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This general definition can be split into two main types of intelligence, strategic and operational or tactical. Whereas strategic intelligence might deal with the overall campaign, including the long-term goals of the enemy and the means sought to employ them, operational intelligence will deal with specific threats and locations and will more generally be of use to the field officer such as a captain or colonel.
The collection of military intelligence can be categorized depending on how it was gathered and to what aspect of the conflict it belongs to. The three most common sub-types are as follows: - Intelligence gathered through interpersonal contact such as interrogation or the use of informants and spies, is generally termed human intelligence.
- Intelligence derived through the interception of electronic communication such as radio traffic or emails, is called signals intelligence.
- Intelligence obtained through images of particular target areas through spy satellites or aerial reconnaissance is called imagery intelligence.
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Intelligence procured through the technical knowledge of enemy weapon systems is called TECINT (technical intelligence).
Intelligence obtained through unrestricted or unclassified information sources such as official white papers, websites, news outlets or books is termed OSINT (open-source intelligence),
Intelligence that uses known and specific data on targets to consistently track or identify those targets is called MASINT (measurement and signature intelligence). An example of this would be comparing the known radar cross-section of a particular enemy aircraft to identify that type among decoys or other aircraft in the area.
