Intelligence In Military Operations

Intelligence is vital to all commanders to make decisions across the range of military operations. It is a discipline that utilizes information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance when conducting operational or campaign planning. Some skeptics have described military intelligence as an oxymoron. This specialty focuses on gathering, organizing, analyzing, protecting and disseminating information which has been involved throughout history. The Holy Bible contains one of the earliest accounts of an intelligence operation. The Book of Joshua conveys the account of several men sent to spy on the Promised Land and return with their findings. It is significant to report that intelligence shaped the manner that military operations …show more content…
and its citizens from any and all threats at home or abroad. The IC is a large, complex structure, organized and operated according to a multitude of laws, executive orders, policies and directives.10 Intelligence provides critical and essential information to U.S. policymakers, congress, decisionmakers and warfighters. This entire community works together and individually to protect U.S. interests. There are six disciplines with a particular specialty : Signals Intelligence (SIGINT), Imagery Intelligence (IMINT), Measurement and Signature Intelligence (MASINT), HUMINT (Human Intelligence), Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) and Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT). These sources provide the various intelligence products to assist the warfighter. SIGINT concentrates on the transmission of signals from various sources. IMINT provides pictures via satellite or airborne asset. MASINT tracks, detects, identifies signatures such as radar, nuclear, acoustic, chemical or biological intelligence. This discipline collects information from sensors that record different characteristics of a target such as: enemy aircraft, submarines, rocket launches, etc. However, it is the least understood of the six disciplines. It is perceived as a strategic contributor and lacks tactical capability. This discipline crosses and is able to connect the various disciplines to provide a complete picture. It has the potential to provide …show more content…
The commander may request various areas of study such as: hostile, friendly force composition, operational environment or the structure of civilian population. These activities are completed at the strategic, operational and tactical levels of war. Strategic intelligence has the broadest scope focusing on the environment, geo-political and enemy intentions. Operational intelligence involves fundamental decisions about when and where to fight. Its concentration is on the adversary’s centers of gravity. If a center of gravity is defeated, it achieves significant gain in the theater. Tactical intelligence is where the actual campaign is prosecuted. Real-time information is evaluated and processed to identify gaps. If intelligence gaps exist, staff may employ task collection assets to the target requirement. HUMINT derives its information from human sources. OSINT is information collected via publicly available sources such as newspapers, periodicals, etc. GEOINT analyzes visual data that offer information on physical features such as mapping and