By Beverly Jordan-Bellamy
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Intelligence has been an important part of the U.S. Army operations during war as well as during periods of peace since the Revolutionary War when Gen. George Washington established the Culper Ring to provide information about British activities.

To meet the Army’s increased requirement for national and tactical intelligence, an Intelligence and Security Branch was established in the Army effective 1 July 1962, by General Orders No. 38. On 1 July 1967, the branch was re-designated as Military Intelligence (MI).

Program Executive Office Intelligence, Electronic Warfare & Sensors (PEO IEW&S) is responsible for providing many systems that ensure MI Soldiers have a significant advantage on the battlefield. In recognition of the MI Branch’s 61stBirthday, we’re highlighting three of our teammates at PEO IEW&S who were former Military Intelligence Officers who now support fielding key systems to the MI community.

Laurence Mixon, the Special Assistant to the Program Executive Officer for PEO IEW&S

What was your job as a Military Intelligence Officer and what is your current position?

“I spent 30 years in the Active Army as an Intelligence Officer. Assignments included Armored Division G2, Corps G2, and MI Brigade Commander.”

What role do you believe Military Intelligence plays for the Army now?

“I believe MI drives Mission Command and every other warfighting function at all echelons. The Intelligence warfighting function enables commanders to understand the operational environment, enemy, terrain, and civil considerations.”

How has being a member of the MI community translated into your acquisition role of fielding systems to the MI Community?

“I had the good fortune of serving in tactical, operational, and strategic intelligence assignments as well as the Pentagon over the course of my career. I had substantive interaction with the Acquisition Community especially from 2002-2016 during operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. I believe these experiences give me the ability to speak fluently and credibly with Soldiers about training, operations, maintenance, and materiel needs. Conversely, I can advise the PEO, staff, and PM personnel on how intelligence formations conduct intelligence tasks and man, train, and operate equipment to perform these tasks.”

What the does the MI Birthday mean to you?

“I have been proud to be a member of the intelligence corps since I was a second lieutenant serving in an infantry battalion along the demilitarized zone in the Republic of Korea and remain so 36 years later. The birthday points to the vital importance of having a Military Intelligence Corps.”

Joseph Pickard is a Product Support Manger in Project Management Intel Systems & Analytics

What was your job as a Military Intelligence Officer and what is your current position?

“I was a Military Intelligence Systems Maintenance / Integration Technician (Chief Warrant Officer 3) for the Army. My last Active-Duty assignment was with PM Distributed Common Ground System-Army (now PM IS&A) overseeing the development of the Interactive Electronic Technical Manual for the Mobile Basic System. This assignment provided a perfect transition of my core military skill set to aid in sustainment planning for MI systems and set me on the path to becoming a Product Support Manager.”

What role do you believe that Military Intelligence plays for the Army now?

“Military Intelligence plays a central role in providing the data and analysis to drive sound decisions at all levels of our military.”

How has being a member of the MI community translated into your acquisition role of fielding systems to the MI Community?

“Those of us who served in the MI community “pre-acquisition,” have perception grounded in experience. It gives us a different way of decoding requirements. A different way of interpreting things we hear from the end users. This helps us to relate better, but I am very cautious to lean to heavily on my experiences. They have a shelf life. The Army I served in has continued to change and my experiences are less relevant than they were a year after my transition to civilian life.”

What is the does the MI Birthday mean to you?

“The Military Intelligence Birthday provides me an opportunity to reflect upon a wonderful career and honor the talented and incredible people that make up the Military Intelligence Branch.”

Ashley Gill supports the Common Sensor Payload (CSP) High Definition team

What was your job as a Military Intelligence and what is your current position?

“I joined the Indiana Army National Guard in 2006 as a Military Intelligence Analyst (35F), serving the next 10 years in a wide range of roles from an analyst in a Joint Intelligence Center, to a forces integration and readiness NCO, to Space Support Team NCOIC. Currently, I am a project lead for the PdM AEROS Common Sensor Payload HD, an EO/IR system on the Gray Eagle UAS.”

What role do you believe Military Intelligence plays for the Army now?

“Military Intelligence continues to understand new tactics and technologies that enable our military leadership to plan operations using current, relevant information. Our MI experts have in-depth knowledge of our opposition, as well as an understanding of what resources are available to us, providing collection and analysis for ever-changing threat projections. “

How has being a member of the MI community translated into your acquisition role of fielding systems to the MI Community?

“As the NCOIC in a Joint Intelligence Center in Iraq, I gathered information from a wide range of sources to paint the picture of combatant activity in the region. I vividly remember watching video feeds of surveillance and targeting missions that were directly related to the analysis performed by my team. Now, I’m on the other side of the EO/IR systems that provide those same resources and have a deep appreciation of the need for quality products and technical expertise that our Soldiers rely on.”

What is the does the MI Birthday mean to you?

“The MI Birthday is a reminder of how quickly technology changes, and how the growth of our own technical capabilities must outpace our enemy’s. Our Warfighters need us to continue to develop more accurate, advanced technologies to provide them with the advantage over our adversaries.”