---
category: Intelligence Concept
summary: Technical Intelligence (TECHINT) refers to intelligence gathered through
  technical collection means such as satellite imagery and signals intercepts, as
  distinguished from Human Intelligence (HUMINT).
tags:
- Concept
- Intelligence
---

Technical Intelligence refers to intelligence gathered through technical means, such as satellite imagery and communications intercepts. This is in contrast to [Human Intelligence (HUMINT)](/concepts/human-intelligence-humint/). [James Jesus Angleton](/people/james-jesus-angleton/), the [CIA](/organizations/central-intelligence-agency/)'s director of counterintelligence, was known for his forte in human intelligence, and not technical intelligence, such as the U-2 imagery.[^1]

[^1]: Hersh, Seymour M. *The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy*. Random House, 1991. Chapter 11.