The Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) is an interagency deliberative body of the United Kingdom responsible for intelligence assessment, coordination, and oversight of the Secret Intelligence Service, Security Service, GCHQ, and Defence Intelligence. The JIC is supported by the Joint Intelligence Organisation under the Cabinet Office.

History

The JIC was founded on 7 July 1936 as a sub-committee of the Committee of Imperial Defence, the advisory peacetime defence planning agency. During World War II, it became the senior intelligence assessment body in the UK. In 1957 the JIC moved to the Cabinet Office, where its assessments staff prepare draft intelligence assessments for the committee to consider.

Role in the Iraq dossier

The JIC played a controversial role in compiling a dossier in which the UK government highlighted the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction in the run up to the Iraq War. There were allegations that the dossier was "sexed up" prior to publication in order to bolster the case for military action. Evidence that the wording of the dossier was "strengthened" was presented to the Hutton Inquiry, a judicial review set up to investigate the circumstances leading up to the death of an eminent government weapons expert, David Kelly, who had criticised the wording of the dossier in off-the-record briefings to journalists. Doctor Kelly committed suicide shortly after his identity was confirmed to the media by the government. JIC members Sir John Scarlett and Sir Richard Dearlove (both then head of MI6, the Secret Intelligence Service) gave evidence to the Inquiry in which they argued that the words used in the dossier were consistent with their assessment of the intelligence available at the time.

Despite the work of the 1400 strong Iraq Survey Group in post-war Iraq, no evidence of actual WMD capability has so far been uncovered; according to its final report in September 2004. The US and UK Governments both announced investigations into the assessment of WMD intelligence in the run up to war. The British inquiry, headed by Lord Butler of Brockwell, in its report in July 2004, while critical of the British intelligence community, did not recommend that anyone should resign. Similarly, the US Senate Intelligence Committee, while critical of US intelligence officials, did not recommend any resignations in its report, also issued in July 2004.

Structure

The committee is chaired by a permanent chairman, a member of the Senior Civil Service, and is supported by the Joint Intelligence Organisation which includes an assessments staff. The assessment staff is made up of experienced senior analysts drawn from across government and the military and conducts all-source analysis on subjects of interest to the committee. JIC papers draw input from across the intelligence and security agencies and other related bodies.

Membership comprises senior officials in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Ministry of Defence and United Kingdom Armed Forces, Home Office, Department for International Development, HM Treasury and the Cabinet Office.

The JIC is subject to oversight by the Intelligence and Security Committee. It is supported by the Joint Intelligence Organisation.

Role and functions

The JIC is responsible for: Resident intelligence chiefs from Australia, Canada, and New Zealand may attend when certain issues are discussed.

Chairs of the Joint Intelligence Committee

Since founding, the committee's Chair has been as follows:

  • Sir Ralph Stevenson, 1936–1939
  • Victor Cavendish-Bentinck, 1939–1945 (subsequently the 9th Duke of Portland)
  • Sir Harold Caccia, 1945–1948 (subsequently the Lord Caccia)
  • Sir William Hayter, 1948–1949
  • Sir Patrick Reilly, 1950–1953
  • Sir Patrick Dean, 1953–1960
  • Sir Hugh Stephenson, 1960–1963
  • Sir Bernard Burrows, 1963–1966
  • Sir Denis Greenhill, 1966–1968 (subsequently the Lord Greenhill)
  • Sir Edward Peck, 1968–1970
  • Sir Stewart Crawford, 1970–1973
  • Sir Geoffrey Arthur, 1973–1975
  • Sir Antony Duff, 1975–1979
  • Sir Antony Acland, 1979–1982
  • Sir Patrick Wright, 1982–1984 (subsequently the Lord Wright)
  • Sir Percy Craddock, 1985–1992
  • Sir Rodric Braithwaite, 1992–1993
  • Dame Pauline Neville-Jones, 1993–1994 (subsequently Baroness Neville-Jones)
  • Sir Paul Lever, 1994–1996
  • Sir Colin Budd, 1996–1997
  • Sir Michael Pakenham, 1997–2000
  • Sir Peter Ricketts, 2000 – September 2001
  • Sir John Scarlett, 2001–2004
  • Sir William Ehrman, 2004–2005
  • Sir Richard Mottram, 2005–2007 (as Permanent Secretary, Intelligence, Security and Resilience)
  • Sir Alex Allan, 2007–2011
  • Sir Jon Day, 2012–2015
  • Sir Charles Farr, 2015–2019
  • Sir Simon Gass, 2019–2023
  • Dame Madeleine Alessandri, 2023–2026
  • Adrian Bird, from 3 July 2026

See also

  • British intelligence agencies
  • Joint Intelligence Organisation
  • Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament
  • United States Intelligence Community
  • National Intelligence Council
  • Joint Intelligence Community Council
  • United States Director of National Intelligence
  • Australian Intelligence Community
  • Office of National Intelligence
  • Office of National Assessments
  • National Centre for Counter Terrorism, France

References

Further reading

  • Joint Intelligence Committee