This is a list of intelligence gathering disciplines.

HUMINT

Human intelligence (HUMINT) are gathered from a person in the location in question. Sources can include the following: * Advisors or

foreign internal defense Foreign internal defense (FID) is a term used by the military in several countries, including the United States, France, and the United Kingdom, to describe an integrated, and possibly multi-country, approach to combating actual or threatened i ...

(FID) personnel working with host nation (HN) forces or populations * Diplomatic reporting by accredited diplomats (e.g. military attachés) *

Espionage Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangibl ...

clandestine reporting, access agents, couriers, cutouts *

Military attaché A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission, often an embassy. This type of attaché post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer, who retains a commission while serving with an embassy. Opport ...

s *

Non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

s (NGOs) *

Prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold priso ...

Prisoners of war (POWs) or

detainee Detention is the process whereby a state or private citizen lawfully holds a person by removing their freedom or liberty at that time. This can be due to (pending) criminal charges preferred against the individual pursuant to a prosecution or t ...

s *

Refugee A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.

s * Routine patrolling (

military police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. In wartime operations, the military police may support the main fighting force with force protection, convoy security, screening, rear recon ...

, patrols, etc.) *

Special reconnaissance Special reconnaissance (SR) or Recon Team is conducted by small units of highly trained military personnel, usually from special forces units or military intelligence organizations, who operate behind enemy lines, avoiding direct combat and detect ...

* Traveler debriefing (e.g. CIA Domestic Contact Service)

MI6 The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), commonly known as MI6 ( Military Intelligence, Section 6), is the foreign intelligence service of the United Kingdom, tasked mainly with the covert overseas collection and analysis of human intelligenc ...

is often thought to use human intelligence to operate in different countries or Britain itself to protect the country from global affairs. However, this is usually confused with their brother agency MI5, which focuses on the security of Britain.

GEOINT

Geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) are gathered from satellite and aerial photography, or mapping/terrain data. *

Imagery intelligence Imagery intelligence (IMINT), pronounced as either as ''Im-Int'' or ''I-Mint'', is an intelligence gathering discipline wherein imagery is analyzed (or "exploited") to identify information of intelligence value. Imagery used for defense intelli ...

(IMINT) – gathered from satellite and aerial photography

MASINT

Measurement and signature intelligence (MASINT) are gathered from an array of signatures (distinctive characteristics) of fixed or dynamic target sources. According to the

Air Force Institute of Technology The Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) is a graduate school and provider of professional and continuing education for the United States Armed Forces and is part of the United States Air Force. It is in Ohio at Wright-Patterson Air For ...

's Center for MASINT Studies and Research, MASINT is split into six major disciplines: electro-optical, nuclear, radar, geophysical, materials, and radiofrequency. #

Electro-optical MASINT Electro-optical MASINT is a subdiscipline of Measurement and Signature Intelligence, (MASINT) and refers to intelligence gathering activities which bring together disparate elements that do not fit within the definitions of Signals Intelligence ...

#* Airborne electro-optical missile tracking MASINT #* Tactical counter-artillery sensors #* Infrared MASINT #* Optical measurement of nuclear explosions #* LASER MASINT #* Spectroscopic MASINT #* Hyperspectral MASINT #* Space-based staring infrared sensors #

Nuclear MASINT Nuclear MASINT is one of the six major subdisciplines generally accepted to make up Measurement and Signature Intelligence (MASINT), which covers measurement and characterization of information derived from nuclear radiation and other physical ph ...

#* Radiation survey and dosimetry #* Space-based nuclear energy detection #* Effects of ionizing radiation on materials #

Geophysical MASINT Geophysical MASINT is a branch of Measurement and Signature Intelligence (MASINT) that involves phenomena transmitted through the earth (ground, water, atmosphere) and manmade structures including emitted or reflected sounds, pressure waves, vibra ...

#* Weather and sea intelligence MASINT #* Acoustic MASINT, also known as

acoustical intelligence Acoustical intelligence (ACOUSTINT, sometimes ACINT) is an intelligence gathering discipline that collects and processes acoustic phenomena. It is a subdiscipline of MASINT ( Measurement and Signature Intelligence). This uses broadband and narro ...

(ACOUSTINT or ACINT) #* Seismic MASINT #* Magnetic MASINT #* Gravitimetric MASINT #

Radar MASINT Radar MASINT is a subdiscipline of measurement and signature intelligence (MASINT) and refers to intelligence gathering activities that bring together disparate elements that do not fit within the definitions of signals intelligence (SIGINT), ...

#* Line-of-sight radar MASINT #* Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) MASINT #*

Non-cooperative target recognition Radar MASINT is a subdiscipline of measurement and signature intelligence (MASINT) and refers to intelligence gathering activities that bring together disparate elements that do not fit within the definitions of signals intelligence (SIGINT), im ...

#* Multistatic radar MASINT #* Passive covert radar #

Materials MASINT Materials MASINT is one of the six major disciplines generally accepted to make up the field of Measurement and Signature Intelligence (MASINT), with due regard that the MASINT subdisciplines may overlap, and MASINT, in turn, is complementary to m ...

#* Chemical materials MASINT #* Biological materials MASINT #* Nuclear test analysis #

Radiofrequency MASINT Radiofrequency MASINT is one of the six major disciplines generally accepted to make up the field of Measurement and Signature Intelligence (MASINT), with due regard that the MASINT subdisciplines may overlap, and MASINT, in turn, is complementary ...

#* Frequency domain MASINT #* Electromagnetic pulse MASINT #* Unintentional radiation MASINT

OSINT

Open-source intelligence (OSINT) are gathered from open sources. OSINT can be further segmented by the source type: Internet/General, Scientific/Technical, and various HUMINT specialties, e.g. trade shows, association meetings, and interviews.

SIGINT

Signals intelligence (SIGINT) are gathered from interception of signals. *

Communications intelligence Signals intelligence (SIGINT) is list of intelligence gathering disciplines, intelligence-gathering by interception of ''Signal, signals'', whether communications between people (communications intelligence—abbreviated to COMINT) or from ele ...

(COMINT) *

Electronic intelligence Signals intelligence (SIGINT) is intelligence-gathering by interception of ''signals'', whether communications between people (communications intelligence—abbreviated to COMINT) or from electronic signals not directly used in communication ( ...

(ELINT) – gathered from electronic signals that do not contain speech or text (which are considered COMINT) **

Foreign instrumentation signals intelligence Foreign instrumentation signals intelligence, FISINT (''F''oreign ''I''nstrumentation ''S''ignature ''INT''elligence) is intelligence from the interception of foreign electromagnetic emissions associated with the testing and operational deployment o ...

(FISINT) – entails the collection and analysis of

telemetry Telemetry is the in situ data collection, collection of measurements or other data at remote points and their automatic data transmission, transmission to receiving equipment (telecommunication) for monitoring. The word is derived from the Gr ...

data from a missile or sometimes from aircraft tests; formerly known as

telemetry intelligence Telemetry intelligence (TELINT) is a subdiscipline of FISINT which is concerned with missiles and other remotely monitored devices sending back continuous streams of data about their location, speed, engine status and other metrics. This data can p ...

or TELINT

TECHINT

Technical intelligence (TECHINT) are gathered from analysis of weapons and equipment used by the armed forces of foreign nations, or environmental conditions. *

Medical intelligence Medical Intelligence is defined by the Department of Defense as: That category of intelligence resulting from collection, evaluation, analysis, and interpretation of foreign medical, bio-scientific, and environmental information that is of intere ...

(MEDINT) – gathered from analysis of medical records and/or actual physiological examinations to determine health and/or particular ailments and allergic conditions for consideration

CYBINT/DNINT

Cyber or digital network intelligence (CYBINT or DNINT) are gathered from

cyberspace Cyberspace is a concept describing a widespread interconnected digital technology. "The expression dates back from the first decade of the diffusion of the internet. It refers to the online world as a world 'apart', as distinct from everyday rea ...

. CYBINT can be considered as a subset of OSINT.

FININT

Financial intelligence (FININT) are gathered from analysis of monetary transactions.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Intelligence gathering disciplines Open-source intelligence Government-related lists