To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the work of the (a) Air Warfare Centre, (b) Army Intelligence Corps and (c) RAF Intelligence Branch; where each is based; how many individuals work for each; and what the rank is of the most senior officer. (81215)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 15 June 2006, Official Report, column 1385W, in respect of the work of the Army Intelligence Corps. The Corps is based at the Defence Intelligence and Security Centre at Chicksands. The Corps' strength is 1,625 and its most senior officer is a Brigadier.

The Air Warfare Centre is headquartered at RAF Waddington and has outlying units both in the United Kingdom and overseas. Its current strength is 1,060 people, both service and civilians. Its role is to provide timely intelligence-led integrated mission support to Defence-wide units for operations and training. The rank of the most senior officer is Air Commodore.

The role of the RAF intelligence specialisation is to provide operationally focussed air intelligence in support of air operations in peace and war. It does not have a single base, but is spread throughout the Ministry of Defence, RAF commands and units. Its policy branch is based within the Air Warfare Centre at RAF Waddington. There are 285 officers in the RAF Intelligence Branch and 885 non-commissioned personnel in the RAF intelligence trade. The rank of the most senior RAF officer in the Intelligence Branch is Group Captain.