Overview[]
Founded in 1882, the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) is the longest continuously operating intelligence service in the nation. ONI collects, analyzes and produces scientific, technical, geopolitical, military and maritime intelligence.
Headquartered at the National Maritime Intelligence Center (NMIC) in Suitland, Maryland, the ONI is a major production center for maritime intelligence. It produces intelligence on seaborne terrorism, weapons and technology proliferation, and narcotics and smuggling operations. ONI also analyzes foreign naval strategies, capabilities, operations, characteristics, and trends to support Navy, Department of Defense, and national needs.
ONI and the Coast Guard Intelligence Coordination Center (USCG-ICC) both have a maritime mission, and they share an intelligence partnership that started in the early 1970s. They are identified as the core element of the Global Maritime Intelligence Integration (GMII) Plan. That plan is a component of the National Strategy for Maritime Security, which was signed by the President in late 2005. ONI and USCG-ICC man an around-the-clock maritime watch in the NMIC, which tracks over 18,000 vessels worldwide.