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Naval Intelligence Service

The Naval Intelligence Service is an organization under the primary control and direction of the Chief of Naval Operations. Naval intelligence is the accumulated knowledge on the naval science and developments in all maritime countries; the naval capabilities, activities, and intentions of all potentially hostile and friendly countries; and the characteristics of all possible areas of naval operations. It has been a requirement within the Navy ever since intelligence was used to justify the procurement of the Navy's first ships. Additionally, naval intelligence includes the Navy's contribution to joint military and national intelligence efforts.

It is impossible to predict in what part of the globe armed forces may be called into action in support of diplomacy. If commanders are to be able to brush aside the “fog of war” and make decisions that will lead them to success, the power to do so can only come from an intelligence service. Such a service can hardly be built in a day, a month, or a year. It must have been functioning quietly and steadily for many years if all the voluminous but vital information is to be collected, arranged for ready use, and kept up-to-date. The brilliant outcome of a campaign springs inevitably from years of quiet preparation. Peace time is the golden time for intelligence work, for not only is the information easier to collect, but time is available for its proper collating, compilation, distribution and study.

Naval intelligence comprises an evaluated knowledge of nations, primarily their war-making capacity, and especially of naval and maritime factors. It is the most complete and authentic information on a probable or actual enemy or theatre of operations, critically analyzed, and incorporating the strategical and tactical conclusions to be drawn therefrom. Evaluation is the most critical and systematic analysis of information to determine its probable credibility and accuracy, its significance, its relevance and importance, and its conclusions. Information subjected to this process becomes “intelligence.”

The day has long since passed when the intelligence responsibility of the Naval establishment could safely be entrusted to officers as a collateral duty to other assignment. The intelligence officer's job is too big to be successfully carried on by just anybody, however well intentioned. The good intelligence officer must be a person with specialized training. This does not mean, of course, that he should set himself up in some ivory tower away from all contact with the operating forces. Quite the contrary.

No one can be a good intelligence officer without a detailed and intimate knowledge of the needs and capabilities of the operating forces. There is a place, to be sure, for people who perform intelligence duties exclusively. But, it is equally important that the Navy also maintain a substantial reservoir of regular line officers who understand intelligence work. Such officers as these can carry out to the Fleet the full story of what intelligence is able to do to assist command.

Intelligence analysts, including engineers, scientists, and other highly trained specialists in the Navy's intelligence connnnunity track foreign naval Operations worldwide. They analyze the capabilities of each country's ships, submarines, aircraft, vveapons systems, satellites, and missiles.

There is not managing of units concerned with maritime intelligence in Thailand to efficiently follow up the maritime interests. Besides, the units work individually, not connecting together. The main problems are about organizations’ structures, personnel, and budget. These problems make the maritime intelligence not able to respond the threats efficiently much. To solve the problems, the center of maritime intelligence is required to be established to collect, measure, and analyze the tendency of threats in three roles: roles of maritime security in provincial parts, roles of law enforcement, and maritime disasters. It is required to gain experts of maritime intelligence to work together.

It suggests that Office of the National Security Council approve to form the center of maritime intelligence working under Thailand Maritime Enforcement Coordination Center (MECC), and propose to the cabinet to approve the center which consists of skillful and moral representatives. In policy level, there should be Maritime Interests Policy Board to specify policies and control the budget for the MECC. Laws about information over information exchange, information inquiry, and every activity of MECC should be revised. MECC should be entitled to compile and integrate information efficiently, and be an independent organization which receive budget from the government to be an academic advisor in terms of maritime interests. There also should be public organizations to participate and assist the units with the nation maritime interest protection such as Thai Volunteer for Thai Maritime Protection. This can instill conscious in Thai people to highly value natural resources.