Defence Intelligence Academy
Ministry of Defence training organisation for military intelligence
| Defence Intelligence Academy (DIA)
| |
|---|---|
| Type | Military intelligence training organisation |
| Location | RAF Wyton; Denison Barracks, Hermitage; Chicksands |
| Remarks | Part of Cyber & Specialist Operations Command (Ministry of Defence) |
The Defence Intelligence Academy (DIA) is the Ministry of Defence's training organisation for military intelligence. Cyber & Specialist Operations Command (CSOC) lists it with the Defence Academy and the Defence Medical Academy as one of its three academies, describing it as "the UK MOD's premier training hub for military intelligence and security, specialising in cyber, space, and geospatial analysis".[1]
Launch
Sources give different dates for the Academy's launch. On 12 December 2025, announcing the Military Intelligence Services (MIS), the MOD said MIS "will be supported by the new Defence Intelligence Academy who offer world-class training in key intelligence disciplines such as cyber, space and geospatial analysis".[2] A 2026 Civil Service job advertisement for the Academy says it "was launched in February 2025 and aims to become a world leading Intelligence and Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) training, education and research academy", serving "UK Defence, Partners Across Government (PAG) and international allies".[3]
Colleges and sites
Job advertisements and procurement notices from 2026 name parts of the Academy at three sites.
- Targeting College, RAF Wyton. It delivers targeting training "to DI, its single Service counterparts, and wider Defence and its partners where capacity allows". The advertisement lists the business area as "MOD - Military Strategic Headquarters - Defence Intelligence Academy" and mentions regular visits to Hermitage and Chicksands.[3]
- Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance College (ISR College), Denison Barracks, Hermitage, Berkshire. It "delivers world-class professional defence training and education to representatives of the British armed forces, wider UK government and international partners". Its geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) courses are accredited as a BSc (Hons) and an MSc "by civilian academic partners".[4]
- Chicksands, Bedfordshire. An Army procurement notice of August 2026 says that most Intelligence Corps apprenticeship training "is delivered by the British Army at the Defence Intelligence Academy (DIA), Chicksands, Bedfordshire". The apprenticeships include Level 4 Intelligence Analyst and Level 4 Data Analyst.[5]
The Defence Academy lists courses offered to international partners through the Academy, among them an Imagery Intelligence Analysis Course, an MSc in Geospatial Intelligence, an International Defence Intelligence Analyst Module and an International Intelligence Directors Course.[1]
Chicksands and earlier training organisations
Chicksands is also the headquarters of the Intelligence Corps.[6] No official source found sets out how the Academy relates to earlier intelligence training organisations at Chicksands (see Defence Intelligence and Security Centre).
See also
- Defence Intelligence
- Military Intelligence Services
- Intelligence Corps
- Defence Intelligence and Security Centre
- Chicksands
- RAF Wyton
- Defence Academy of the United Kingdom
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Defence Academy, Study with the Cyber & Specialist Operations Command da.mod.uk, accessed 1 November 2026.
- ↑ Ministry of Defence and John Healey, UK launches new Military Intelligence Services as hostile threats surge GOV.UK, 12 December 2025, accessed 1 November 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Ministry of Defence, Head of Training Delivery Targeting College Civil Service Jobs, closing date 17 July 2026, accessed 1 November 2026.
- ↑ Ministry of Defence, ISR College: GEOINT Burnham Lecturer Civil Service Jobs, closing date 17 July 2026, accessed 1 November 2026.
- ↑ Ministry of Defence, Delivery of Apprenticeships to the Intelligence Corps Find a Tender, 17 August 2026, accessed 1 November 2026.
- ↑ British Army, Intelligence Corps army.mod.uk, accessed 1 November 2026.