the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and related programs. It is
managed by the assistant secretary of defense for command, control,
communications, computers, and intelligence and is authorized by
Defense Department Directive 3305.5, dated 9 May 1986. It includes
all non–signals intelligence (SIGINT), nonreconnaissance defense
intelligence programs. Specifically, the GDIPincludes activities re-
lating to general military intelligence production, defense imagery
intelligence(IMINT) collection and processing, defense human in-
telligence(HUMINT) collection programs under the auspices of the
Defense HUMINT Service (DH), nuclear monitoring, research and
development procurement, support of commanders in the field, gen-
eral military support, and scientific and technical intelligence pro-
duction. The GDIP, together with the Consolidated Cryptologic Pro-
gram(CCP), form the Consolidated Defense Intelligence Program, a
key part of the National Foreign Intelligence Program(NFIP). See
alsoJOINTMILITARYINTELLIGENCE PROGRAM; TACTICAL
INTELLIGENCE AND RELATED ACTIVITIES.GENETRIX (OPERATION).Operation Genetrix was an air force
covert action, approved on 27 December 1955, that sought to secure
photographic intelligence (PHOTINT) about the Soviet Union,
Eastern Europe, and the People’s Republic of China(PRC) by float-
ing camera-carrying reconnaissance balloons across their territories.
Genetrix had its origins in wartime Japan’s attempts, through its Op-
eration Fu Go,to use the winds to launch bomb-carrying balloons
across the Pacific and drop them on U.S. territory. The Japanese pro-
gram had only limited success, tying down some American fighter
planes but achieving little of note otherwise. Britain had a similar
program during the war, code-named OUTWARD, that targeted the
Nazi power grid. The British program scored some notable successes,
one of which short-circuited the Leipzig power grid and caused the
destruction of a power plant.
Genetrix sought to use the same concept to acquire photographic
intelligence, but the project encountered several technical problems
in camera design and recovery techniques. The air force launched
516 balloons during the short life span of the program, but many
drifted off course, some were shot down by hostile aircraft, and some
descended too soon. The air force recovered only 46 balloons, of
which four had malfunctioning cameras and eight produced photog-80 • GENETRIX (OPERATION)05-398 (2) Dictionary.qxd 10/20/05 6:27 AM Page 80