1st Intelligence Battalion (Australia)

Australian Army unit

1st Intelligence Battalion

Active| 1999–current
Role| Intelligence collection and analysis
Part of| 1st Division
Motto(s)| Periculum aliis arcete
("Keeping others from danger")[1]

Military unit

The 1st Intelligence Battalion is an Australian Army unit responsible for collecting and analysing intelligence. It was formed in 1999.

## History

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### Formation

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The 1st Intelligence Battalion was established in 1999. The Australian Army's website states that the unit "traces its history from Australian Intelligence Corps units and organisations formed before the Vietnam War, with a legacy to 1 Division and 2 Division Intelligence Companies".[1]

### Recent developments

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On 1 March 2010, the battalion became part of the 6th Brigade when it was re-raised to command the Army's command support and intelligence, surveillance and target acquisition units.[2] In 2014 the 1st Topographic Survey Squadron, formed as a unit of the Royal Australian Survey Corps, was transferred into the battalion from the 6th Engineer Support Regiment.[3][4][5]

Teams and individual personnel from the 1st Intelligence Battalion have been deployed in support of all Australian Defence Force deployments since the unit was established.[1] In April 2015 the Army's in-house newspaper reported that "for the first time since being raised the ... battalion had no formed bodies on deployment".[6]

Until 2008 the 1st Intelligence Battalion comprised only members of the Australian Intelligence Corps. Since that time, members of other corps of the Army as well as personnel from the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force have been posted to the battalion to serve as human intelligence operators or interrogators.[6] The 1st Intelligence Battalion maintains teams of specialists on short notice to deploy from the unit's base at Brisbane.[6] As of 2014, the unit's roles included collecting and analysing human intelligence, psychological warfare and information operations. In addition, it was capable of conducting topographical surveys and collecting and making use of geospatial intelligence. At this time the 1st Intelligence Battalion included an All Source Cell which aimed to combine and analyze different sources of intelligence, as well as capabilities to exploit intelligence.[7]

When the 6th Brigade was disbanded in December 2024 the 1st Intelligence Battalion was temporarily assigned to the direct command of the 1st Division. It will transfer to the 10th Brigade in late 2025.[8]

## See also

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* 7th Signal Regiment (Australia)
* Defence Intelligence Organisation

## References

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1. ^ a b c "1st Intelligence Battalion". Australian Army. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
2. ^ Gaze, Jillian (18 March 2010). "Key to Adaptability". Army. Department of Defence. p. 5. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
3. ^ "Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works (Joint-Wednesday, 20 May 2015)". Hansard. Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
4. ^ "Royal Australian Survey Corps Association Queensland Branch Bulletin" (PDF). Royal Australian Survey Corps Association Queensland Branch. December 2015. p. 5. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
5. ^ "6th Engineer Support Regiment". Australian Army. Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
6. ^ a b c Robinson, Ned (9 April 2015). "Intelligent Preparation". Army. Department of Defence. p. 11. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
7. ^ "The Australian Army: An Aide Memoire". Australian Army. April 2014. p. 27. Retrieved 1 January 2017.
8. ^ "Hundreds mark end of brigade". Department of Defence. 9 December 2024. Retrieved 22 December 2024.