The Australian Intelligence Corps (AUSTINT) is a corps within the Australian Army. It was formed on 6 December 1907 and provides intelligence personnel in every formation headquarters in the Army. The corps currently consists of 169 officers and 232 other ranks.
HRH The Princess Royal, Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Australian Corps of Signals, is the Corp's ceremonial chief.
The Corps was formed on 6 December 1907 with the aim of providing training for soldiers in intelligence work, including collecting and recording topographic and military information about Australia, its dependencies and foreign countries (especially those of the Pacific region), as well as preparing strategic and tactical maps and plans.
The first Director of Military Intelligence was Lieutenant Colonel James Whiteside McCay.
The Corps was disbanded on 30 September 1914 and replaced by Intelligence Sections of the General Staff in each Australian military district. It was re-formed in 1939 and was tasked with the following: intelligence; security; passport control; rail, air and shipping security; censorship; and prisoner of war interrogation and data compilation.
The corps has been formally allied with the British Army Intelligence Corps since 1950.
The role of AUSTINT is to provide intelligence support consisting of knowledge of the enemy and the area of operations. Its role also includes the active and passive measures undertaken to prevent the enemy from acquiring intelligence about friendly forces and their intentions.