COMINT
Communications intelligence concerns communications signals. Not every collected communication is readable or meaningful.
Primer chapter · SIGINT
Signals intelligence
At a glance
SIGINT derives intelligence from signals, including communications and other electronic emissions. Collection can reveal important patterns, but a signal does not explain its own meaning, provenance or intent.
Technical collection still needs interpretation.
Key distinctions
The essentials
ELINT
Electronic intelligence concerns non-communications emissions, such as radar signals.
Technical + human judgment
Language, engineering, context and analysis turn technical observations into useful assessments.
Read at your own depth
Go deeper
Expand a topic for explanations, limitations and source-linked context.
Sources & scope
This chapter is a public-source introduction. Agency sources describe their own institutions; historical interpretation and the guide’s learning exercises are identified separately. It does not claim access to classified operational practice.