Canadian Military Intelligence Association

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Canadian Military Intelligence Association
L'association canadienne de renseignement militaire  (French)
File:CMIA-ACRM.png
Active	29 October 1948 to present
Country	Canada
Branch	Intelligence Branch
Type	Not-for-profit incorporated organization
Garrison/HQ	Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Nickname(s)	CMIA
Motto(s)	Conservando Lumen (Preserving the Light)
Website	https://www.cmia-acrm.ca/

The Canadian Military Intelligence Association (CMIA) is an independent, not-for-profit incorporated organization that seeks to further the interests of Canadian military intelligence. The association aims to promote professional development and esprit de corps among its members and seeks to preserve Canadian military intelligence history. The association supports current and former officers, soldiers, sailors, and aviators of various occupations under the Intelligence Branch.

Canadian Military Intelligence Association

The creation of the CMIA

Founded in 1948, the CMIA was formed by veterans of the Second World War to advocate for intelligence in the post-war Canadian military.

Following informal meetings in 1946 by serving and retired military personnel, a collective decision was made to form a professional, non-profit organization. The goal was for the association to be eligible to join the Conference of Defence Associations (CDA); the CDA's Annual General Meeting is officially recognized by the Department of National Defence (DND) as a forum for military advocacy groups to suggest improvements in Departmental business.

The association aims to further the efficiency of Canadian military intelligence. In 1952, the CMIA was influential in establishing the Canadian School of Military Intelligence at Camp Borden; the training centre is dedicated to teaching intelligence during peacetime. In 1976, and again in 1977, the CMIA submitted a position paper to the DND recommending that the military police and intelligence functions be separated. In 1978, this recommendation was accepted in a study completed by DND, and the Canadian Armed Forces Intelligence Branch was finally established in 1982.

Membership

Membership in the CMIA is open to former and current members of the Intelligence Branch of the Canadian Armed Forces, as well as civilian members of the military and defence intelligence function writ large.

Activities

The CMIA provides various services and resources to support current serving and former members of the Canadian Armed Forces. The CMIA organizes professional development conferences and events, sponsors an essay contest for dependents and honours and awards for serving members, provides networking (i.e. The Canadian Intelligence Conference) and emergency assistance for members, supports deployed members and their dependents, and provides many other community support initiatives.

The CMIA promotes the preservation of Canadian military intelligence history: The CMIA has contributed to the publication of two books outlining the details of Canada’s military intelligence history. The first book, titled “Scarlet to Green: A History of Intelligence in the Canadian Army 1903-1963” and written by Major S.R. Elliot, was first published in 1981, and re-published in July 2018 featuring a foreword and afterword by Dr. David A. Charters. The second book, titled “Canadian Military Intelligence: Operations and Evolution from the October Crisis to the War in Afghanistan” and written by Dr. David A. Charters, was commissioned to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the Intelligence Branch and the 80th Anniversary of the Canadian Intelligence Corps.

History of Canadian military intelligence

Early military intelligence

File:Corps of Guides, circa 1905.png

Corps of Guides, circa 1905

Canadian military intelligence dates back to “British and French officers who were employed at various times in the early history of Canada as scouts, guides, agents, liaison officers, and on other [similar] duties.” Early on in Canada's military history, intelligence personnel handled concerns related to Canada’s borders and frontiers, but military intelligence in the Canadian colonial Militia remained largely impromptu in nature until the South African or Boer War. During the war, Canadians trained and served with British military intelligence, and later determined that Canada should establish its own military intelligence capability. This led to the creation of the Corps of Guides, a horse mounted intelligence-gathering unit, on 1 April 1903.

First World War

File:100 days.png

A Canadian cyclist during ‘last 100 days’ advance near Arras, September 1918

The conditions of warfare during the First World War meant that the Corps of Guides could not be employed as a mounted unit on the western front. Many officers from the Corps of Guides filled important positions in other intelligence sections of the Canadian Corps, while other Corps members joined divisional cyclist companies, which went on to become the Canadian Corps Cyclist Battalion. In 1918, a counter-espionage section was added to the Canadian Corps.

Second World War

When Canada mobilized for the Second World War in September 1939, the small intelligence capabilities across the Canadian Army, the Royal Canadian Navy, and the Royal Canadian Air Force were rapidly developed. 

The creation of the First Canadian Army led to a demand for trained intelligence specialists, which resulted in the formation of the Canadian Intelligence Corps (C Int C) on 29 October 1942. Canadian Intelligence Corps personnel served in all operational theatres, including in Sicily/Italy, North West Europe, and Asia.

In the Royal Canadian Navy, the formation of a dedicated operational intelligence centre in Ottawa marked an important milestone in Canadian naval intelligence; the centre was able to locate and track German submarines in the North Atlantic, allowing many escorted merchant convoys to be safely re-routed.

In addition to providing aircrew mission threat briefs to all Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) squadrons, air intelligence staff provided specialized Targeting Intelligence and Bomb-Damage Assessments to No. 6 Group of RAF Bomber Command, an all-RCAF formation. RCAF tactical reconnaissance squadrons also received dedicated Air Photo Interpretation support. To support the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, a new RCAF trade, meteorological observer, was established to augment over-worked civilian meteorologists.

Post-war

Following the war, core military intelligence capabilities and organizations were tailored to address the new security concerns of the Cold War. By 1968, the Unification of the Canadian Forces prompted the amalgamation of the Canadian Intelligence Corps, the RCAF Clerk-Intelligence trade, the Canadian Provost Corps, and the Air Force Police under the newly formed Canadian Forces Security Branch.

In 1981, the Chief of the Defence Staff approved the creation of a separate Canadian Forces Intelligence Branch. Sir William Stephenson accepted the appointment as first Colonel-Commandant of the Intelligence Branch on 1 October 1982.

Present day

The Canadian Forces Intelligence Branch has more than doubled in size in order to sustain the demand for intelligence personnel and products in direct support CAF land, air, naval, and special forces operations worldwide. It has also become increasingly multi-occupational in scope. In recent years, the following occupations have been incorporated under the Intelligence Branch: Meteorological Technician, Source Handler Operator and Counter-Intelligence Operator.

See also

• Canadian Intelligence Corps
• Canadian Forces Intelligence Command
• Intelligence Branch
• Intelligence Services in Canada

External links

• CMIA/ARCM – Official site
• Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces - Official site
• Canadian Armed Forces recruitment - Official site

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