The Army’s proponent for transforming Army Intelligence for the future, known as the Intelligence Capabilities Development and Integration Directorate (I-CDID), dates back to 2006. At that time, the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) Futures Director approved a reorganization that brought together parts of combat development and TRADOC capability managers into new standardized CDIDs led by a colonel. Maj. Gen. Barbara Fast activated the I-CDID on July 1, 2006, in coordination with nine other CDIDs representing other functional areas.
With the advent of Army Futures Command (AFC) and its Futures and Concepts Center (FCC), the CDIDs were realigned from TRADOC to FCC in 2019. During the transition, the I-CDID’s mission remained the same, to transform Army Intelligence to support timely situational understanding for maneuver commanders against peer competitors across the competition continuum by employing a mix of organic collection systems, leveraging joint, national and partner systems, and modernizing data management and analytic processes.
The I-CDID consists of five subordinate divisions, including the Requirements Determination Division (RDD), the Intelligence Battle Lab (IBL), the Army Capability Managers (ACMs) for Formations Intelligence (ACM-FI), Intelligence Sensors (ACM-IS), and Foundation (ACM-F). Each of the three ACMs is the user advocate for their functionally aligned focus areas.
RDD develops future intelligence concepts, identifies gaps and determines required capabilities. The IBL is the experimentation arm of the Army Modernization Enterprise for intelligence and executes AFC’s experimentation priorities. It’s also responsible for science and technology scouting and assessment, cost-benefit and operational research and systems analysis, and digital modernization activities.
ACM-FI develops and manages capability requirements leading to doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership, education, personnel, facilities and policy (DOTMLPF-P) solutions supporting Army intelligence formations and coordinates capability development activities to ensure the DOTMLPF-P area’s full integration to support fielding and operations requirements. ACM-F deals with the Army’s sensor, processing, exploitation and dissemination (PED) capabilities and programs. The last division, ACM-IS, addresses Army aerial and terrestrial layer intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) sensing systems coordinating capability development activities based on resource-informed, outcome-based DOTMLPF-P solutions to ensure success in the operational environment.
Located at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, and with a small presence at Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia, 150 Soldiers, Civilians and contractors make up the I-CDID. The I-CDID works with a wide variety of organizations to accomplish its mission.
“When developing Intelligence capabilities, the I-CDID often works with other organizations, including the Information, Surveillance and Reconnaissance -Task Force, the Army’s Intelligence and Security Command, Intelligence formations throughout the Army, other Services, United States Army Forces Command, United States Army Special Operations Command, theater commands and the Intelligence Community,” said Lt. Col. Christopher Sims, deputy director of the I-CDID.
“We often rely on the '3 C’s' of communication, coordination and collaboration with a broad swath of the Intelligence Community, DoD, industry and multinational partner nations to address Army transformation requirements,” Sims said.
I-CDID works closely with Program Managers, the Army’s Command, Control, Computers, Communications, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Center, and the Army Research Laboratory. The I-CDID works closely with the rest of AFC, including other CDIDs and organizations reliant on intelligence support, such as stakeholders from the maneuver, fires, special operations and cyber communities, and collaborates with academia, industry and multinational partner nations.
To complete its mission of Army transformation, the I-CDID focuses on concept development, experimentation, requirements generation, capability management and integration by having organization members gather and analyze information to identify capability gaps, develop or document integrated solutions, and bring those solutions to the fielded force. The I-CDID also plans and executes experiments evaluating various applications of science and technology.
Every year, the I-CDID is involved in various events, exercises and experiments to evaluate new technology applications and challenges facing future intelligence organizations and consider how processes like data management and collection management may change. I-CDID participates in multiple capability demonstrations and Soldier touchpoints that inform prototyping and materiel development efforts.
“We also plan and execute our own experiments in the Intelligence Battle Lab and provide subject matter expertise to experiments hosted by other organizations,” Sims said. “Our roles vary from role players to facilitating working groups to observers at these events.”
In the years since the inception of I-CDID, the organization has been at the forefront of transformation. The I-CDID played a significant role in multiple campaigns of learning regarding deep sensing of threat systems and signals, processing data enabled by machine learning and artificial intelligence, and integrating that data with other mission command systems like long-range precision fires during Project Convergence 22. I-CDID has also worked with program managers to develop and mature prototypes quickly, some currently supporting real-world missions.
“Our experimentation efforts have informed senior leaders about capability gaps and challenges,” Sims said. “We also generate capability requirements ensuring that transformation investments are spent on an appropriate solution while also assisting with modernizing and upgrading existing materiel and software solutions used by intelligence Soldiers throughout the Army.”
The I-CDID’s co-location and partnership with the Intelligence Center of Excellence, elements of the Army Test and Evaluation Command, Libby Army Airfield, Joint testing and training organizations, Army Network Enterprise Technology Command, and a host of local government, industry and academic partners provide the I-CDID with diverse expertise and support needed to optimize Army Intelligence modernization. The terrain is uniquely situated and conducive to testing and training with a broad range of signals of interest in the electromagnetic spectrum.
The I-CDID intends to expand its persistent experimentation initiatives in concert with the fires, cyber, space, mission command and special operations communities at Fort Huachuca to inform critical intelligence and electronic warfare learning demands required for Army transformation.
“The I-CDID is an incredible and diverse team of committed and effective experts at the forefront of transforming intelligence capabilities to modernize the Army for multidomain operations across the competition continuum,” Sims said. “The I-CDID will play a critical role as the Army develops deep sensing capabilities and harnesses the power of artificial intelligence and machine learning to enhance situational understanding and inform military operational decisions.”
For more information on what a CDID is or to take an in-depth look at the Fires or Medical CDIDs, click one of the links above.
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