Christopher Ford & David A Rosenberg 
The Admirals’ Advantage 
U.S. Navy Operational Intelligence in World War II and the Cold War

Operational intelligence, knowledge of the enemy’s location and actions, is crucial to effective military operations.
The Admirals’ Advantage offers a revealing look at naval operational intelligence based on the findings of a classified Operational Intelligence (OPINTEL) Lessons-Learned Project and a 1998 Symposium at the Navy and Marine Corps Intelligence Training Center. Participants included senior intelligence and operational leaders who explored the evolution and significance of OPINTEL since World War II. Past and current practices were examined with inputs from fleet and shore commands and insights from interviews and correspondence with senior flag officers and intelligence professionals.

About the author

Lieutenant Commander Christopher Ford and Captain David Rosenberg are part of a team of U.S. Naval Reserve intelligence officers that has compiled OPINTEL lessons-learned since 1994. In their civilian careers, Ford is Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Verification and Compliance, and Rosenberg is a Senior Professor at the Naval War College who led Task Force History for the Vice CNO in Operation Iraqi Freedom.