HUMINT/CI Exploitation Teams

Last updated

A human intelligence exploitation team is a tactical collection asset usually at the battalion or higher level that uses HUMINT techniques such as interrogations and source operations to collect information to fulfill intelligence requirements.

Contents

History

The concept of HUMINT Exploitation Teams were first developed in the 1990s; it is not clear exactly when the teams were introduced into the operational environment, but most operational doctrine dates back to 1997. [1] Even though doctrine gives a standard layout of a HET, HETs are very adaptable in terms of organization and being able to adapt to almost any collection environment. HET teams were first heavily implemented by the U.S. Marines, then the U.S. Army in Iraq and Afghanistan. [2] These teams were highly successful because of their capability to be a tactical collection asset as well as a tactical assault team. This gave commanders the ability to not only use the teams for intelligence collection but also for tactical objectives. Before Iraq and Afghanistan, HET teams were mostly used for very sensitive operations in mostly non-combat environments. However, there were very few of these operations compared to the massive number and use of HET teams in Iraq and Afghanistan in the past decade. [3]

Organization and roles of HETs

Both the U.S. Marines and the U.S. Army currently use HET teams; although their versions may differ slightly the basic organization and roles are largely the same. An HET team typically has four to eight members. The size and ratio of the team is largely dependent on what type of operation is going to be carried out by the team, but each member has a dedicated role to play in the team. In each HET team there is a HUMINT Officer/Warrant (35F/351B) or a CI Officer/Warrant (35E/351E), who is responsible for overall command of the team and planning of all operations. The HUMINT/CI Officer reports directly to the HUMINT Tactical Operations Center (H-TOC) Battle Captain, who is typically an O-3/CPT HUMINT/CI(35F/35E) commissioned officer. [1] The Battle Captain receives collection requirements as well as tasking for the HET teams from the S2X, who is responsible for all HUMINT/CI assets in the battalion or brigade. [4] A Team Chief, typically a HUMINT(351B) or CI(351E) warrant officer, is responsible for supervising, planning, and coordinating the execution of HUMINT operations. The team chief/operations technician is the technical expert in the team, having the greatest level of detail on all intelligence related operations. [1] The team also has one SSG (E-6) who is either a CI Agent/HUMINT Collector(35L/35M), one SGT (E-5) who is either a CI Agent/HUMINT Collector (35L/35M), and two SPCs (E-4) who are either CI Agents/HUMINT Collectors(35L/35M). [4] This combination of intelligence professionals, all with their own roles, enables the team to quickly and efficiently collect on a variety of targets without overstretching capabilities or putting the team in danger. This efficiency and quickness in collection is what has made HET teams so effective in both Iraq and Afghanistan over the last decade as well as making them essential to the targeting of insurgent organizations. [5]

Mission and effectiveness

The HET team's mission is to collect and report timely, accurate, and mission focused information from human sources in order to fulfill tactical, MEF, theater and national level intelligence requirements. The HETs were so effective as a collection asset in Iraq, a Former Assistant Chief of Staff, G-2, Multi-National Force -West, was quoted as saying "The HET teams produced more reporting... than any other intel asset we have out there". [1] However, the overall effectiveness of HET teams as well as their success were always very dependent on a complex command and control relationship that extends all the way to the C/J/G/S2X. [4] Although, HET teams were highly effective in collecting, the validity of the information collected by them would sometimes be called into question. [6] As with humans and human error there were errors and inconsistencies in some of the information collected by the HET teams. [6] Even with some errors in the information collected by the HET teams, much of the information collected by them were instrumental in targeting and combating insurgent organizations such as the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. [5] Because of this effectiveness the HET teams were widely implemented and increased in number in Afghanistan. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Defense Intelligence Agency</span> U.S. DoD combat support agency

The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) is an intelligence agency and combat support agency of the United States Department of Defense, specializing in defense and military intelligence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human intelligence (intelligence gathering)</span> Intelligence gathered by means interpersonal contact

Human intelligence is intelligence gathered by means of human sources and interpersonal contact. It is distinct from more technical means of intelligence gathering such as signal interception. HUMINT can be conducted in a variety of ways, including via espionage, reconnaissance, interrogation, or witness interviews.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Counterintelligence</span> Offensive measures using enemy information

Counterintelligence (counter-intelligence) or counterespionage (counter-espionage) is any activity aimed at protecting an agency's intelligence program from an opposition's intelligence service. It includes gathering information and conducting activities to prevent espionage, sabotage, assassinations or other intelligence activities conducted by, for, or on behalf of foreign powers, organizations or persons.

An intelligence officer is a person employed by an organization to collect, compile or analyze information which is of use to that organization. The word of officer is a working title, not a rank, used in the same way a "police officer" can also be a sergeant, or in the military, in which non-commissioned personnel may serve as intelligence officers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James A. Williams</span> United States Army general

James Arthur Williams was a United States Army lieutenant general. Williams served as Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency in the 1980s. He was a 1987 inductee of the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame and was the chairman of the board of directors for the National Military Intelligence Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Directorate of Operations (CIA)</span> US clandestine intelligence organization

The Directorate of Operations (DO), less formally called the Clandestine Service, is a component of the US Central Intelligence Agency. It was known as the Directorate of Plans from 1951 to 1973; as the Directorate of Operations from 1973 to 2005; and as the National Clandestine Service (NCS) from 2005 to 2015.

Criminal intelligence is information compiled, analyzed, and/or disseminated in an effort to anticipate, prevent, or monitor criminal activity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marine Corps Intelligence</span> Intelligence branch of the U.S. Marine Corps

The Marine Corps Intelligence is the intelligence arm of the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and an element of the United States Intelligence Community. The Director of Intelligence supervises the Intelligence Department of HQMC and is responsible for policy, plans, programming, budgets, and staff supervision of Intelligence and supporting activities within the U.S. Marine Corps as well as supervising the Marine Corps Intelligence Activity (MCIA). The department supports the Commandant of the Marine Corps (CMC) in his role as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), represents the service in Joint and Intelligence Community matters, and exercises supervision over the MCIA.

Intelligence collection management is the process of managing and organizing the collection of intelligence from various sources. The collection department of an intelligence organization may attempt basic validation of what it collects, but is not supposed to analyze its significance. There is debate in U.S. intelligence community on the difference between validation and analysis, where the National Security Agency may try to interpret information when such interpretation is the job of another agency.

Intelligence cycle management refers to the overall activity of guiding the intelligence cycle, which is a set of processes used to provide decision-useful information (intelligence) to leaders. The cycle consists of several processes, including planning and direction, collection, processing and exploitation, analysis and production, and dissemination and integration. The related field of counterintelligence is tasked with impeding the intelligence efforts of others. Intelligence organizations are not infallible but, when properly managed and tasked, can be among the most valuable tools of management and government.

National intelligence programs, and, by extension, the overall defenses of nations, are vulnerable to attack. It is the role of intelligence cycle security to protect the process embodied in the intelligence cycle, and that which it defends. A number of disciplines go into protecting the intelligence cycle. One of the challenges is there are a wide range of potential threats, so threat assessment, if complete, is a complex task. Governments try to protect three things:

The reconnaissance mission within the United States Marine Corps is divided into two distinct but complementary aspects; Marine Division Recon and Force Reconnaissance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Document Exploitation</span> United States Armed Forces procedures to use documents seized in combat

Document Exploitation (DOCEX) is the set of procedures used by the United States Armed Forces to discover, categorize, and use documents seized in combat operations. In the course of performing its missions in the War on Terrorism, members of the United States Armed Forces discover vast amounts of documents in many formats and languages. When documents are suspected of containing information of potential intelligence value, rapid and accurate interpretation of the information identifies targets, bolsters success in subsequent operations, and enhances tactical and strategic all-source intelligence efforts. The sheer volume of documents acquired in the course of military operations can overwhelm a unit's capability to extract meaningful information in a timely manner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Organizational structure of the Central Intelligence Agency</span> Overview of the organizational structure of the Central Intelligence Agency

The CIA publishes organizational charts of its agency. Here are a few examples.

The Army Geospatial Center (AGC) is a Major Subordinate Command of the United States Army Corps of Engineers. It is located in Alexandria, Virginia, within the Humphreys Engineering Center adjacent to the Fort Belvoir military reservation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Target analysis</span>

Target analysis is an examination of potential targets to determine military importance, priority of attack, and weapons required to obtain a desired level of damage or casualties. The Central Intelligence Agency defines it as, "network analysis techniques and specialized analytical tools to identify and detail key figures and organizations who may pose a threat to US interests."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Army Counterintelligence</span> Component of United States Army which conducts counterintelligence activities

United States Army Counterintelligence (ACI) is the component of United States Army Military Intelligence which conducts counterintelligence activities to detect, identify, assess, counter, exploit and/or neutralize adversarial, foreign intelligence services, international terrorist organizations, and insider threats to the United States Army and U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Defense Clandestine Service</span> Espionage arm of the US Defense Intelligence Agency

The Defense Clandestine Service (DCS) is an arm of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), which conducts clandestine espionage, intelligence gathering activities and classified operations around the world to provide insights and answer national-level defense objectives for senior U.S. policymakers and American military leaders. Staffed by civilian and military personnel, DCS is part of DIA's Directorate of Operations and works in conjunction with the Central Intelligence Agency's Directorate of Operations and the U.S. military's Joint Special Operations Command. DCS consists of about 500 clandestine operatives, which is roughly how many case officers the CIA maintained in the early 2000s prior to its expansion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">525th Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigade</span> Military unit

The 525th Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigade (Expeditionary) is a unit of the United States Army specializing in the acquisition and analysis of information with potential military value. On 28 October 2014, the unit was reflagged from the "525th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade" to an expeditionary military intelligence brigade, the first of its kind.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Tactical HUMINT Battalion". Fas.org. Retrieved 2015-05-07.
  2. ↑ "Counterintelligence/Human Intelligence Exploitation Team (HET) Operations in Iraq" (PDF). Info.publicintelligence.net. Retrieved 2015-05-07.
  3. ↑ "The Pentagon's Spies". Nsarchive.gwu.edu. Retrieved 2015-05-07.
  4. 1 2 3 "FM 2-22.3 Chapter 2 — HUMAN INTELLIGENCE STRUCTURE". Rdl.train.army.mil. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-05-07.
  5. 1 2 "Humint-Centric Operations : Developing Actionable Intelligence in the Urban Counterinsurgency Environment" (PDF). Au.af.mil. Retrieved 2015-05-07.
  6. 1 2 "Human Intelligence: Past, Present, And Future | Simon Sundaraj-Keun". Simonsundarajkeun.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2015-05-07.
  7. ↑ "Stabilizing Iraq: - Intelligence Lessons for Afghanistan - The Washington Institute for Near East Policy". Washingtoninstitute.org. 2009-05-28. Retrieved 2015-05-07.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.