THE DIA MUSEUM
 
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STAYING AHEAD

through technology & innovation

An image of the lower portion of the DIA museum.
An image of a top-down floor plan with a section on the right filled in with color indicating the section in relation

DIA IS A CONSTANTLY EVOLVING AGENCY BY BOTH necessity and design. Historically, DIA has been a technological innovator. DIA’s push to stay ahead involves adapting new technologies for use in current missions, learning the adversaries’ technologies, and creating new technology to further improve the Agency and the Intelligence Community.

DIA’s technological pursuits span the full range of intelligence collection: human intelligence, signals intelligence, measurement and signature intelligence, open-source intelligence and geospatial intelligence. Technology is also applied to the ways collected intelligence is communicated and analyzed.

MEASUREMENT AND SIGNATURE INTELLIGENCE

 

Weapon systems, tests and movements leave behind distinctive characteristics, called signatures. MASINT is an assortment of subdisciplines that measure the signatures associated with trajectory, radar, sound, heat, radiation, and chemical or biological material.

If the intelligence field were compared to a criminal investigation, the MASINT analysts would be the equivalent of the forensic scientists in a lab. Often considered the most technical of the intelligence collection disciplines, MASINT employs scientific measurements to discover and analyze intelligence where other intelligence disciplines cannot.

Below: A soldier emplaces a tactical ground sensor.

A soldier in full combat gear lies prone on a gravelly surface while deploying a tactical ground sensor. Another sensor stands deployed in the background.

Just as a forensic scientist may use a cotton swab to collect DNA, DIA employs MASINT sensors — instruments such as radars, lasers, passive electro-optical sensors, nuclear radiation detectors, and seismic or acoustic sensors — to collect information. Sensors can be included on collection platforms ranging from submarines to satellites and sometimes disguised as bricks, logs and other commonly found items.

MEASUREMENT AND SIGNATURE INTELLIGENCE

 

Sensors can be used to capture information for a variety of reasons and in a range of locations and environments. Sensors can be deployed on the ground, under the sea and in the air. Humanitarian efforts, such as providing assistance in a disaster, may even utilize open-use sensors plainly visible to the general public.

Steel Eagle Prototype

A prototype of the Steel Eagle munition is shown vertically against a black background. The bright orange device has a sharp, pointed tip for ground penetration and a set of folded fins near the top.
A bright orange, tube-shaped munition rests on a dark, rumpled fabric. The device has a sharply pointed nose and a wider tail assembly, shown with its fins retracted. A close-up of the tail end of an orange munition shows a white circular base plate secured with four screws and encircled by a black ring. The device is resting on a dark fabric surface. A close-up view of the tail assembly of an orange munition. The fins are shown retracted, folded into slots in the device's body. The munition is resting on a dark, rumpled fabric. A close-up of the nose cone of an orange munition, showing scuff marks and wear. The device is resting on a dark fabric surface.

Steel Eagles were unattended seismic MASINT sensors developed to monitor human and vehicle traffic in western Iraq during the middle phases of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. The finalized versions were dropped from U.S. Air Force fighter jets. Steel Eagles provided real-time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance in hard-to-access areas.

the nibbler

DIA’s Nibbler was the first ever 3D-printed drone.

The quadcopter’s simple design, including a motor, batteries, a spool of filament and a smart phone “brain,” keeps it small enough to be transported in a backpack. It can be configured to carry multiple sensors and communications payloads. It can fly as high as 4,000 feet when launched from the ground or be dropped out of an aircraft from as high as 6,000 feet.

COST: $1,500-$2000
WEIGHT: about 5 pounds
PAYLOAD: 1.5-2.0 pounds
SPEED: 35 mph
TIME TO CONFIGURE: 15-25 minutes

A quadcopter drone with a black central body, two black arms, and two white arms, is displayed against a black background. Each arm is equipped with a motor and a two-bladed propeller.
A quadcopter drone, with a black central body and white arms, is shown resting on a dark, rumpled fabric background. A disassembled quadcopter drone with its components laid out on a dark, rumpled fabric. The parts displayed include the main body with folded arms, four separate propellers, and the top cover plate. A top-down view of a disassembled quadcopter drone with its components arranged on a dark fabric background. The main body, with its arms folded, is shown alongside the four detached propellers and the top cover plate.

seabotix

An orange and black LBV200 remotely operated vehicle (ROV). The device features a protective frame, external lights, sensors, and a clear rear dome revealing its internal electronics.
An orange and black LBV200 remotely operated vehicle (ROV) is shown resting on a dark fabric background. It features a protective black frame, external lights, and a clear rear dome that reveals its internal electronics. A top-down view of an orange and black remotely operated vehicle (ROV). The clear rear panel reveals the internal electronic components, and two external lights are visible on either side. A detailed close-up of the internal electronics of a remotely operated vehicle, showing circuit boards, multi-colored wiring, and a safety warning label.

The SeaBotix, or Eye of the Sea, was used in the development of underwater ISR capabilities in preparation for joint military operations.

CAMOUFLAGED SENSORS

A surveillance and concealment device disguised as a hollow tree stump, shown against a black background. A camera lens is visible inside a knot hole on the side.

When clandestine use is required, DIA’s Office of Technical Operations camouflages sensors to blend into the environment. For clandestine-use sensors, the only limitation is the size of the sensor — anything can be built around it. The sensor’s housing can also be adapted for different uses — a “brick” that collected seismic vibrations during one mission can be refitted with a different sensor in the future.

Tree-Stump Sensor

Made to blend into the natural environment, the tree-stump sensor can be fitted with any sensor that can fit into the form. This one holds a camera. For this display, the moss camouflage to conceal the camera has been removed to highlight the camera placement.

The hollowed-out interior of a tree stump concealment device, showing the smooth, light-colored inner surface. A close-up view of a camera lens peering out from a knot hole in a device disguised as a tree stump. A view of the cut end of a tree stump concealment device, showing simulated growth rings for a realistic appearance. A detailed close-up of the realistic, textured bark exterior of a tree stump concealment device.

Rocks

One of these rocks is a homing beacon that a downed pilot could track to find a safe place to be rescued. The other one is just a rock.

Can you tell the difference?

The two halves of a rock-like concealment device are shown separated, revealing the hollow interior. An alternate view of the two separated halves of a rock concealment device, highlighting the hollowed-out compartments.
A surveillance and concealment device designed to look like a rock with green moss, shown against a black background.

Brick & Wood Sensors

The brick has been used as an audio recording device, but it can be outfitted with a number of different sensors. It is customized for each operation. The wooden block conceals space for an array of MASINT sensors.

A concealment device disguised as a small log is shown open, revealing a hollowed-out compartment designed to hold a small electronic device. The interior of a brick concealment device, showing three hollowed-out cylindrical compartments and wiring for housing electronic equipment.
A composite image displaying two concealment devices. The top object is disguised as a small wooden log. The bottom object is a red brick with three cylindrical holes, designed to house surveillance equipment.

MOBILE SENSORS

Vehicles provide an excellent placement for sensors. Cars and trucks are mobile by design, allowing for easy movement between locations, and can be parked in one place for longer-term collection. Can you find the concealed camera lens?

A black car bumper modified with hidden compartments for surveillance. Numbered markers indicate four separate concealments, including one behind a license plate.

Car Bumper Sensor

  • Camera: hidden in a custom-designed, hermetically sealed housing mounted behind the license plate bolt; the lens is in the center of the bolt.
  • GPS Antenna: placed in a position where it can get a clear shot of the sky without any interference from metal objects.
  • Transmitter Antenna: sends collected data; it must be positioned to minimize interference from metal objects.
  • Video Transmitter: sends positional metadata overlayed onto video; collected and formatted for exfiltration to an outside receiver.
A close-up of a license plate holder, marked as 4, modified to create a concealment on a car bumper. The Virginia license plate sticker is visible. A close-up of the side view of a vehicle, showing a red and black custom trim piece with a small, black latch attached to the door frame.
A close-up of a concealment device, marked as 1, hidden within a car bumper, which appears to house a small camera or sensor. A close-up of a black electronic device with gold-colored connectors, marked as 2, recessed into a hidden compartment within a car bumper. A close-up of a narrow vertical slit, marked as 3, cut into a car bumper to provide a concealed viewing port.

Exploitation

 

In intelligence, exploitation is the examination and analysis of materiel recovered from an adversary. With technology, that means examining, analyzing and often completely disassembling the components to see exactly how they work. This gives the exploiters an insight into how the current technology works and a reasonable idea of how far this technology may advance in the next one to two generations. This information allows the U.S. military to continue to keep its technology a step ahead of the adversary’s technology.

Information obtained through exploitation informs doctrine development and military training. It also can determine acquisition needs for current and future programs. In the late 1960s, DIA led programs to exploit recently acquired Soviet MiG aircraft. Carried out at Groom Lake (also known as Area 51) in Nevada, the top-secret programs sought to answer why, despite superior technology and aircraft, the United States was losing air battles in Vietnam.

“The MiG is pretty formidable … we’re going to have to fly our airplanes a lot better … ”
-Captain Marland “Doc” Townsend, U.S. Navy
 

The MiG-21 “Fishbed” fighter acquired by DIA flies over Groom Lake, Nevada, with its new U.S. markings.

HAVE PROGRAMS

The HAVE DOUGHNUT, HAVE DRILL and HAVE FERRY programs exploited Soviet aircraft, a MiG-21 FISHBED and two MiG-17 FRESCOs, provided to DIA by a partner nation. DIA worked with the U.S. Air Force and Navy to determine how to beat the MiGs in a dogfight. The MiGs were flown, analyzed, disassembled and studied. By the end of the program, the U.S. had discovered the aircrafts’ strengths, weaknesses, vulnerabilities and unique technology.

The MiGs and the tactical manuals created during the programs were used at the U.S. Navy’s Fighter Weapons School, commonly known as Top Gun, and were instrumental in forming the U.S. Air Force’s Red Flag exercises to train pilots.

The exploitation resulted in the creation of an entirely new air-to-air combat doctrine, as well as new technologies. Updated training methods incorporated these lessons and stressed that MiGs were effective aircraft and not to be taken lightly.

The airfield at Groom Lake, Nevada, within Area 51 was home to numerous sensitive programs, including the exploitation of the MiG aircraft.

A technical cutaway drawing showing the inboard profile of a MiG-17 Fresco fighter jet. The diagram labels key internal components, including the engine, fuel tanks, cockpit, and armament. A black-and-white aerial photograph shows a MiG-17, marked with a U.S. insignia, flying alongside a U.S. Air Force F-105 Thunderchief over a layer of clouds.
A close-up color photograph of a MiG-21 cockpit, showing a complex array of analog gauges, dials, switches, and controls on the instrument panel. Technicians work on a silver MiG-21 fighter jet inside a large aircraft hangar. One technician stands on a ladder near the open cockpit. The aircraft displays a U.S. insignia.

Tactical & Technical Exploitation Manuals for the MiG-17 and MiG-21 Aircraft

Exploiting an adversary’s technology results in volumes of tactical and technical information. In the case of the HAVE programs, more than 1,700 pages of exploitation findings became the basis of the training manuals used by the U.S. Navy’s Fighter Weapons School, also known as Top Gun, and the U.S. Air Force’s Red Flag exercises.

An open technical report showing a page with two black-and-white photographs of aircraft in flight opposite a page of heavily redacted text.
The blue cover of a Defense Intelligence Agency document, marked UNCLASSIFIED and titled HAND DOCUMENTED TECHNICAL.
The white cover of a Foreign Technology Division report, featuring the division's crest. Sections of the text, including signatures, have been redacted.

Military Capability Exploitation and Analysis

 

While the steps may need to be altered to fit specific programs, in general, the exploitation process follows four steps.

Staying Ahead

DIA tracks foreign military capabilities and, before a system is even fielded, tracks an adversary’s technological advancements, developments and improvements.

Tracking Deployment

Once a new weapons system is fielded DIA tracks its deployment, movements, and transfers to foreign countries.

Exploiting

Once DIA acquires the weapons system, specialists examine it to determine its precise capabilities and limitations.

Countering the Threat

After a successful exploitation, DIA works with the defense industry to develop countermeasures to defeat the new threat.

"You must know its physical characteristics, its performance, how it will appear to various sensors, its nuances and it vulnerabilities . . .
That’s what it takes to hit a bullet with a bullet."
-Missile and Space Intelligence Center Director Mark Clark

A Spanish boarding team tipped off by the U.S. stops the North Korean commercial vessel So San on December 9, 2002. They discovered fifteen disassembled SCUD missiles bound for Yemen.

Defeating a Common Threat

 

The SCUD missile was among the major weapons systems initially analyzed by DIA when the Agency was established in 1961. DIA applied the full breadth of its collection, exploitation and analytic capabilities to provide the military, decision-makers, and the U.S. defense industry with the needed information to counter the emerging weapons system.

The SCUD proliferated to more than 30 countries. It is still routinely used in military operations, including operations against the United States. The U.S. military and its industry partners successfully exploited the weapons system and developed countermeasures, such as the Patriot missile. The Patriot missile was used against the SCUD to great effect, most notably during Operation DESERT STORM.

SCUD MISSILE

Russian Designation: R-17

  • First Deployed: 1964
  • Length: 11.17 meters
  • Diameter: 0.88 meters
  • Launch Weight: 5,860 kilograms
  • Payload: 1,000 kilograms (single 790 kilogram warhead)
  • Warhead Types: Conventional, Chemical, Biological, Nuclear
  • Guidance: Inertial
  • Propulsion: Single Stage Liquid
  • Range: 300 kilometers
  • Accuracy: 800 meters Circular Error of Probability
  • Launch Vehicle: Transporter Erector Launcher
  • Launch Sequence: Roughly 30 minutes
An artist's rendering of two Scud-B mobile missile launchers in a forested area. One launcher is driving on a dirt road while another is positioned in the background with its missile raised to a vertical launch position. A Scud missile on its transport erector launcher (TEL), a large, camouflaged military truck, preparing for movement or launch in a field. A soldier in desert camouflage inspects the wreckage of a Scud missile that has been destroyed. The missile is broken in half on the sand, exposing its internal wiring and components. The aftermath of a Scud missile attack, showing a completely destroyed warehouse. A lone figure stands amidst the widespread debris and twisted metal structure.
A tall, dark green Scud ballistic missile and a smaller, white surface-to-air missile displayed vertically inside a museum in front of a large, multi-story glass window.
 

NATO Designation: CSSC-2 Silkworm

HY-2 Silkworm Missile

Chinese Designation: Hai Ying 2

Exploitation of foreign weapons systems lets operational planners better pre-position forces to maximize any military advantages. In Operation EARNEST WILL, during the Iran-Iraq Tanker War in the 1980s, the exploitation of the Silkworm missile provided insight into its range, altitude, speed and vulnerabilities.

During the Tanker War, a U.S.-led convoy — the largest convoy operation since World War II — escorted tanker ships into and out of the Persian Gulf. DIA identified numerous Silkworm missile batteries along the Strait of Hormuz posing an immediate threat to the ships. Knowing the Silkworm’s technical capabilities and its limitations allowed the U.S. to optimally position its naval forces to mitigate the threat, thereby preventing casualties and saving vessels.

NATO Designation: CSSC-2 Silkworm

Soviet Acoustic Mine

Q-35-2-32

Mines, such as this Q-35-2-32 captured in Iraq in 1991, are responsible for sinking or damaging more U.S. ships than any other naval weapons system since the end of WWII. Exploitation of mines helps with the development of new sensors and other countermeasures to better detect and defeat them.

Soviet Acoustic Mine is displayed in a museum next to an informational placard.

NATO Designation: SA-7 Grail

Soviet Designation: 9K32 Strela-2

Soviet SA-7 Missile & Launcher

Released in 1968, SA-7s were involved in dozens of shootdowns of U.S. aircraft throughout the Vietnam War. Effective exploitation of the missile resulted in a better understanding of its technical limitations. The U.S. Air Force then trained pilots in countermeasures, giving them a much greater chance of survival against SA-7s.

Several military personnel in different uniforms inspect a collection of captured weapons, including various machine guns and a rocket launcher, laid out on a table.
A soldier in a helmet and uniform aims a shoulder-fired missile launcher.

Rocket Propelled Grenade-7

The RPG is designed to defeat lightly armored vehicles. In the early phases of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, U.S. and allied vehicles frequently suffered damage from insurgent RPGs. After DIA’s exploitation of RPGs, the U.S. military was able to significantly reduce casualties by developing, testing and fielding an array of new up-armor programs.

A green, shoulder-fired surface-to-air missile launcher with its gripstock and trigger mechanism is displayed against a dark fabric background.
A green shoulder-fired missile launcher and a separate gray missile are laid out parallel to each other on a dark fabric background. A close-up view of a gray missile's seeker head, which is the guidance system at the tip. The tail end of a missile, showing its four fins deployed around the exhaust nozzle.
The rear view of a Stryker armored vehicle with camouflage netting, on patrol in a village street with soldiers and a local child nearby. The rear quarter panel of a tan military vehicle, showing significant battle damage from shrapnel. A green Stryker armored vehicle with slat armor is parked inside a maintenance bay or garage.

SECURING SENSITIVE INFORMATION

 

Good intelligence is only useful if the right people can access it in a timely manner. In the wrong hands, good intelligence can destroy a mission and endanger lives. As a result, keeping classified materials secure has always been of the utmost importance.

In 1990, DIA began a program to allow authorized individuals to send and receive classified information via a secure network. Seeking a way to communicate faster and more securely seemed like a pipe dream in the era of portable magnetic data storage devices, like VHS tapes and floppy disks. Yet, a small team from DIA took on the improbable task of creating a system to facilitate direct, secure communications. The Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System, known as JWICS, was created as a secure way for the Pentagon, intelligence directorates and service intelligence centers to communicate directly in real time.

A large, fiery explosion erupts in the middle of a densely populated town, sending a huge cloud of smoke and debris into the air.

Precision guided weapons strike targets identified by targeting databases like the Modern Integrated Database.

A large, mobile satellite dish with COMMUNICATIONS printed on it, part of a field-deployed communications hub next to a guard tower. A man in desert camouflage stands in front of the dish.

JWICS

At its inception, JWICS was meant to be a secure videoconferencing system. As word spread about the power and usefulness of JWICS videoconferencing, demand for it grew. Videoconferencing, however, did not use the entire available bandwidth, and eventually, the system grew to include email and data sharing.

In 1991, DIA successfully established a JWICS connection between the Pentagon and Commander in Chief, Atlantic Command Intelligence Directorate in Norfolk, Virginia, streamlining communications between the two intelligence hubs. The White House Situation Room followed, installing a JWICS suite in 1993. Within four years of the kickoff of the project more than 100 sites were using JWICS. By 2000, JWICS had modernized to include secure data, voice, chat and email communications in addition to its videoconferencing capabilities. The system, born before the world wide web, continues to evolve and is a crucial part of daily work for more than 200,000 global users.

The system, born before the world wide web, continues to evolve and is a crucial part of daily work for more than 200,000 global users.

A panoramic photograph of a formal meeting, showing civilian leaders, including what appears to be former President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore, seated at a conference table with military officials.
"There are not too many things in your career where you can look back and say, 'that was like a ‘moon shot.’ JWICS was our moon shot … "
Terrence McCall, JWICS Program Management Office, 1994

Before JWICS, intelligence was sent via crate. Now, is sent securely at the touch of a button. During Operation DESERT STORM, crates weighing upwards of one ton took a full day to travel to Iraq on a military cargo plane. While the information was organized for use in the field, the work still required manual searching — hard copy files have no “keyword search” function.

A C-130 transport aircraft on an airfield tarmac with its rear cargo door open. Crates are being loaded onto or offloaded from a truck backed up to the ramp.
A close-up of a metal lock and key securing the zipper of a black leather bag or pouch.
A black, zippered portfolio bag with leather handles and the letters 'DIA/CP' embroidered in yellow on the front. The bag is lying on a dark, rumpled fabric.

Courier bags

Courier bags were used to transport intelligence classified material. The bags often had double closures and could be physically attached to the courier via handcuffs. Getting information from DIA Headquarters to the Pentagon could take an hour or longer. International couriers could take days to reach their destinations.

 

Communicating Sensitive Information

 

Maintaining targeting data is not new; however, it is now more precise than ever and easier to communicate. During World War II, intelligence officers consulted physical books with thousands of pages of targeting data. Given the lag between recording the data and putting it to use, the information was sometimes outdated by the time a campaign began. There was always an element of uncertainty in selecting targets.

Today, targeting data from multiple sources can be updated instantly, compressing the time needed to support operations. Now, targets can be as specific as an individual building, and its location can be monitored in real time via JWICS. The combination of precision weapons and real-time data results in significantly fewer civilian casualties and swifter, more effective operations against the adversary.

A world map overlaid with a grid system, dividing the globe into numbered rectangular zones for intelligence or military analysis.

A worldwide chart, circa 1970, contains required Modernized Integrated Database location codes allowing users to quickly identify a geographical region anywhere in the world.

Carpet-Bombing vs. Precision Strikes

A black-and-white aerial photograph of a war-torn landscape, showing the ruins of buildings and the ground extensively pockmarked with water-filled craters.

Wesel, Germany, was 97% destroyed before Allied troops took the city in 1945.

In World War II, the limitations of the available technology left few options. Axis and Allied nations alike bombed entire cities in order to destroy critical targets, killing millions of people. Today, key targets can be destroyed without the widespread loss of life. DIA’s battle damage assessments also help eliminate follow-on sorties against the same target.

An aerial black-and-white battle damage assessment photograph from Desert Storm, showing two hardened aircraft shelters, one with a large hole in its roof from a direct hit.

Precision strikes against a target in Iraq greatly limited the collateral damage.

A simulated drone's heads-up display showing an aerial view of an archaeological site, with four distinct locations identified as TARGET 1 through TARGET 4.

A typical precision strike from a guided munition relies on location data from DIA’s database. Guided weapons and precision targeting significantly reduce the number of civilian casualties.

IMAGE CREDIT: Office for Emergency Management. Office of War Information. Overseas Operations Branch. New York Office. News and Features Bureau. 12/17/1942-9/15/1945 Image available from the National Archives.