Gathering of intelligence concerning those who are plotting and responsible for terrorists’ action is a crucial element for any nation’s counterterrorism effort. The overall goal is maintaining the nation’s integrity, security, and maintaining the safety of the population in the process. Protection from severe international crimes such as terrorism is one of the most fundamental human rights obligations that every country must have to help its citizens. Intelligence plays an essential role in the prevention of a terrorist attack before and after the actual occurrence of the attack. This post identifies the steps of gathering intelligence and counterterrorism that depend more on human and which are depending on technology. Besides, it also explains whether it is a good idea to remove humans from intelligence collection.
Intelligence collection steps that are more human dependent is Human intelligence (HUMINT). It is information collected from human sources (FBI, 2020). The collection may openly be done just like when an FBI agent is interviewing a witness or a suspect. Besides, the interview may be done through covert means or clandestine. On the other hand, signals intelligence (SIGINT) and Imagery Intelligence (IMINIT) are intelligence steps that depend more on technology. SIGINT involves electronic transmission collected by either ships, planes, or satellites (Director of national intelligence, 2020). Besides, IMINT includes representing electronically produced objects on film, electronic displays device or any other electronic media. That means both SIGINT and IMINT depends more on technology.
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It is not a good idea to remove the human from intelligence collection and analysis of intelligence and counterterrorism operations. Making it to depend on technology solely will be a great danger to the intelligence collection process. Collection of intelligence at times assumes “overlapping forms” which are collected from open sources, some of which are human sources which may or may not be US citizens (Staar, 2003). Furthermore, enemies’ detection under the law of armed conflict permits the US to use human in the removal of dangerous terrorists from the battlefield thereby enhancing the ability of intelligence gathering from the captured terrorists (US National counterterrorism, 2018). Therefore, counterterrorism intelligence depends more on human effort. These may include spies and informers. Technological dependency may not make these possible. Human plays an important role in intelligence gathering and analysis of counterterrorism operation.
References
Director of national intelligence. (2020). What is Intelligence? . Dni.gov. Retrieved from https://www.dni.gov/index.php/what-we-do/what-is-intelligence.
FBI. (2020). Federal Bureau of Investigation - Directorate of Intelligence - "INTS" - The Intelligence Collection Disciplines . Www2.fbi.gov. Retrieved from https://www2.fbi.gov/intelligence/di_ints.htm .
Staar, R. F. (2003). The US Intelligence Community. Review of Policy Research, 20(4), 713725. https://doi-org.proxy-library.ashford.edu/10.1046/j.1541-1338.2003.00048.x
US National counter-terrorism. (2018). National Strategy for Counterterrorism of the United States of America . Washington DC: The white house.
