An Cosantóir

www.military.ie THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE | 7 Squadrons and Regiments of the Defence Forces. One of the most significant developments in the training and education area is the new Joint Military Intelligence Qualification Course ( JMIQC) which will take Officers and NCO's, from all Services, on a comprehensive Joint Military Intelligence training program. Following a comprehensive candidate assessment and screening program, selected personnel have been chosen from the 53 applicants. This sees the emergence of a career-streamed program and a fundamental shift in how the Defence Forces selects and educates intelligence personnel with a clearly defined entry point and training pathway. This course will ensure that personnel who successfully complete the course are equipped with the tactical, operational and analytical skillsets required for the complexity of modern conflict and hybrid threats. The course is designed in a modular and progressive structure and grounded in real-world applications to ensure personnel can function within complex challenging domains across the full range of operations the Defence Forces participates in at home and abroad. The establishment of the Intelligence School will support Defence Forces operational requirements and contribute to the enhancement of national security and resilience. Students who complete this course will join IMIS and work throughout the country in secure IMIS designed facilities in keeping with the expansion programme to support the DF going forward. The first of these will open in the Naval Service in Q3 2025. In order to ensure interoperability of the Defence Forces whilst engaged in approved operations under the United Nations such as UNIFIL or EU Battlegroup (EUBG) operations, the Intelligence School has also participated in international training programs within other Military Intelligence teams ensuring the DF can contribute at appropriate levels on missions it contributes to. Irish Military Intelligence Service Officers and NCO's have recently attended courses at the United States Army Intelligence Centre of Excellence (USAICOE) in Fort Huachuca, Arizona and in the US Naval facility in San Diego. USAICOE is the US Army's premier installation for the training and continuous professional development of US Army Intelligence personnel. The centre is responsible for not only training personnel, but for developing and integrating intelligence capabilities, concepts and doctrine for the US Army. IMIS Officers and NCO's have undergone extensive training in recent months at USAICOE in order to ensure interoperability between partners, and relevancy and currency of land-based Military Intelligence procedures. Air and Naval students will attend similar level courses in 2026. IMIS personnel attending USAICOE have completed the Military Intelligence Basic Officer Leader Course (MI-BOLC), designed to prepare Officers to lead an intelligence team during all phases of modern Military operations at the Battalion level, focusing on critical thinking, analysis, assessment and the all-important, Intelligence Preparation of the Operational Environment, key skillsets that enable the Intelligence professional to peer through the fog of war, significantly enhancing friendly forces situational understanding. The Military Intelligence Captain's Career Course (MICCC) builds on the foundations established during the MI-BOLC, further refining the Intelligence tradecraft, expanding from Battalion to Brigade level, and preparing Intelligence Officers for future command positions. Finally, the International Officer's Tactical Intelligence Course (IOTIC - which has been attended by a Senior Non Commissioned Officer (SNCO) from 1 Bde) delivers comprehensive instruction to international partners on the fundamentals of Military intelligence in an international setting, focusing on critical thinking, analytical tradecraft and the roles and functions of Military Intelligence and how tactical intelligence supports operational needs. The skillsets acquired can support the DF in all mission deployment types abroad and on Island. The knowledge on the application and integration of Military Intelligence tactics, techniques and procedures into the military decision making process instructed will benefit commanders at all levels and services in the DF. The newly qualified Officers and NCO's are currently instructing the next generation of Irish Military Intelligence professionals ensuring the long term benefit is a more adaptive, competent and situationally aware force, reinforcing national security, whilst also deepening international ties. Further detailed and specialist courses are conducted on joining IMIS ensuring our members are competent Intelligence professionals who can operate at home and abroad in support of Irelands interests and ensuring the security of all troops and Irish citizens are always at the forefront of our work. The IMIS team will conduct briefings throughout the DF in Q4 2025.

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