Office of Naval Intelligence

The oldest continuously operating intelligence agency in the United States, founded 1882

Overview

ONI was established in 1882 to catalog foreign warships and coastal defenses, and its reporting proved vital during the Spanish American War. In the twentieth century it pioneered radio interception and direction finding, and its codebreakers contributed to the MAGIC successes against Japanese ciphers. Today it analyzes maritime threats, tracks global shipping, and supports fleet operations from the National Maritime Intelligence Center. Its continuous operation makes it the senior agency of the American community. Its analysts also support counter piracy and sanctions enforcement monitoring at sea.