PAST DIRECTORS OF DIA
 
ABOUT / HISTORY / DIRECTORS / LT GEN kenneth minihan

Lt Gen Kenneth Minihan, USAF
August 1995 - February 1996

Lt. Gen. Kenneth Minihan came to DIA in the midst of critical events in the Balkans. In summer 1995, the Bosnian War reached a boiling point as the Croatian Army launched several successful offensives in the Krajina region, NATO launched air strikes against targets in Bosnian Serb territory, and Bosnian Serb forces overran Srebrenica, a United Nations safe zone. In fall 1995, the major players in the Yugoslav crisis agreed in Geneva on the basic principles for peace in Bosnia, leading to the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement in November. DIA supported the NATO-led Implementation Force commitment to Bosnia with three National Intelligence Support Teams and the Pentagon-based Yugoslav Intelligence Task Force.

The newly formed Defense HUMINT Service achieved its initial operating capability on October 1, 1995. DHS consolidated the HUMINT activities of all branches of the military under the umbrella of DIA. This new organization reflected the driving need to consolidate and focus downsized resources to maximize the effectiveness of reduced assets. DIA was also designated as the Intelligence Community's executive agent for measurement and signature intelligence.

 

"Terrorists detonated bombs at the U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania on August 7, 1998, killing more than 250 people, including 12 Americans. Islamic fundamentalists under the leadership of Osama bin Laden were suspected in the attack."

 

In November 1995, the Department of Defense consolidated imagery and mapping functions into the National Imagery and Mapping Agency. This move incorporated all of the Central Imagery Office and the Defense Mapping Agency, as well as portions of the National Photographic Interpretation Center, National Reconnaissance Office, Defense Airborne Reconnaissance Office, and the imagery personnel and services in DIA. NIMA was formally established on October 1, 1996.

Minihan's time at DIA was limited. The secretary of defense and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff had agreed that Minihan would serve at DIA only until February 1996, when he would became the director of the National Security Agency.