{{Short description|British military intelligence organisation}} {{Outdated|part=|date=May 2024|reason=Joint Forces Intelligence Group (JFIG) is disbanded}} {{Use British English|date=September 2017}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2017}}The '''Defence Intelligence Fusion Centre''' (DIFC) is based at RAF Wyton in Cambridgeshire. Largely created from the staff of the National Imagery Exploitation Centre (formerly known as the Joint Air Reconnaissance Intelligence Centre (JARIC)) and then known for several years as the Defence Geospatial Intelligence Fusion Centre, it can trace its history back to clandestine reconnaissance operations at the beginning of the Second World War by Sidney Cotton on behalf of MI6 and then MI4, and the formation of the Allied Central Interpretation Unit at RAF Medmenham (sister to Bletchley Park).
Today, DIFC's role has grown beyond just imagery intelligence. Part of the Joint Forces Intelligence Group (JFIG) within Defence Intelligence, DIFC's primary role is to support Defence planning, current operations and the intelligence assessment process. DIFC still provides specialist imagery intelligence, but also conducts multi-disciplinary intelligence fusion for the armed forces and other UK Government partners. The integrated multi-disciplinary Task Groups at DIFC use data and reporting from various sources (including satellite imagery), together with other advanced technologies, to provide critical information and over-watch to tactical, operational and strategic decision makers.
As of 2014, DIFC was a joint service and civilian organisation under the command of an RAF Group Captain.<ref name="www.gov.uk">{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/defence-intelligence-services|title=Defence Intelligence: roles - Detailed guidance - GOV.UK|work=www.gov.uk|date=16 September 2014 |access-date=7 November 2015}}</ref>
As of 2026, the DIFC has become known as the National Centre for Geospatial Intelligence (NCGI).
==History==
Following a series of successful covert air reconnaissance operations run by the United Kingdom's Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) prior to World War II, the Photographic Development Unit (PDU) was established on 19 January 1940 (codenamed MI4) and later renamed Photographic Interpretation Unit (PIU) on 11 July 1940.{{sfn|Pitchfork|2008|p=225}} Through a series of War Ministry reorganisations, the PIU was renamed the Central Interpretation Unit (CIU) on 7 January 1941 and changed again to the Joint Air Photographic Intelligence centre (UK) JAPIC [UK] in August 1947. On 17 December 1953 the unit was given the name of Joint Air Reconnaissance Intelligence Centre [UK] - JARIC [UK].{{sfn|Pitchfork|2008|p=378}}
The JARIC Photographic Wing moved to Brampton near Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire from locations at Medmenham, Nuneham Park, Wyton and Wembley in 1956 where they were joined by the Joint School of Photographic Interpretation (JSPI) in December.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Conyers-Nesbit|first1=Roy|title=Eyes of the RAF - a history of photo-reconnaissance|date=2003|publisher=Sutton Publishing|location=Stroud|isbn=0-7509-3256-2|page=263}}</ref>
In 1980 the (UK) was dropped from the name to reflect the closing of the Cyprus-based JARIC (ME), later JARIC (NE) in April 1975. On 19 April 1996 the unit ceased to fall under operational control of the Royal Air Force and became an agency under the operational control of the Director General Intelligence and Geographic Requirements, taking a more centralised government role within the Ministry of Defence.
On 1 April 2000 the unit stopped functioning as an independent agency and merged with Military Survey into the Defence Geographic and Imagery Intelligence Agency (DGIA).
On 10 October 2005 the JARIC name ceased to be an acronym to reflect the fact that its sources of imagery had shifted away from those provided by UK Air Reconnaissance platforms to be predominantly satellite imagery based. The descriptor ‘The National Imagery Exploitation Centre’ was added to the JARIC title to better explain JARIC's role, not just within the Ministry of Defence but within the wider UK intelligence community.
On 10 June 2006, DGI (as it became after agency status was removed) was renamed the Intelligence Collection Group (ICG) and, after moving under the Joint Forces Command (JFC) on 1 April 2012, was renamed to Joint Forces Intelligence Group (JFIG) which consisted of the Defence Geographic Centre (DGC) based at Feltham, Middlesex, the Joint Signals Support Organisation (JSSO), based at RAF Digby, the Joint Aeronautical and Geographic Organisation (JAGO) at Hermitage and RAF Northolt and JARIC-The National Imagery Exploitation Centre based at RAF Brampton.
On 13 July 2012, after the formal retiring of the title JARIC, the unit was renamed the Defence Geospatial Intelligence Fusion Centre (DGIFC).
The Joint Forces Intelligence Group (JFIG) achieved Full Operating Capability in 2014, the culmination of the PRIDE (Wyton) Programme. The commander of JFIG said at the ceremony on 17 September 2014:<ref name=raf-20140922>{{cite web |url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/news/archive/joint-forces-intelligence-group-achieves-full-operating-capability-22092014/ |title=Joint Forces Intelligence Group Achieves Full Operating Capability |publisher=Royal Air Force |date=22 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304075857/https://www.raf.mod.uk/news/archive/joint-forces-intelligence-group-achieves-full-operating-capability-22092014/ |archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref> {{Quote|The PRIDE (Wyton) Programme was a £308m project to relocate JFIG Command elements, Geospatial intelligence, Human intelligence and 42 Engineer Regiment from Brampton, Feltham and Hermitage to new purpose-built facilities at Wyton. Within the new Pathfinder Building at Wyton, the Joint Intelligence Operations Centre (JIOC) coordinates Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) for Defence, while the DIFC brings together Geospatial intelligence for the Nation and Intelligence Fusion for Defence. Wyton is developing as a Geospatial and Intelligence hub, collocating elements of Defence Intelligence, Service intelligence organisations, Agencies and Allies.|Brigadier Nick Davies}}
Since 2020,<ref name=economist-20200915/> the DIFC has become known by 2026 as the National Centre for Geospatial Intelligence (NCGI), providing intelligence support to UK Armed Forces.<ref name=raf-wyton>{{cite web |url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/our-organisation/stations/raf-wyton/ |title=RAF Wyton |publisher=Royal Air Force |access-date=29 April 2026}}</ref><ref name=fn-20251212>{{cite news |url=https://www.forcesnews.com/cyber/inside-top-secret-military-base-where-intelligence-experts-are-fighting-spike-hostile |title=Inside top-secret military base where intelligence experts are fighting a spike in hostile activity |last=Laydon |first=Rosie |website=Forces News |date=12 December 2025 |access-date=29 April 2026}}</ref>
==Relocation to Pathfinder Building at RAF Wyton (PRIDE Programme)==
thumbnail|Pathfinder Building, RAF Wyton In 2013, DGIFC relocated from RAF Brampton to the Pathfinder Building at RAF Wyton creating a multi-intelligence, open plan environment aimed at improving collaboration and innovation changing its name to DIFC on 17 Sept 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www1.nga.mil/MediaRoom/Publications/Documents/Pathfinder%20Magazines/2012/2012_nov-dec.pdf |title=UK JARIC Transitions to Defence Geospatial and Intelligence Fusion Centre |page=6 |date=November 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130216175819/https://www1.nga.mil/MediaRoom/Publications/Documents/Pathfinder%20Magazines/2012/2012_nov-dec.pdf |archive-date=16 February 2013 }}</ref>
DGIFC moved to RAF Wyton as part of the Programme to Rationalise and Integrate the Defence Intelligence Estate (PRIDE), which enabled Defence Intelligence, and the Joint Forces Intelligence Group in particular, to further improve and enhance support to operations and strategic threat assessments. The programme relocated the Joint Forces Intelligence Collection Group (JFIG -HQ) from Feltham, DGIFC - from RAF Brampton, as well as 42 Engineer Regiment (Geographic) from Denison Barracks in Hermitage and Ayrshire Barracks in Germany, to RAF Wyton in Cambridgeshire.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wikimapia.org/24333736/PRIDE-DIS-Site|title=PRIDE (DIS) Site - headquarters, mod, defence, intelligence|work=wikimapia.org|access-date=7 November 2015}}</ref>
As of 2020, personnel from the Five Eyes intelligence alliance worked at the DIFC, and GCHQ and the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency had desks there, in a space with a crisis capacity for 1,200 personnel.<ref name=economist-20200915>{{cite news |url=https://www.economist.com/britain/2020/09/15/britains-armed-forces-get-ready-for-a-revolution |title=Britain's armed forces get ready for a revolution |magazine=The Economist |url-access=limited |date=15 September 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200916153432/https://www.economist.com/britain/2020/09/15/britains-armed-forces-get-ready-for-a-revolution |archive-date=16 September 2020}}</ref>
==Areas of expertise== DIFC's role has evolved from the more traditional photographic analysis to encompass more technical intelligence disciplines such as:<ref name="www.gov.uk"/>
===IMINT (IMagery INTelligence)=== IMINT is an intelligence gathering discipline which collects information via satellite and aerial photography. DGIFC is involved in all aspects of imagery analysis from basic activity reporting to advanced scientific-based MASINT analysis.
===MASINT (Measurement And Signatures INTelligence)=== MASINT is scientific and technical intelligence derived from the analysis of data obtained from sensing instruments for the purpose of identifying any distinctive features associated with the source, emitter or sender, to facilitate the latter's measurement and identification. DIFC is the UK's only provider of ‘imagery derived MASINT’ otherwise known as AGI or Advanced Geospatial Intelligence.
===GEOINT (GEOspatial INTelligence)=== GEOINT is an intelligence discipline comprising the exploitation and analysis of geographically determined information. GEOINT sources include imagery and mapping data, whether collected by commercial or military satellites, or by other capabilities such as UAV (Unmanned Airborne Vehicle) or reconnaissance aircraft.
==British satellites used== {{See also|United Kingdom Space Command}} ===Carbonite-2=== thumb|upright|Model of Carbonite-2 In 2017-18 the MOD invested £4.5 million in a programme to deliver high-quality imagery and 3D video footage from space, with the Surrey Satellite Technology (SSTL) '''Carbonite-2''' satellite being the first technology demonstrator.<ref name=dn-20171129>{{cite news |url=https://www.defensenews.com/breaking-news/2017/11/29/british-military-to-test-space-based-intelligence-gathering/ |title=British military to test space-based intelligence gathering |last=Chuter |first=Andrew |publisher=Gannett |work=DefenseNews |date=29 November 2017 |access-date=6 March 2018}}</ref> Carbonite-2 uses commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components and has a mass of about 100 kg, and was launched on the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle PSLV-C40 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in India on 12 January 2018.<ref name=nasa-carbonite2>{{cite web |url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=2018-004E |title=Carbonite 2 |website=NASA |access-date=11 April 2024}}</ref><ref name=gunter-carbonite2>{{cite web |url=https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/carbonite-2.htm |title=Carbonite 2 (CBNT 2 / VividX2) |website=Gunter's Space Page |access-date=11 April 2024}}</ref> Data from Carbonite-2 is processed by the centre's Geospatial Intelligence staff. This programme is part of the RAF's vision of a future constellation of imagery satellites.<ref name=ukdefencejournal-20180301>{{cite news |url=https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/royal-air-force-satellite-launched-space/ |title=Royal Air Force surveillance satellite launched into space |last=Allison |first=George |newspaper=UK Defence Journal |date=1 March 2018 |access-date=2 March 2018}}</ref><ref name=thereg-20180301>{{cite news |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/03/01/carbonite_2_raf_satellite_mission/ |title=Brit military boffins buy airtime on HD eye-in-the-sky video satellite |last=Corfield |first=Gareth |newspaper=The Register |date=1 March 2018 |access-date=2 March 2018}}</ref>
On 18 July 2019, Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt announced another small satellite demonstrator would be launched within a year, working toward producing high-resolution video to support battle awareness. A joint UK and US defence and industry group named Team ARTEMIS will work on the project.<ref name=mod-20190718>{{cite web |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/defence-secretary-outlines-ambitious-space-programme |title=Defence Secretary outlines ambitious space programme |publisher=Ministry of Defence |via=gov.uk |date=18 July 2019 |access-date=11 April 2024}}</ref>
===Tyche=== On 16 August 2024, the UK's first Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) satellite was launched by a SpaceX Falcon 9. Named Tyche, it is a SSTL Carbonite-class microsatellite with a mass of about {{convert|160|kg}}, carrying a high-resolution optical payload delivering sub-1 metre imagery of {{convert|5|km}} wide ground areas, including video. Tyche has a planned five-year lifespan orbiting at an altitude of about {{convert|500|km}} in a sun-synchronous orbit.<ref name=bbc-20240816>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1d77yq9zz2o |title=UK military satellite launches to boost space power |last=Amos |first=Jonathan |work=BBC News |date=16 August 2024 |access-date=30 October 2024}}</ref><ref name=sm-20240819>{{cite news |url=https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/digital-battlespace/uk-space-command-launches-first-military-satellite/ |title=UK Space Command launches first military satellite |website=Shephard Media |date=19 August 2024 |access-date=30 October 2024}}</ref> It is intended to be the first of four research and development satellites, the others named Juno, Oberon, and Titania.<ref name=armytech-20240819>{{cite news |url=https://www.airforce-technology.com/news/new-uk-spy-satellite-launched-into-orbit-by-spacex/ |title=New UK spy satellite launched into orbit by SpaceX |last=Thomas |first=Richard |website=Army Technology |publisher=Verdict Media |date=19 August 2024 |access-date=2 February 2026}}</ref><ref name=dstl-20241023>{{cite web |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/designing-defences-next-generation-multi-satellite-system |title=Designing Defence's next generation multi-satellite system |website=Defence Science and Technology Laboratory |via=gov.uk |date=23 October 2024 |access-date=2 May 2026}}</ref> Belgian company Rhea and American Lockheed Martin are developing ground-based software to control the ISR satellites.<ref name=dn-20240229>{{cite news |url=https://www.defensenews.com/space/2024/02/29/uk-hires-two-companies-to-write-software-to-support-future-satellites/ |title=UK hires two companies to write software to support future satellites |last=Chuter |first=Andrew |publisher=Gannett |work=DefenseNews |date=29 February 2024 |access-date=30 October 2024}}</ref>
===Oberon system=== In February 2025, a £127 million contract was awarded to Airbus to design and build two synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) {{convert|400|kg}} satellites named the Oberon system, building on the capabilities of Tyche. These will form part of the MOD space-based Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance programme (ISTARI) which will deliver a constellation of satellites and ground systems by 2031.<ref name=ukdj-20250210>{{cite news |url=https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/britain-to-get-new-spy-satellites-in-127m-deal/ |title=Britain to get new 'spy satellites' in £127m deal |last=Allison |first=George |publisher=UK Defence Journal |date=10 February 2025 |access-date=5 October 2025}}</ref><ref name=mod-20250210>{{cite web |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-satellite-deal-to-boost-military-operations-jobs-and-growth |title=New satellite deal to boost military operations, jobs and growth |publisher=Ministry of Defence |date=10 February 2025 |access-date=5 October 2025}}</ref>
==See also== *British intelligence agencies *Ministry of Defence *National Collection of Aerial Photography *RAF Intelligence *List of intelligence agencies *MI4 *Skynet (satellite)
==References== {{Reflist}}
===Bibliography=== *{{Wikicite|ref={{harvid|Pitchfork|2008}}|reference=Pitchfork, Graham (Air Cdre (Ret'd)). ''The Royal Air Force Day by Day.'' Stroud, UK: History Press, 2008. {{ISBN|978-0-7509-4309-3}}.}}
==External links== * [https://www.gov.uk/government/cyber-security Cyber Security] * [https://ncap.org.uk/ National Collection of Aerial Photography] * [http://www.archive.official-documents.co.uk/document/caboff/nim/0114301808.pdf/ National Intelligence Machinery]
{{UK Intelligence Agencies|state=expanded}} {{National Intelligence Agencies}} {{National intelligence agencies in Europe}} {{Five Eyes}} {{Authority control}}
Category:2012 establishments in the United Kingdom Category:British intelligence agencies Category:Huntingdonshire Category:Intelligence analysis Category:Intelligence Corps (United Kingdom) Category:Military units and formations established in 2012 Category:Military units and formations in Cambridgeshire Category:Geospatial intelligence organizations