Editing Joint Intelligence Committee (United Kingdom) (section)

==History==
The JIC was founded on 7 July 1936<ref>{{Cite book|title=Spying on the World|year=2014|isbn=9780748678570|page=10|last1=Aldrich|first1=Richard James|last2=Cormac|first2=Rory|last3=Goodman|first3=Michael S.}}</ref> as a sub-committee of the [[Committee of Imperial Defence]], the advisory peacetime defence planning agency. During World War II, it became the senior intelligence assessment body in the UK. In 1957 the JIC moved to the [[Cabinet Office]], where its assessments staff prepare draft intelligence assessments for the committee to consider.

===Role in the Iraq dossier===
{{Main|Iraq Dossier}}
The JIC played a controversial role in compiling a dossier in which the UK government highlighted the threat posed by [[Iraq]]'s [[Weapon of mass destruction|weapons of mass destruction]] in the run up to the [[Iraq War]]. There were allegations that the dossier was "sexed up" prior to publication in order to bolster the case for military action.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/chilcot-report-iraq-war-alastair-campbell-cleared-sexed-up-dossier-tony-blair-spin-doctor-a7122571.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220614/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/chilcot-report-iraq-war-alastair-campbell-cleared-sexed-up-dossier-tony-blair-spin-doctor-a7122571.html |archive-date=14 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Alastair Campbell cleared of 'sexing up' intelligence dossier ahead of Iraq War|date= 6 July 2016|newspaper=The Independent|access-date=1 March 2018}}</ref> Evidence that the wording of the dossier was "strengthened" was presented to the [[Hutton Inquiry]], a judicial review set up to investigate the circumstances leading up to the death of an eminent government weapons expert, [[David Kelly (weapons expert)|David Kelly]], who had criticised the wording of the dossier in off-the-record briefings to journalists. Doctor Kelly committed suicide shortly after his identity was confirmed to the media by the government. JIC members Sir [[John Scarlett]] and Sir [[Richard Dearlove]] (both then head of MI6, the Secret Intelligence Service) gave evidence to the Inquiry in which they argued that the words used in the dossier were consistent with their assessment of the intelligence available at the time.

Despite the work of the 1400 strong [[Iraq Survey Group]] in post-war Iraq, no evidence of actual WMD capability has so far been uncovered; according to its final report in September 2004. The US and UK Governments both announced investigations into the assessment of WMD intelligence in the run up to war. The British [[Butler Inquiry|inquiry]], headed by [[Robin Butler, Baron Butler of Brockwell|Lord Butler of Brockwell]], in its report in July 2004, while critical of the British intelligence community, did not recommend that anyone should resign. Similarly, the [[United States Senate|US Senate]] Intelligence Committee, while critical of US intelligence officials, did not recommend any resignations in its report, also issued in July 2004.