Directorate of Military Intelligence (India)
| Directorate of Military Intelligence | |
|---|---|
.svg){kind=logo} Emblem associated with the Military Intelligence Corps | |
| Country |  India |
| Branch |  Indian Army |
| Type | Military intelligence |
| Role | Military intelligence and counterintelligence |
| Headquarters | Army Headquarters, New Delhi |
| Insignia | |
| Formation sign | .svg) |
The Directorate of Military Intelligence (MI) is the military intelligence directorate of the Indian Army. It provides intelligence support for the Army's tactical, operational and strategic requirements and carries out counter-intelligence functions.[1]
The directorate is headed by the Director General Military Intelligence (DGMI), a lieutenant general at Army Headquarters. Since the restructuring of Army Headquarters in 2021, the intelligence and operations directorates have come under the oversight of the Deputy Chief of the Army Staff (Strategy).[2]
Organisation
[edit]The Directorate of Military Intelligence forms part of the staff organisation of the Indian Army at Army Headquarters.
The Director General Military Intelligence heads the directorate. The DGMI works within the Army's higher intelligence, operations and strategic-planning structure.
In 2021, the Indian Army established the Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy) vertical. The Ministry of Defence stated that the new vertical was created to oversee the Army's operations and intelligence directorates, among other branches.[2]
Military Intelligence personnel include officers and soldiers of the Intelligence Corps and personnel drawn from other arms and services of the Indian Army.
Women officers are also commissioned into the Intelligence Corps. In 2020, the Government of India authorised the grant of permanent commission to eligible Short Service Commission women officers in the Intelligence Corps along with several other branches of the Army.[3]
Functions
[edit]The Directorate of Military Intelligence supports commanders and Army Headquarters through the collection, assessment and dissemination of military intelligence.
Its publicly reported responsibilities include intelligence concerning foreign military capabilities and activities, operational intelligence and counter-intelligence directed at protecting the Indian Army from hostile intelligence activity.[1]
At the tri-service level, military-intelligence coordination between the Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force is undertaken by the Defence Intelligence Agency within the Integrated Defence Staff. The Directorate of Military Intelligence remains the Army-specific intelligence organisation.
History
[edit]The precise date on which the modern Directorate of Military Intelligence was formally constituted is not clearly established in publicly available government sources.
The institutional history of Indian Army military-intelligence training, however, can be traced to the Second World War. The Military Intelligence Training School and Depot traces its origins to an intelligence school established at Karachi in 1941 under the British Indian Army.[4]
The intelligence school subsequently moved through Murree and, following the Partition of India, to Mhow before eventually being established at Pune.[4]
Military intelligence subsequently developed into a specialised Army function responsible for providing intelligence to formations and headquarters at tactical, operational and strategic levels.[1]
Military Intelligence Training School and Depot
[edit]
The Military Intelligence Training School and Depot (MINTSD) is located in Pune, Maharashtra. The Ministry of Defence describes it as a centre of excellence for training military personnel in intelligence.[5]
MINTSD trains personnel of the Indian Army as well as personnel from the Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, paramilitary organisations and the armed forces of friendly foreign countries.[5]
The Ministry of Defence has stated that training at MINTSD encompasses contemporary intelligence fieldcraft and described the institution as one of the premier training establishments of the Indian Armed Forces.[5]
The Government of India has also included MINTSD among the recognised defence training centres operated by the armed forces.[6]
The school's lineage began at Karachi in 1941. It subsequently moved to Murree, Mhow and finally Pune.[4]
Intelligence technology
[edit]Military intelligence increasingly incorporates geospatial information, satellite-derived data and other forms of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.
In June 2024, then Director General Military Intelligence Lieutenant General R. S. Raman discussed the use of maps, geographic information system data, airborne imagery and three-dimensional models for military planning and decision-making at the Indo-Pacific Geo Intelligence Forum.[7]
The directorate has also participated in discussions concerning the military use of space-based capabilities. At the Indian DefSpace Symposium in April 2026, Lieutenant General Raman, then DGMI, participated alongside senior defence-space, military and industry officials in discussions concerning India's defence-space capabilities.[8]
The symposium addressed areas including space-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, communications, navigation, targeting and the integration of emerging space technologies with military operations.[8]
International military-intelligence cooperation
[edit]The Director General Military Intelligence participates in military-intelligence exchanges and engagements with foreign armed forces.
In September 2025, Lieutenant General R. S. Raman led an Indian military-intelligence delegation to Sri Lanka. He met the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army, Lieutenant General Lasantha Rodrigo, at Army Headquarters in Colombo.[9]
The delegation included officers from the Directorate of Military Intelligence and India's defence representation in Sri Lanka.[9]
Leadership
[edit]The Directorate is headed by the Director General Military Intelligence.
Among officers who have held the appointment are:
| Officer | Period | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Lieutenant General R. K. Loomba | 2009–2010 | Took over as DGMI on 31 August 2009.[10] |
| Lieutenant General D. S. Thakur | 2010–2012 | Succeeded by Lieutenant General R. N. Singh in December 2012.[11] |
| Lieutenant General R. N. Singh | 2012–2014 | Succeeded by Lieutenant General K. G. Krishna.[12] |
| Lieutenant General K. G. Krishna | 2014–2016 | Had previously served as Additional Director General Military Intelligence.[12] |
| Lieutenant General Harinder Singh | 2018–2019 | Left Army Headquarters to take command of XIV Corps in October 2019.[13] |
| Lieutenant General Sanjeev Kumar Sharma | Until 2021 | Became Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy) on 1 July 2021.[2] |
| Lieutenant General M. V. Suchindra Kumar | Before July 2022 | Served as DGMI before becoming Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy).[14] |
| Lieutenant General Tarun Kumar Aich | 2022–2023 | Served as DGMI before becoming Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy). |
| Lieutenant General R. S. Raman | 2023–2026 | Took over the appointment in June 2023 and was publicly identified as DGMI as late as April 2026.[15][8] |
Relationship with other intelligence organisations
[edit]The Directorate of Military Intelligence is the service-specific intelligence organisation of the Indian Army.
The other service intelligence organisations are:
At the joint-services level, the Defence Intelligence Agency coordinates defence intelligence within the Integrated Defence Staff.
Other Indian national-security and intelligence organisations include the Intelligence Bureau, Research and Analysis Wing, National Technical Research Organisation and National Investigation Agency.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 Unnithan, Sandeep (28 January 2012). "The Secret Secret Service". India Today. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Lt Gen Sanjeev Kumar Sharma takes over as Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Strategy)". Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Defence. 30 June 2021. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
- ↑ "Grant of Permanent Commission to Women Officers in Indian Army". Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Defence. 23 July 2020. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
- 1 2 3 Kothari, Vishwas (3 February 2016). "Military intelligence training school completes 75 years". The Times of India. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Army Commander, Southern Command visited Armed Forces Medical College and Military Intelligence Training School & Depot". Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Defence. 30 April 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
- ↑ "Defence Training Centres". Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Defence. 19 March 2012. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
- ↑ "Virtual reality models to boost military decision making". ETGovernment. 13 June 2024. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Indian DefSpace Symposium 2026". Indian Space Association. 24 April 2026. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
- 1 2 "Indian Army's DGMI Pays Courtesy Call on Commander of the Army". Sri Lanka Army. 17 September 2025. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
- ↑ "Lt Gen RK Loomba takes over as Director General Military Intelligence". Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Defence. 31 August 2009. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
- ↑ "Lt-General R N Singh will be the new director-general of military intelligence". The Times of India. 5 December 2012. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
- 1 2 "Lt Gen Krishna takes over as DG Military Intelligence". Business Standard. Press Trust of India. 30 June 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
- ↑ "Lt Gen Harinder Singh assumes command of Fire & Fury Corps". The Tribune. 11 October 2019. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
- ↑ "Lieutenant General MV Suchindra Kumar takes over as Vice Chief of the Army Staff". Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Defence. 1 March 2023. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
- ↑ Singh, Mayank (10 June 2023). "Indian Army gets new DGs of Intelligence, Information Warfare and Strategic Planning". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
Arms and services of Indian Army | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat arms |
|  | ||||
| Support services |
| |||||
| National Security Council |
|  |
|---|---|---|
| Technical intelligence | ||
| Internal security | ||
| External intelligence |
| |
| Defence intelligence |
| |
| Financial Intelligence | ||
| Intelligence Co-ordination | ||
| Leadership | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Organisation |
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Personnel |
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Equipment |
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Operations |
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Auxiliary forces | |||||||||||||||||||
| Other topics | |||||||||||||||||||
