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HUMAN INTELLIGENCE KEY TO SOF MISSIONS
THE AIM OF INTELLIGENCE IS TO FORECAST WHAT A TERRORIST CAN DO, WHERE AND HOW HE WILL DO IT AND AT WHAT TIME AND IN WHAT STRENGTH. IT IS CONCERNED WITH THE ENEMY AND ALL THEIR ACTIVITIES. IF IT IS ACCURATE AND TIMELY, IT WILL REDUCE THE RISKS IN PLANNED OPERATIONS, INCREASE THE NUMBER OF "KILLS," THWART THE TERRORIST IN HIS PLANS, AND PSYCHOLOGICALLY UPSET HIM.
-PRINCIPLES OF INTELLIGENCE, RHODESIAN INTELLIGENCE CORPS
In this "new era" of extremist Islamic elements, how much more do we know about that enemy than we did five years ago? Even with our experiences in Vietnam, El Salvador, the Balkans and the Middle East, how well-prepared are we to fight today's unconventional wars? With an increase of asymmetrical conflicts in which belligerents take full advantage of their own strengths and the weaknesses of their more powerful adversaries, why do intelligence models fail to provide the actionable insights needed for locating and defeating such armed elements? In Iraq, for example, those fighting American forces include a complex mix of Sunni tribal militias, former regime members, foreign and domestic jihadists, Shiite militias and criminal gangs. Each group has different motivations and ways of fighting, but most commentary categorizes them as Iraqi insurgents, fundamentalists, Arabs or al-Qaeda, and there is apparently no unique means of successfully identifying their members.
NOT SO OBVIOUS
To many, though, it sounds as if a solution should be quite straightforward - you simply must know your enemy. Numerous articles, books and e-mail signatures cite Sun Tzu's "Know your enemy and you have won the battle." That is apparently all there is to it. Oddly enough, very few who cite this sage advice ever explain how to know one's adversary or how to collect the deep intelligence needed. Usually, there is some mention of culture, social knowledge and proper communication, but there are few illustrations or techniques.
Some academics and strategists claim that such knowledge of the enemy can provide a framework for profiling the organizational and operational tendencies of these armed groups to learn their strengths and weaknesses. But how does someone actually obtain these insights and make sense of them? And how do specialwarfare elements at the forefront of these...