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.

MULTI-ENVIRONMENT SENSORS

 

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

Steel Eagle prototype

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.

A full-length photograph of a long, orange, probe-like instrument lying on a dark, wrinkled surface. The device has a pointed nose cone at one end and a wider, mechanical base at the other. The base of an orange, cylindrical instrument. A flat, white end cap is secured with four screws and is surrounded by a black circular bumper. The background is a dark, wrinkled fabric. The mid-section of an orange, cylindrical instrument, showing mechanical details such as hinged panels, seams, and a circular port on its side. The background is a dark, wrinkled fabric. A close-up photograph of the pointed, orange nose cone of a cylindrical instrument. The surface shows some scuff marks and wear. The background is a dark, wrinkled fabric.

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-$2,000
WEIGHT: about 5 pounds
PAYLOAD: 1.5-2.0 pounds
SPEED: 35 mph
TIME TO CONFIGURE: 15-25 minutes

A high-angle studio shot of a fully assembled quadcopter drone. The drone features a black and white body with four arms, each holding a propeller with a visible carbon fiber texture.
A front view of a fully assembled quadcopter drone. The drone has a black central body and four white arms extending outwards, each with a motor and a black propeller. It is sitting on a dark, wrinkled fabric background. An angled view of a disassembled drone and its components. The main body, with white folded arms, is shown next to its black top cover and four detached black propellers, all resting on a dark, wrinkled fabric background. A top-down view of a disassembled drone. The main circular body sits in the center, with its white arms folded in. Beside it are the black top cover and four detached black propellers neatly arranged in a row.

seabotix

A high-angle studio photograph of an orange and black remotely operated vehicle (ROV) against a solid black background. The ROV features a protective black cage, multiple external lights, and a top-mounted cylindrical sensor. Its internal circuitry is visible through a clear dome at the front.

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

A side profile of an orange and black remotely operated vehicle (ROV) on a dark surface. The device has a black protective frame, two forward-facing lights, and the text 'LBV200' printed on its side. A clear dome at the front reveals some of its internal components. A top-down view looking into the open chassis of an orange submersible device, revealing its internal electronics, including a circuit board and wiring. Two forward-facing lights are visible on either side. A close-up photograph of the internal electronics of a device. The image shows a complex assembly of circuit boards, multi-colored wires, and a silver warning label indicating a laser danger.

CAMOUFLAGED SENSORS

A highly realistic, artificial tree stump against a solid black background, showing detailed bark texture, coloration, and a dark knot-hole on its 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.

An object with a rough, brown, bark-like exterior and a smooth, light-yellow, funnel-shaped interior. A close-up photograph of a dark, circular hole embedded in a rough, textured surface that resembles weathered wood or rock. A short, thick, cylindrical piece of petrified wood, showing growth rings on its flat-cut end and a rough, wood-like texture on its sides. A close-up, detailed photograph of a surface with a pronounced, horizontal wood grain texture, showing variations in color and roughness.

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?

Two pieces of irregularly shaped, rock-like material with reddish-brown and greenish-yellow coloration, resting on a dark surface. Two distinct pieces of material on a dark surface: one is a rough, reddish-brown rock, and the other is a smoother, solid yellow piece.
A single piece of composite rock against a black background, featuring a reddish, block-like section embedded in a porous, greenish-yellow mineral formation.

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.

An open rectangular box with a realistic wood-grain texture. A smaller black object is visible inside the box. The lid rests partially on top. A white rectangular tray with a reddish-brown border, containing three round, dark-colored wells and various electronic components with wiring.
Two objects: a rectangular block with a realistic wood-grain finish on top, and a standard red brick with three circular holes below it.

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 studio photograph of a matte black car bumper against a solid black background. The bumper has been modified with several cutouts, marked with numbered labels, revealing internal components. A partial license plate is attached to the right side.

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 the corner of a white license plate, showing a yellow Virginia (VA) sticker for November (NOV) and part of a blue letter 'W'. A small label with the number 4 is at the top.
A close-up of a black metal latch mechanism attached to a glossy red and black object on the left, and bolted to a flat wooden surface on the right.
 
A dark gray, boxy component is seen through an oval opening in a black surface. The opening is lined with white padding, and a small white label with the number 1 is placed below it.
A white rectangular label with the number 3 printed on it, set against a black background. The tip of a white, pointed object with a black center line is visible at the top of the frame.
A small, black rectangular electronic component with two gold-colored connectors, viewed through an oval cutout in a white foam-like material. A small label with the number 2 is visible in the corner.

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.

MiG-21 flying over Groom Lake
“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.

MiG-17 Drawing MiG-17 Photo
MiG-21 Cockpit MiG-21 Technicians

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.

Document 3 Document 2 Document 1

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 rendering Scud on launcher Wreckage Destroyed warehouse
Tall Scud Display
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
Men on Silkworm missile

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.

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

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.

Soldier aiming Table of weapons

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.

Missile launcher gripstock
Missile components
Seeker head
Tail fins
Stryker rear view
Battle damage
Stryker in bay

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 city, sending a massive plume of thick gray smoke into the air above the buildings.

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

A soldier in desert camouflage stands in front of a large, trailer-mounted satellite dish. The dish has the word 'COMMUNICATIONS' printed on it. A guard tower and military equipment are visible in the background.

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.

A panoramic photograph of a formal meeting in a conference room. A group of men in military uniforms and suits are seated around a long table, engaged in discussion.
"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, it 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.

The rear of a C-130 military transport plane on an airfield tarmac, with its cargo ramp down. Personnel are loading or unloading large, net-covered crates from a flatbed truck into the aircraft.

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 gridded world map with landmasses in light green and country borders outlined in pink. The entire map is overlaid with a numbered grid system, and a legend is visible in the lower-left corner.

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 devastated landscape, showing the ruins of buildings and a field pockmarked with numerous 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.

A black-and-white aerial battle damage assessment photograph showing two hardened aircraft shelters. The top shelter has a large, dark hole in its roof, while the bottom shelter shows significant structural damage on one side.

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

An aerial drone or aircraft perspective of an archaeological ruin, viewed through a heads-up display (HUD). The display includes targeting reticles and data overlays, with four areas below marked 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.