described as a "vanguard suppo ...

Footnotes

References

* {{Cite book, last=Tanner, first=James, title=The British Army since 2000, publisher=Osprey Publishing, year=2014, isbn=978-1782005933, location=Oxford, United Kingdom, oclc=944154544 Military units and formations in Wiltshire Battalions of the Intelligence Corps (United Kingdom)