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HOMEAbout

# TheDefense                        Intelligence                        Agency                    Museum                

Initiated in 2016 under the leadership of Lt. Gen. Vincent                    Stewart, and in close collaboration with Smithsonian Exhibits and Emmy Award-winning Interface Media                    Group, the DIA Museum was completed in 2020. Exceeding 10,000 square feet, the museum’s 44                    exhibits, dozens of artifacts, eight interactive displays, six missiles, mannequins and many videos                    convey six decades of DIA history, including its 87 chartered missions, and honor its workforce.                    With compelling storytelling, visitors will learn of DIA’s global presence and how it shapes                    world history. Additionally, the museum’s Heritage Gallery takes visitors back to the founding                    of American military intelligence with George Washington, speaks to the successes of DIA’s                    predecessors — the Bureau of Military Information and the Office of Strategic Services —                    and shows how DIA formed from the bomber and missile gap controversies of the 1950s. With a better                    understanding of why DIA exists and the range of missions it fulfills, visitors will appreciate the                    Agency’s vital role in supporting national security.

The DIA Museum is designed around several themes, each addressing key areas in the            Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community where the Agency plays an important role. These            include: Exposing the Truth, Supporting Operations, Bringing Them Home, Enabling Diplomacy and Staying            Ahead Through Technology and Innovation. The museum also has three galleries: the Patriots Gallery, honoring            DIA’s patriots who died in the line of duty; the Heritage Gallery, which addresses DIA’s            origins; and the Lower Lobby Gallery, featuring the Torch Bearers Hall of Fame and other exhibits. Finally,            the museum has the Heritage Theater, where guests can watch an array of videos about DIA.

# Explore the DIA Museum

Click a section below to learn            more

# Exposing**The Truth**

DIA’s foremost mission is to expose adversary intentions                        and capabilities to decision makers. Following over-inflated assessments of Soviet bomber and                        missile capabilities by military services in the 1950s, DIA was established in 1961 to provide                        impartial, unified intelligence for the Department of Defense. This section provides visitors                        with several examples where exposure by DIA helped to secure the United States. 

# Patriots**Memorial**

DIA remembers and honors its                        fallen heroes through the Patriots Memorial and Gallery. The Patriots Memorial to serves as                        an ever-present reminder of the selflessness, dedication and courage to confront our                        Nation’s challenges. 

# Lower Lobby**Gallery**

The Lower Lobby showcases seminal historic events and people who have made outsized                    contributions to DIA and the Nation. This area hosts two permanent and two rotating exhibits.

# Supporting**Operations**

After 25 years of supporting operations, DIA became an official combat support                    agency in 1986. This section of the museum highlights the many facets of supporting operations,                    including document exploitation, interrogations, analysis, HUMINT, targeting and biometrics. Ranging                    from conventional support, such as in Operation DESERT STORM, to special operations, such as the                    Abbottabad raid again Osama bin Laden, DIA has made a difference.

# Bringing**Them Home**

DIA’s involvement in the POW/MIA mission goes back to 1967 and the Vietnam                    War. By the mid-1980s, DIA had a proactive collection plan for intelligence related to all POW/MIA                    service members. Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Intelligence Community POW/MIA Analytic                    Cell was established with DIA as the executive agent. Today, DIA maintains its global POW/MIA                    intelligence support mission to ensure that military and civilian personnel are returned home.

# Enabling**Diplomacy**

DIA has a long history of diplomatic efforts. Supporting mutually beneficial                    endeavors, sharing intelligence and handling incidents abroad before they escalate have been core                    missions of DIA since its earliest days. One of the most effective ways DIA protects the Nation is                    by preventing war and conflicts, aiding our allies and encouraging disarmament.

# Heritage**Gallery**

Long before the establishment of DIA, the Nation relied on defense intelligence for                    its creation, in defense of its sovereignty, and to protect its citizens. DIA continues this long                    legacy of support. The gallery takes visitors through 250 years of defense intelligence and relates                    key moments in Agency history.

# Staying Ahead**Through Technology & Innovation**

DIA is a constantly evolving agency by necessity and design. Historically, DIA has                    been a technological innovator. DIA’s push to stay ahead involves adapting new technologies                    for use in current missions, exploiting the technology of adversaries, and creating new technology                    to further improve the Agency and the Intelligence Community. When clandestine use is required,                    DIA’s Office of Technical Operations camouflages sensors to blend in to the environment.

**Museum Brochure**

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