General Question

yaujj48's avatar

How do military ranks work in intelligence agencies?

Asked by yaujj48 (1189points) March 4th, 2023

I heard there are military ranks in the intelligence agencies or at least in military intelligence. I heard that colonel is the rank for the head of the intelligence agency with the example of Colonel Alfred Redl of the Evidenzbureau.

So what other military rank play in the intelligence agencies and how does it function? Why is colonel rank is considered the head of the intelligence agency?

Extra question, in a special operation forces, is the minimum rank for the forces Sergeant?

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6 Answers

MrGrimm888's avatar

Rear Admiral, is the highest rank. Since this question was asked in General. Anyways. Such matters are Private 1st class….

seawulf575's avatar

It sort of depends on what branch of the military. Army intelligence has the same ranks as the Army, Naval Intelligence has the same ranks as the Navy. A Colonel in the Army equates to a Captain in the Navy. Ultimately they all report to the Joint Chiefs and then the POTUS.

For extra credit, the Operations Sergeant is typically a master sergeant which is the second highest ranking of an enlisted person. They are not officers.

JLoon's avatar

Actual ranks only apply in military intelligence service – and in some foriegn agencies like Russian FSB, French DRSD, and a few special units within Israel’s Mossad.

In the US, Britain, and many other western countries top intelligence work is carried out by civilian personnel organized according to government service classification. Job titles like director, deputy assistant, chief of mission, department supervisor, field agent, etc. are common.

MrGrimm888's avatar

Apologies. I mistook the op, for a spammer…

yaujj48's avatar

I did my research a little bit, like JLoon said, military ranks only work for military intelligence. And the highest rank in present military intelligence is General rank

However, it seems that military intelligence in the 19th century, the highest rank seems to be Colonel. Is there an explanation why?

Patty_Melt's avatar

I know some stuff not generally discussed, so I will generally not discuss it. Some ranks are not what they seem, and are HEAVILY protected.

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