The Defense Intelligence Agency is a branch of the department of defense (D.O.D) and the United States intelligence community. It plays the role of relaying information to defense policymakers about the military intents and the wherewithal of foreign countries including other non-state entities. With the continued rise in terrorism worldwide and those especially directed towards the United States and her allies, the relevance of DIA on matters of government and civilian security has significantly risen to curb acts of terrorism. For instance, the 9/11 attack that exposed the U.S lack of preparedness in combating external attacks. This paper aims to discuss the role of DIA and the tools it utilizes in counterterrorism.
Presently, the DIA leads the efforts in thwarting terrorist activities that risks the security of the United States. The Defense Combating Terrorism Center facilitates the national level intelligence unit of the department of defense in campaign against terrorist activities. According to DIA (2014), the DIA provides wholesome, multi-source intelligence and espionage that enables the country derail terrorist operations. In addition, the DIA counters terrorism both from the offensive and defensive fronts. This capability is enhanced by the United States allies worldwide who share vital information about suspected terrorist activities that are planned against the United States as well as the entire western world. As Lohse (2021) argues, NATO, which is a military wing that protects the U.S and its members has a diverse influence in Europe, the pacific as well as Asia where terror activities are often bred. Information gathered by NATO plays a vital role in helping the DIA deal with terrorism. Furthermore, the DIA provides strategic and tactical warning pertaining intended terror plans that are aimed at the United States. Likewise, the DIA has many trained personnel who are former military men with the ability to spy on areas that are notorious for planning terror attacks for example the Middle East and south East Asian countries like Bangladesh. Based on this capability, the DIA is better-positioned in exposing intended terrorist attacks while also stopping them. Based on GAO (2021), the Machine Assisted Analytic Rapid Repository System (MARS) which is in development phases will be leveraged by DIA to counter terrorism by capturing and analyzing data.Moreover,the DIA ensures that terrorists do not increase their influence throughout a region because this increases the chances of many individuals getting radicalized into terrorism.Lastly,the DIA provides crisis intelligence support to the joint chiefs of staff director for intelligence and commandos, which is critical for urgent actions against a pending attack.
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Every U.S. intelligence agency has its specific mission. However, when there is a threat towards the country, all the agencies work together in order to solve the problem that could otherwise put the lives of Civilians at risk The DIA formidably focusses on foreign military intelligence information which is key in determining the possible threats that might soon befall the country. In this regard, the NSA’s main goal is code breaking by decrypting foreign intelligence into a readable text. In addition NSA uses cryptography to encrypt sensitive U.S government information. Consequently, the DIA can use information from NSA in order to establish any possibility of a terror attack on the United States. Similarly, the DIA can share vital information that could help in fighting terrorism without the data getting intercepted by terrorists. Furthermore, the FBI is another intelligence agency that operates under the Department of Justice with the basic focus on federal criminal investigation and collection of domestic intelligence. According to Levy (2011), the FBI gathers domestic intelligence and performs counterterrorism operations. For instance, the FBI investigations have covered incidences such as the bombing of federal building in Oklahoma City. This role converges with DIA’s role in combatting terrorism at the local level as well as foreign attacks that are aimed at the United States.
Fundamentally, the DIA collects, analyzes and shares military intelligence information. The information the agency provides includes information on foreign military intelligence for instance, troop movements of military forces, weapon distribution of a country’s military. This information is particularly vital so that the U.S. becomes aware of military activities conducted by enemy countries. Further Levy (2011) argues that the DIA, gathers intelligence about military capabilities of different countries. Recently, the U.S. has become increasingly concerned with Iran’s nuclear programs because such undertakings threaten peace in the Middle East. The DIA also gathers intelligence on diplomatic changes that occur in different countries because a change in diplomatic relations can greatly impact the possibility of terror attacks. Intelligence on economics and health issues of different countries is collected by the DIA as well because an enemy country that has substantial economic ability can sponsor attacks on the U.S. The DIA has authority to access a wider range of intelligence information pertaining to the military. However, the DIA is not an autonomous agency neither is it a component of the presidential cabinet. Therefore there are restrictions on the use of intelligence gathering techniques in counterterrorism operations.
In summary, terrorism is a phenomenon that has been on the rise worldwide and not only in the U.S. Nonetheless, the 9/11 incident that saw the world trade center crumbling down was a sign of terrorism becoming more entrenched in our societies. In effect, the Western world is a major target and has suffered many terror attacks in recent years. Since the formation of the DIA, it has increased awareness and fight against terrorism. This has been possible through collaboration with other intelligence wings such as the FBI in order to reduce domestic acts of terror. This paper has exhaustively discussed the role of DIA in counterterrorism and the tools it uses to achieve the goal.
References
GAO. (2021). Retrieved 12 June 2021, from https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-21-57.pdf
DIA. (2014). Retrieved 12 June 2021, from https://www.dia.mil/News/Articles/Article-View/article/567026/attacks-on-uss-cole-spurred-dias-counterterrorism-mission/
Levy. (2011). An Overview of the Major U.S. Intelligence Agencies: What is the Difference Between the DIA, NSA, CIA and FBI?. Retrieved 12 June 2021, from https://angelialevy.com/2011/05/11/an-overview-of-the-major-u-s-intelligence-agencies-what-is-the-difference-between-the-dia-nsa-cia-and-fbi/
Lohse. (2021). Retrieved 12 June 2021, from https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1799&context=jss
