When the Office of Naval Intelligence was established in 1882 as America’s first continuously operating intelligence service, it was Lt. Theodorus B. M. Mason’s basic concept that “naval attaches had to be assigned to U.S. embassies and legations in the naval and maritime countries throughout the world, and that ONI would be the office to support and coordinate their activities.”

(Lt. Theodorus B. M. Mason, USN, first Director of Naval Intelligence)

Consistent with Mason’s concept is the following statement in the first written directive from the Secretary of the Navy to Lt. Mason, dated 25 July 1882: “In order to collect information, a corps of correspondents, in the persons of naval attaches to our foreign legations, will be organized.”

To start the intelligence collection system, orders were issued to LCdr. French E. Chadwick, on 28 October 1882, assigning him to London as the naval attache for “the purpose of obtaining full and accurate information on British progress in naval science.”

Since those early days, Naval Attaches have made history. In the Cold War, they strolled along Schmidt’s Embankment at the height of the Cold War, unobtrusively attempting to get the perfect picture of the newest Soviet Submarines under construction at the Admiralty Yard in Soviet-era Leningrad- and much, much more. Serving overseas at U.S. Embassys, learning foreign languages and being able to directly influence U.S. Navy and foreign policy is a vital and unique function for line officers and intelligence specialists alike. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus recently noted that, “Building partnerships and establishing trust between our Navy and our maritime partners around the world is critical to our national security. I am truly grateful for the tremendous work being done by our naval attaches to foster those relationships and the professionalism displayed by the officers who represent our Navy. Our continued success in providing presence and operating with allies has been greatly enhanced by individuals willing to serve in these important roles.”

Navy personnel are currently serving in 78 countries around the world- and are the front end of our nation’s Intelligence collection missions.

Join with NIP as we celebrate the history of the corps of officers who have proudly served for well over a century as the American Legation, United States Naval Attache- ALUSNA!