APUS Intl 500 Assignment 1 Focus Group Response: Student With Interest In HUMINTL

1-8-2017

APUS Intl: 500

From: Miss. Bayo Elizabeth Cary, AA, BA, MLIS

Intelligence Officer In Training

APUS: 2^nd Master’s Degree

Response: Student Interest In HUMINTL

Focus Group Online Discussion

Assignment Due Week 1

     In response to your increased interest in HUMINTL, I agree with you, that HUMINTL, in on the decrease, and there are specific and logical reasons why. In regards to your introductory statement:

With its roots in the biblical story of Moses and Joshua sending spies into Canaan before entering the Promised Land, human intelligence (HUMINT) is the oldest of all the collection disciplines.  In fact, spying is often referred to as the world’s second oldest profession. (Cozine 2015, 80)

 One reason, that HUMINTL, is not as popular, as it used to be, has more to do with personal safety issues-from what I understand, than it does, with a lack of appreciation, for the types of information, that HUMINTL provides (Lowenthal and Clark 2016, 9). In today’s hectic and danger filled world, intelligence collection, can be soo extremely perilous.  HUMINTL, is now, mostly reserved, for only the most extreme intelligence needs situations-after-many other intelligence exercises, and activities, such as the easier, and more popular: OSINTL-have been exhausted (Lowenthal and Clark 2016, 13).

         US intelligence agencies, such as the: CIA, have been accused in the past, of interacting with: "Special Agents," as if they were: disposable, “collateral damage”-because, not enough care, has been taken in the past, to acquire needed intelligence information, in safer ways, i.e.: OSINTL. OSINTL intelligence collection follows, International privacy and open source information laws, and, is therefore, not as offensive to other countries or individuals, and therefore, need not be collected as: "covert" actions (Lowenthal and Clark 2016, 11).

One of the greatest challenges to those tasked with teaching HUMINT, as with many other intelligence disciplines, is the secretive nature of the subject.  Sources of information and tradecraft are closely kept secrets, as their discovery would hamper their exploitation or use in the future. (Cozine 2015, 80).

The key to information collection for intelligence, is to gain access to the required intelligence/information, in the safest ways possible-the stress and strain, of attempting to keep information and intelligence seeking a; “secret/covert” activity, increases the danger of a mission, to an unrealistic and unmanageable level-in to many contemporary cases. Rather, by utilizing the intelligence information collection techniques, popularized through: OSINTL, simple exercises, in undisguised information collection, from publicly available resources take place, and are beneficial, and in many cases-obviate the need, for the much more dangerous task, of: HUMINTL.

          Finally, the United States, like any other major world power, holds large conferences, and conversations, that fall outside, the parameters of: CIA or FBI: “Top Secret,” information exchange, and in-house evaluations. Conferences, such as are had at the: United Nations http://www.un.org/ , or even abroad, in other countries, such as: The Geneva Convention, discuss information-as it is freely available, to the International public, and not as it is held: “classified,” behind the closed doors, of our US national and security agencies (No author United Nations Online, No date).

        In conclusion, the benefits, of: OSINTL continue, as it is impossible, to have an International, and public conference-with International news/media in attendance, with information, that has been restricted, as: “covert/top secret/classified” intelligence.

References

Author Unknown. No date. “United Nations Online Information.” United Nations.

                Accessed January 8, 2017. http://www.un.org/

Cozine, Keith PhD. 2015. “Setauket to Abbottabad: The Value of Film and Television in

                Teaching Human Intelligence.” Journal of Strategic Security 3, no. 8 (Fall): 80-92.

Lowenthal, Mark M. and, Clark, Robert M. 2016. The 5 Disciplines of Intelligence Collection.

                    CQ Press, an Imprint of SAGE Publications, Inc.