APRIL 27, 2026 – Successful military operations depend on those in the intelligence community, including the Defense Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, National Reconnaissance Office, Central Intelligence Agency and others, said Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during a press conference at the Pentagon last week.
“The totality of their work is the culmination of days, months and in many cases, years of work by our uniform and civilian intelligence professionals,” he said, adding that America’s intelligence force, including collectors and analysts, has spent decades searching for every loose thread that could impact national security.
These intelligence professionals spend their careers answering important questions before, during and after operations.
“They live in the enemy’s mind,” Caine said, working in windowless sensitive facilities, 24/7, 365 days a year.
The general went on to commend them for their tireless work sifting through mountains of collected information using classified tools, tactics, techniques and procedures.
“The sun never sets on these world-class professionals, and their goal is, every minute of every day, to be on the account. And they know the enemy,” he said. “They know their combat capability, their weapons, their industrial and economic systems, and they know their leaders, their leaders’ pattern of life, where they go, what they think and what they do.”
Thanks to their work, the War Department knows Iran, its leaders, its military and its capabilities, Caine said.
By David Vergun
Pentagon News