View source for Missile and Space Intelligence Center

{{Short description|US Defense Intelligence Agency department}}
{{Infobox government agency
| agency_name     = Missile and Space Intelligence Center
| logo            = 
| logo_width      = 
| logo_caption    = 
| seal            = MSIClogo.png
| seal_caption    = Seal of MSIC
| formed          = {{Start date and years ago|June 1956}} (as Technical Intelligence Division, renamed Missile Intelligence Office in 1962, renamed Missile Intelligence Agency in 1970, became Missile and Space Intelligence Center in 1985)
| agency_type     = Component of departmental agency (since 1992)
| preceding1      = 
| jurisdiction    = [[Federal government of the United States|Federal]] agency operating in US, but analyzing foreign [[military intelligence]]
| headquarters    = Richard C. Shelby Center for Missile Intelligence (Shelby Center), [[Redstone Arsenal]], [[Alabama]], U.S.
| coordinates     = (34.6449670, -86.6579877)
| employees       = Approx. 650 (2009)
| budget          = [[Classified information|Classified]]
| chief1_name     = Kimberly King
| chief1_position = Director
| chief2_name     = 
| chief2_position = 
| parent_department = [[United States Department of Defense]]
| parent_agency   = [[Defense Intelligence Agency]] (since 1992)
| child1_agency   = 
| website         = [https://www.dia.mil/About/Organization/MSIC/]
}}

The '''Missile and Space Intelligence Center''' (MSIC) is a component of the U.S. [[Defense Intelligence Agency]].  MSIC is located at [[Redstone Arsenal]] in [[Huntsville, Alabama]].

==History==
MSIC began as a part of [[Wernher von Braun]]'s missile team, a component of the [[Army Ballistic Missile Agency]] in 1956. The missile agency's first iteration, known as the Technical Intelligence Division, consisted of only six people.<ref name="Defense Intelligence History PDF">[http://www.dia.mil/DIAcal2005.pdf Defense Intelligence History {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608004347/http://www.dia.mil/DIAcal2005.pdf |date=2011-06-08 }}</ref> Renamed in 1962, the TID, now the Missile Intelligence Office (MIO) analyzed developments in the [[Soviet Union]] and played a key role in the [[Cuban Missile Crisis]].<ref name=History>{{cite web |url=https://www.dia.mil/About/Organization/MSIC/#stronghistorystrong |title=History |website=dia.mil/About/Organization/MSIC/ |publisher=[[Defense Intelligence Agency]] |access-date=July 6, 2021}}</ref> The Missile Intelligence Office was renamed the Missile Intelligence Agency in 1970; in 1985, it was reassigned to the [[Army Intelligence Agency]] and renamed to the Missile and Space Intelligence Center (MSIC).<ref name=History/> MSIC's final organizational move came on January 1, 1992 when it became part of the [[Defense Intelligence Agency]].<ref>Seeley, Scott, "Intelligence Center Collects Information Worldwide", ''The Redstone Rocket'', September 09, 2008</ref>  

In 2009, the Center employed 650 civilian and military personnel.<ref>Spires, Shelby, "Rep. Parker Griffith: Missile and Space Intelligence Center here safe from move", ''The Huntsville Times'', June 09, 2009</ref> In 2014, it employed roughly the same amount at its headquarters in [[Redstone Arsenal]].<ref name=Al>{{cite news |last=Gore |first=Leada |date=July 22, 2014 |title=How a Redstone Arsenal intelligence agency may help U.S. determine what happened to Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 |url=https://www.al.com/news/2014/07/how_a_redstone_arsenal_intelli.html |work=al.com |access-date=July 8, 2021}}</ref> Between 2014 and the present (2021), the Center employed approximately 350 civilians, 60 military personnel, and, indirectly, hundreds of defense contractors.<ref name=Elk>{{cite news |last=Williams |first=Lucy |date=September 24, 2019 |title=Clark retires as MSIC director |url=https://www.elkvalleytimes.com/news/local/clark-retires-as-msic-director/article_95a9a396-de35-11e9-b3ea-abeba420a68a.html |work=Elk Valley Times |access-date=July 8, 2021}}</ref>

==Mission==
[[File:Msicbuilding.jpg|thumb|right|MSIC Building]]

MSIC's overall mission is to support field commanders, weapon system developers, and policy makers with  scientific and technical all-source intelligence on [[surface-to-air missiles]] (SAM), [[short-range ballistic missiles]] (SRBM) with ranges less than 1,000 kilometers, [[anti-tank guided missiles]] (ATGM),  missile defense systems, [[directed-energy weapons]] (DEW), selected space programs and systems, and relevant [[command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance]] (C4ISR). It also provides analyses of those materials to the [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] and other U.S. government organizations such as the [[FBI]].<ref name="DIA's Missile And Space Intelligence Center Groundbreaking">[https://www.defense.gov/News/Advisories/advisory/advisoryid/1411/ DIA's Missile And Space Intelligence Center Groundbreaking]</ref><ref name=Elk/>

In 2011, a years-long MSIC dispute with the [[United States Air Force|Air Force's]] [[National Air and Space Intelligence Center|NASIC]] over which agency held authority over [[ballistic missile]] [[intelligence analysis]] was settled in favor of MSIC, which became lead integrator of the Defense Intelligence Ballistic Missile Analysis Committee (DIBMAC).<ref>{{cite news |last=Kosner |first=Kenneth |date=January 14, 2011 |title=How a Redstone Arsenal intelligence agency may help U.S. determine what happened to Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 |url=https://www.al.com/huntsville-times-business/2011/01/post_29.html |work=[[The Huntsville Times]] |access-date=July 8, 2021}}</ref>

==Organization==
MSIC is a component of the is part of the [[Defense Intelligence Agency#Organization|Defense Intelligence Agency's Directorate for Analysis]];<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dia.mil/About/Organization/MSIC/#strongmediastrong |title=Media |website=dia.mil/About/Organization/MSIC/ |publisher=[[Defense Intelligence Agency]] |access-date=July 6, 2021}}</ref> the [[Defense Intelligence Agency|DIA]] itself is a part of the [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] and [[United States Intelligence Community|Intelligence Community]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dni.gov/index.php/what-we-do/members-of-the-ic |title=Members of the IC |website=dni.gov |publisher=[[Director of National Intelligence#Office_of_the_Director_of_National_Intelligence|ODNI]] |access-date=July 8, 2021}}</ref> The Center is led by a Director, currently Kimberly "Kim" King,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.insaonline.org/event/common-threads-huntsvilles-intelligence-community/ |title=Common Threads: Huntsville's Intelligence Community |website=insaonline.org |publisher=[[Intelligence and National Security Alliance]] |access-date=July 8, 2021}}</ref> who replaced Mark Clark after his 2019 retirement.<ref name=Elk/>

MSIC's Foreign Military Exploitation team is responsible for dismantling, researching, and testing foreign missile systems.<ref name=Al/>

MSIC also possesses laboratories dedicated to [[Materials science|materials]], [[microelectronics]], [[Missile guidance|missile guidance and control systems]], [[Radio-frequency engineering|radio frequency hardware]], and [[Electro-optics|electro-optical]] and [[infrared]] hardware; there is also a [[Signals intelligence|Signal Analysis]] Lab.<ref name=Slideshow>{{cite report  |date= |title=The Missile and Space Intelligence Center |url=http://hamaweb.org/presentations/2011/May2011DrTomRichardson.pdf |publisher=[[Defense Intelligence Agency]] |page=14 |access-date=July 30, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://mybaseguide.com/installation/redstone-arsenal/community/department-of-defense-organizations/ |title=Department of Defense Organizations |website=mybaseguide.com |publisher=MyBaseGuide |access-date=July 30, 2021}}</ref> It also possesses an [[anechoic chamber]] and oversees the Joint Research Analysis and Assessment Center (JRAAC),<ref name=Slideshow/> a state-of-the-art [[simulation]] integration facility supporting multi-fidelity scientific and [[Technical intelligence|technical analysis]] of integrated weapons systems in complex environments to determine their capabilities, vulnerabilities, and limitations. JRAAC integrates over 80 weapons systems models, including [[radars]], [[missiles]], [[command and control]] (C2) systems, and [[Command and control#Derivative_terms|C4ISR]] (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, [[Intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance#ISR_(Intelligence,_surveillance_and_reconnaissance)|Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance]]).<ref>{{cite report |date=2012 |title=Defense Services |url=https://www.parsons.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Defense_DS.pdf |publisher=[[Parsons Corporation]] |page=2 |access-date=July 30, 2021}}</ref>

==Headquarters==
MSIC employs [[Engineering analysis|engineering analysts]], support professionals, and support assistants at the 38,000-acre [[Richard Shelby|Richard C. Shelby]] Center for Missile Intelligence<ref name=Shelby>{{cite web |url=https://www.dia.mil/About/Organization/MSIC/#strongshelby-centerstrong |title=Shelby Center |website=dia.mil |publisher=[[Defense Intelligence Agency]] |access-date=July 8, 2021}}</ref> at [[Redstone Arsenal]] in [[Huntsville, Alabama]]. The building includes various [[Laboratory|laboratories]], high-performance computing operations, and test areas, making up a vast engineering complex<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dia.mil/about/organization/locations/ |title=Locations |website=dia.mil |publisher=[[Defense Intelligence Agency]] |access-date=July 8, 2021}}</ref> capable of hosting both physical and simulated missile tests.<ref name=Shelby/>

==See also==
*[[National Air and Space Intelligence Center]]
*[[Space Delta 18]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060427045856/http://www.msic.dia.mil/ MSIC official site]

{{Defense Intelligence Agency}}
{{United States intelligence agencies}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Defense Intelligence Agency]]
[[Category:Military intelligence agencies]]
[[Category:Technical intelligence]]