Information on Military Intelligence
Throughout history military intelligence, not military might, has been the winning factor in wars and battles. In fact, the ancient Chinese treatise, The Art of War by Sun Tzu, emphasizes knowing one's enemy as well as the terrain. Sun Tzu was an advocate for the use of spies prior to engaging an enemy in battle.
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Definition and Role
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The Army Intelligence Manual FM-2-0 defines military intelligence as information concerning the military capabilities of foreign countries or organizations or topics affecting potential military operations relating to possible battles or other military missions. The purpose of military intelligence is to enable a commander to plan battles, engagement or other missions.
Military intelligence brings information from a variety of sources to commanders so they can make critical decisions concerning missions. Incorrect or inadequate intelligence can make the difference between success and failure. Intelligence doesn't just encompass troop movements and battle plans; it covers geography, terrain and environment, so that troops can know how to prepare for the theater where they will operate.
The Use of Spies
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One of the earliest and most basic types of military intelligence was human intelligence, or HUMINT in military jargon. HUMINT comes from people and multimedia sources to identify elements, intentions, composition, strength, dispositions, tactics, equipment and personnel.
The Changing Landscape of Modern Warfare
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As technology progressed throughout the twentieth century, new challenges rose in intelligence gathering. For example, there was a need to intercept radio communications through signals intelligence (SIGINT). This is intelligence gathered from intercepted communication signals and other instrumentation signals. SIGINT can come from intercepting enemy radio transmissions through listening posts on the ground or the use of satellites.
Imagery intelligence (IMINT) is derived from photography, infrared lasers or other multi-spectral sensors. Famous sources of imagery intelligence are the now-retired U2 and SR-71 Blackbird spy planes. Such operations can now be performed by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
Measurement and signatures intelligence (MASINT) detects, locates, identifies and/or describes the specific characteristics of target objects and sources. Measurement and signatures intelligence is derived from analyses of other intelligence sources. Measurement and signals intelligence can be used to track nuclear radiation, acoustical signatures and geophysical intelligence. In short, MASINT can be used to circumvent the enemy's attempt to conceal or camouflage their equipment.
Technical intelligence is information pertaining to a country's scientific and technical capabilities, and all-source intelligence integrates all of the intelligence sources.
Counterintelligence
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Another critical source of intelligence information is counterintelligence. Counterintelligence counters or neutralizes intelligence collection efforts of the enemy through collection, investigation through operations, analysis and production and functional and technical services. Counterintelligence includes all actions taken to detect, identify, track, exploit and neutralize enemy intelligence activities.
The Critical Difference
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The management of military intelligence has set the course of history. For example:
On July 3, 1863, at Gettysburg, General Robert E. Lee ordered a cannonade of Union positions. On that hot, humid, windless day, gun smoke settled in a field making it impossible to see what the cannons were actually shooting. Union troops moved their cannons out of Lee's range and stopped returning fire. After the long silence, Lee assumed that Union artillery had been wiped out. That assumption led to the fateful Pickett's Charge.
In World War II, Allied commanders employed counterintelligence to the full measure. Fake Allied camps were set up in decoy positions. The fake camps even generated regular false radio signals to make them more convincing. The result was that the Germans did not know where the Allied forces were coming from or where they would hit until it was too late.
During Vietnam, commanders planned and executed Operation Kingpin, a rescue of American POWs. The mission went exactly as planned, except for one thing: The POWs had been moved to a different camp the day before the rescue attempt.
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