Defense Attaché System
Encyclopedia
The Defense Attaché System is a part of the Defense Intelligence Agency
in the United States
that provides military and civilian attaché
s to foreign governments.
In 1949 the Department of Defense
(DoD) established the need for each branch of the military to establish its own attache system in coordination with the State Department
. From July 1951 to March 1952 the Secretary of Defense, at Joint Chiefs of Staff
(JCS) urging, established a limited Executive Agent System in support of attache operations.
The DoD's Office of Special Operations (OSO) negotiated with the Department of State for opening the attache systems. Upon the activation of the Defense Intelligence Agency
(DIA), and the subsequent disestablishment of OSO, DIA assumed responsibility. In 1961, the Secretary of Defense deferred the placement of all attaches under DIA management, and the Services continued to manage, operate, and support their individual attache systems.
Several problems existed with the control of attaches under the different branches of the military. Each reported separately to the Ambassador and represented the U.S. separately to the host country military, causing duplication of effort. Moreover, the distribution of information was poor. Artificial barriers to a free exchange of information between the branches and the JCS existed, and the coordination of attache activities with other DoD elements was difficult. The cost to DoD in sponsoring up to three separate elements in a single country amounted to the inefficient use of limited resources. Furthermore, the collection and dissemination of duplicate intelligence produced uncertainties. So, on 12 December 1964, the Defense Attaché System (DAS) was established in response to these problems.
On 1 July 1965, the Defense Attaché System officially came under the Director of DIA. The objectives of the DAS under DIA are twofold: to provide a more efficient system for the collection of intelligence information for DoD components and to preserve a channel for Service-to-Service and DoD representational matters of common interest.
Defense Intelligence Agency
The Defense Intelligence Agency is a member of the Intelligence Community of the United States, and is the central producer and manager of military intelligence for the United States Department of Defense, employing over 16,500 U.S. military and civilian employees worldwide...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that provides military and civilian attaché
Attaché
Attaché is a French term in diplomacy referring to a person who is assigned to the diplomatic or administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency...
s to foreign governments.
History
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
(DoD) established the need for each branch of the military to establish its own attache system in coordination with the State Department
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
. From July 1951 to March 1952 the Secretary of Defense, at Joint Chiefs of Staff
Joint Chiefs of Staff
The Joint Chiefs of Staff is a body of senior uniformed leaders in the United States Department of Defense who advise the Secretary of Defense, the Homeland Security Council, the National Security Council and the President on military matters...
(JCS) urging, established a limited Executive Agent System in support of attache operations.
The DoD's Office of Special Operations (OSO) negotiated with the Department of State for opening the attache systems. Upon the activation of the Defense Intelligence Agency
Defense Intelligence Agency
The Defense Intelligence Agency is a member of the Intelligence Community of the United States, and is the central producer and manager of military intelligence for the United States Department of Defense, employing over 16,500 U.S. military and civilian employees worldwide...
(DIA), and the subsequent disestablishment of OSO, DIA assumed responsibility. In 1961, the Secretary of Defense deferred the placement of all attaches under DIA management, and the Services continued to manage, operate, and support their individual attache systems.
Several problems existed with the control of attaches under the different branches of the military. Each reported separately to the Ambassador and represented the U.S. separately to the host country military, causing duplication of effort. Moreover, the distribution of information was poor. Artificial barriers to a free exchange of information between the branches and the JCS existed, and the coordination of attache activities with other DoD elements was difficult. The cost to DoD in sponsoring up to three separate elements in a single country amounted to the inefficient use of limited resources. Furthermore, the collection and dissemination of duplicate intelligence produced uncertainties. So, on 12 December 1964, the Defense Attaché System (DAS) was established in response to these problems.
On 1 July 1965, the Defense Attaché System officially came under the Director of DIA. The objectives of the DAS under DIA are twofold: to provide a more efficient system for the collection of intelligence information for DoD components and to preserve a channel for Service-to-Service and DoD representational matters of common interest.
Chronology
- 1889 - Permanent military attaches sent to LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, BerlinBerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, ViennaViennaVienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, and St. PetersburgSaint PetersburgSaint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
. (By 1896, military attaches were serving also in RomeRomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, MadridMadridMadrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, and BrusselsBrusselsBrussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
.) - 1918 - 24 military attaches accredited to 28 capitals and 15 naval attaches to 18 capitals.
- 1936 - 464 military and naval attaches abroad.
- 1945 - Military attaches in 45 capitals
- 1948 - 258 ArmyUnited States ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
and Air ForceUnited States Air ForceThe United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
officers on attached duty in 59 countries and 120 naval officers in 43 countries. - 1949 - 2049 personnel on attache duty; a Senior Attache was designated for each capital.
- 1950 - Attaches were cut by 35%, and 36 posts were eliminated; totals were 1458.
- 1951 - Executive agency system replaced the Senior Attache system.
- 1952 - Executive agency system abandoned, and Services reassumed logistical and administrative support for own attaches.
- 1956 - 166 attache posts in 71 countries: 68 Army, 45 Navy, 53 Air Force; total personnel.
- 1956 - Sixty foreign countries had 121 attaches in Washington: 57 Army, 32 NavyUnited States NavyThe United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, 32 Air force. - 1960 - The Defense Department had 2090 attache personnel in 74 capitals.
- 1963 - Attache personnel reached a high of 2345.
- 1964 - U.S. attache personnel reduced to 1936.
- 1965 - Defense Attaché System established.