The Intelligence Corps is an army unit tasked with maintaining the security of military establishments, supplying formation commanders with timely intelligence about the enemy, and recruiting and running clandestine agents.

This included the interception of foreign radio transmissions and the supply of intelligence-related aerial photography. This could be gathered using sophisticated technology, by running human agents (spies) or by observing the state of affairs on the ground in a particular country.

During the Cold War, the Intelligence Corps carried out lots of missions to gather intelligence for the West. It was vital for military commanders to understand whether the Soviets were about to strike against the West, especially in nuclear warfare, and for them to be ready to combat any attack. The Soviets had their own intelligence units watching the West.