Home | About |  AERADE@yoursite | Contact us | Help

Intelligence

Agressive ISR in the War on Terrorism: Breaking the Cold War Paradigm

This is the full text of a paper by William B. Danskine which was presented to the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) in 2004. Following the attacks of 11 September 2001, the United States (US) found itself in a new type of war, one for which existing military doctrine was ill suited. The US now faces a dispersed, loosely organized, non-state threat. This paper addresses the problem of how to employ existing military tools to counter global terrorist groups. This paper presents a Terrorist Group Model of a notional group, then proposes a counterterrorism strategy to deny terrorist groups sanctuary, one of the key requirements for these non-state threats. This paper then presents several ways in which this objective may be achieved using existing military assets in a new way. The final proposals build upon a 2003 RAND study entitled “Military Operations Against Terrorist Groups Abroad: Implications for the United States Air Force,” authored by David Ochmanek. To achieve success against this non-state foe, the US must deny sanctuary to terrorist groups who seek safe haven in states unable to control their own territory. The existing mechanism for supporting weak states is through the Foreign Internal Defense (FID) programs, run by US State Department Chiefs of Mission (US ambassadors) and supported by the military combatant commander of that region. One purpose of this study is to alert State Department officials to the benefits to be gained using one of the military combatant commander’s intelligence collection tools to support an effort. The proposed counterterrorism strategy is to disrupt global terrorist groups by denying them sanctuary in weak or failing states. The objective is to make weak states unattractive to terrorist groups seeking safe haven by strengthening the states ‘own ability to detect and counter terrorist groups within their borders. Employing airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) systems is a means to this end. Airborne ISR missions greatly increase the reach of US intelligence collection and provide intelligence that may be shared with the host nation. Unlike space-based ISR, airborne ISR is visible every time it operates; employing it demonstrates American commitment to a counterterrorism campaign, both to the host nation, its population, and the terrorist groups. Airborne ISR collection and analysis is a relatively inexpensive means to show this support, and may therefore be attractive to third parties (such as NATO or the EU). These ISR missions deny sanctuary to terrorist groups and disrupt their operations by forcing them into less efficient means of training and communicating. The presence of such “overt” intelligence missions also provides plausible cover stories for the sharing of other intelligence from more sensitive sources. Unfortunately, this is not where the US military currently focuses; the US Air Force emphasizes the integration of sensors to produce rapid intelligence for force projection. Too much attention is placed upon network centric warfare, not enough on traditional strategic reconnaissance. This focus, while perhaps appropriate for the majority of military operations, still leaves some critical gaps. This paper includes recommendations to the regional combatant commander and the US Air Force (as the predominant provider of airborne ISR systems) to further enable the proposed counterterrorism strategy. These recommendations revolve around improving the collection, processing and analysis, and sharing of intelligence on terrorist groups so that State Department officials may call upon airborne ISR systems to better fulfill their FID missions. [Taken from abstract]. The full text of the paper is available in PDF format and is provided by the Air University ResearchWeb site.

An Phoblacht Republican News

This is an Irish political weekly newspaper which provides information on world affairs, in particular Northern Ireland. The archive is searchable and goes back to 1997. There is a link to the Sinn Fein Home Page.

Analytic Support to Intelligence in Counterinsurgencies

This gives access to a Rand Organization publication written by Walter L. Perry and John Gordon, dated 2008. Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have shown that U.S. forces need more-effective techniques and procedures to conduct counterinsurgency. It is likely that U.S. forces will face similar, irregular warfare tactics from future enemies that are unwilling to engage in conventional combat with U.S. forces. This monograph examines the nature of the contemporary insurgent threat and provides insights on using operational analysis techniques to support intelligence operations in counterinsurgencies. The authors examine the stages of an insurgency and discuss the kinds of intelligence that are needed at each stage. A number of techniques — pattern discernment and predictive analysis, for example — appear to show promise of being useful to intelligence analysis. The authors also explore two closely connected methods in depth to examine the interactions between friendly and enemy forces: game theory and change detection. [Taken from abstract]. The full text is avaialble in PDF format so Adobe Acrobat software is required in order to read it.

Angola Peace Monitor

This is a publication, produced every month by the Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA) which is the successor organisation to the British Anti-Apartheid Movement. Its aim is to raise awareness of the situation in Angola and to point out the need for international support of the peace and democratic movements there.

Artificial intelligence

This is Research and Technology Organization (RTO) AGARD-CP-94, dated September 1971. The conference papers on artificial intelligence with emphasis on pattern recognition is reported. Other areas covered were robotry and robot vision, question-answering, natural language and speech recognition and man-machine interactive problem solving. Bibliographic and abstract details are available in HTML format. A table of contents, and the full text (41.62MB) of the document can be accessed online in PDF format. The document is contained in the RTO's Full Text Publication Library.

Assessing the Tradecraft of Intelligence Analysis

This technical report (TR-293) was produced by The RAND Corporation in 2008 and was written by Gregory F. Treverton and C. Bryan Gabbard. This report assesses the tradecraft of intelligence analysis across the main U.S. intelligence agencies, such as the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency, and recommends improvements. The report makes a number of recommendations for improving analysis for a world of threats very different from that of the Cold War. It focuses on the two essentials of analysis — first, people; second, the tools they have available. The December 2004 intelligence reform legislation set in motion initiatives that move in the right direction. The creation of a Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Analysis will provide a real hub for developing tradecraft and tools and for framing critical tradeoffs. The establishment of a National Intelligence University will provide a focal point for training in analysis. The creation of a National Counterterrorism Center will shift intelligence analysis toward problems or issues, not agencies or sources. The building of a Long Term Analysis Unit at the National Intelligence Council can lead away from the prevailing dominance of current intelligence. And the formation of an Open Source Center can create a seed bed for making more creative use of open-source materials. These specific initiatives are promising but they are just the beginnings. For all the language about the importance of intelligence analysis, data-sharing, fusion, and the like, the national and Intelligence Community leadership today devalues intelligence analysis. A fundamental change is also needed in attitudes and existing organizational cultures. [Taken from abstract]. This is a PDF file, so Adobe Acrobat software will be required in order to read it.

Avoiding Surprise in an Era of Global Technology

This site provides access to the full text of the report written by the National Research Council Committee on Defense Intelligence Agency Technology Forecasts and Reviews Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences, and published by the National Academies Press in 2005. The report looks at threats to US military technological superiority due to the global spread of science and technology expertise and presents a technology warning framework for the intelligence community to aid the identification and assessment of emerging technologies. The chapters look at technology warning motivations and challenges; challenges to information superiority; future threats to US air power in military operations on urban terrain; combat identification in urban warfare; and biotechnology trends relevant to warfare initiatives.

BBC News : In Depth : The Hutton Inquiry

This site contains information on the events preceding Dr David Kelly's death as well as details on the Hutton Inquiry. It contains a timeline that provides a summary of events from the publishing of Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction: The Assessment of the British Government in September 2002, through Dr Kelly meeting BBC reporter Andrew Gilligan in May 2003, Gilligan's report claiming that Alistair Campbell the Prime Minister's Director of Communications had 'sexed-up' the Dossier, the naming of Kelly as a source by the press in July and him being made to appear before the Foreign Affairs Committee which was investigating whether Britain was justified in going to war with Iraq, Kelly's death and the subsequent investigation. The site highlights the key documents submitted to the inquiry which indicate how Dr Kelly was identified as the source in an MI5 mole hunt and then treated by his bosses in the Ministry of Defence. There is a breakdown and summary of each week of the inquiry and the key points made by the Government, the BBC, Dr Kelly's family and Gilligan's counsel.

Brunel Centre for Intelligence and Security Studies

The Brunel Centre For Intelligence and Security Studies (BCISS) is an academic research unit based at Brunel University. The department specialises in teaching and research relating to the evaluation of intelligence service activities. The main focus of research is the UK(M16 and MI5 and Ministry of Defence) however, there is also some comparison with services in the European Union and USA. The web site offers details on the aims of the centre, its courses, staff and research projects. It also includes information about recent publications. Topics covered include: intelligence and the war against terrorism; intelligence, weapons of mass destruction and the 2003 Gulf War against Iraq and Saddam Hussein (commentary on the Hutton report and the Butler report),national security and intelligence, covert operations and espionage.

Brunel Centre for Intelligence and Security Studies

The BCISS is Britain's first academic intelligence research and policy centre; based within the Brunel Business School at Brunel University it was established in 2003. The centre provides an academic forum for the study of intelligence programmes and institutions worldwide. The web site provides details about the aims of the group, its research team, reports and publications and current projects.

Butler Report and the Lies About Iraq

This web site provides access to a short article which was published in the Socialist Worker on 17th July 2004, issue 1910. The article presents an initial reaction to the findings of the report from a socialist perspective. The Butler Inquiry was headed by Lord Butler of Brockwell and charged with investigating the accuracy of intelligence information on Iraq, Saddam Hussein and weapons of mass destruction in the run up to the 2003 Gulf War and making recommendations about future intelligence gathering.

Canadian Association for Security and Intelligence Studies (CASIS)

Established in 1985, the purpose of this voluntary association is to provide and encourage informed debate on Canadian intelligence and security issues. The web site provides information on CASIS including its constitution, board of directors, and events details including the conference and annual general meeting. The site also provides a bibliography of recommended reading and a listing of online research resources.

Center for the Study of Intelligence

The Center for the Study of Intelligence (CSI) conducts research into all aspects of intelligence activities. This includes the work of the CIA, espionage, the Cold War, and spy satellites. It has full text access from 1995 onwards to its newsletter and journal, Studies in Intelligence. Some monographs are also available in full text.

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

The United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) coordinates US intelligence activities and correlates, evaluates and disseminates intelligence which affects national security. This site provides news, publications, reports, speeches and testimony from the CIA. Information is also available about employment with the Agency. Links are also given to the following: Directorate of Intelligence, Directorate of Science & Technology, Center for the Study of Intelligence, CIA Electronic Document Release Center (FOIA), CIA's Homepage for Kids, Office of General Counsel, Office of Public Affairs, Office of Military Affairs, Director of Central Intelligence and the Intelligence Community.

Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) provides information on Chiefs of State and cabinet members of foreign governments, alphabetically by country. This includes the names of ministers, ambassadors, heads of state, prime ministers and UN representatives. It is also possible to reach the other CIA publications from this site.

CIA Publications

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) provides links to reports and publications concerning intelligence and security. These include factbooks, information on US and foreign government members, annual reports, maps and historical documents. Unclassified reports are available on areas such as weapons of mass destruction, diseases,the Cold War, the Gulf War and drugs. Links are also available to other CIA and US governmental pages.

Comprehensive Report of the Special Advisor to the Director of Central Intelligence on Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction

This site provides access to the full one thousand page report on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction which presents the findings of the Iraq Survey Group from June 2003 to September 2004. It is available in pdf and html format and is divided into a key findings summary; volume one which looks at the scope of the report, the regime's strategic intent and finance and procurement; volume two which looks at delivery systems and nuclear weapons programmes; and volume three which looks at Iraq's chemical warfare programme, and biological warfare. The main findings of the report are that Iraq didn't have stocks of weapons of mass destruction when the United States led the War on Iraq. However, there is evidence that the Saddam Hussein regime intended to reconstitute Iraq's WMD capability once UN sanctions were lifted. The site also provides access to the Special Advisor's addenda to the original report published in March 2005.

Countering International Terrorism : The United Kingdom's Strategy

This is the full text pdf version of Cm 6888; the UK Government's report on UK policy and strategy towards counter terrorism, published in July 2006. It outlines the threat from Islamist extremists and the response including preventing terrorism by tackling the radicalisation of individuals, pursuing terrorists and their sponsors, protecting UK interests at home and overseas, preparing for the consequences, and the response to the developing threat including the provision of resources. It then outlines the United Kingdom's strategy which is available to the public and provides details of the threat and its characteristics; the response; methods to prevent terrorism; disrupting international terrorists and their operations; protection of the public, national services and interests overseas; and ensuring that the UK is ready to respond in the case of a terrorist attack.

Counterinsurgency Intelligence in a ''Long War''. The British Experience in Northern Ireland

This document (RP-1247) has been reprinted by The RAND Corporation in 2007 and was written by Brian A. Jackson. Using the example of British intelligence successes and failures in the fight against the Provisional Irish Republican Army, the author shows that counterintelligence collection efforts must diverge significantly from “classical” collection methods. For low-grade intelligence, British soldiers collected intelligence and relied on others and on public opinion. The British also deployed teams trained in close observation of individuals and developed a number of flexible technical tools, such as listening devices and hidden cameras. Northern Ireland provides many examples of organizations making the transition from seeking quick victory to waging long-term operations. For security organizations, adopting a long-war approach entails shifting from decisive to patient operations and understanding how security efforts contribute to or detract from political and other efforts against an insurgency. Reprinted with permission from Military Review, Janury-February 2007, pp. 74-85. [Taken from abstract]. This is a PDF file, so Adobe Acrobat software will be required in order to read it.

Emerging Threats to National Security

This technical report (CT-234) was published by The RAND Corporation in 2005 and was written by Gregory F. Treverton. Testimony presented to the House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence on February 2, 2005. [Taken from abstract]. This is a PDF file, so Adobe Acrobat software will be required in order to read it.

Federation of American Scientists Intelligence Resource Program

Guide to intelligence resources and directory of entry points to related resources. This site provides information on selected resources on intelligence policy, structure, function, organisation and operations. It covers terrorism, inteligence systems, threat assessments and current news reports.

Foreign Affairs Committee Ninth Report : The Decision to go to War in Iraq

Published in July 2003, this is the full text of the House of Commons report, together with Proceedings of the Committee which includes minutes of evidence and written evidence. The aim of the report was to establish whether the Foreign and Commonwealth Office presented accurate and complete information to Parliament during the lead up to the military action in Iraq, with particular reference to weapons of mass destruction. It contains information on the Government's September 2002 dossier, Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction: The Assessment of the British Government, the process of compiling the dossier and the claims made in it. It investigates the claim in the dossier that Iraq could launch its weapons of mass destruction within forty-five minutes and the accusation made by BBC reporter Andrew Gilligan that this intelligence was inserted a week before publication under the instruction of the government and against advice from the intelligence community who felt that it was unreliable evidence. The site also contains links to further Foreign Affairs Committee publications which include the uncorrected evidence presented by Andrew Gilligan and Dr David Kelly during the investigation on the Decision to go to War in Iraq.

Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ)

GCHQ is a civil service department which reports to the Foreign Secretary and works with the UK's other intelligence agencies, the MI5 and MI6. Its mission is to provide signals intelligence (sigint) information to support the government's decision making in national security, military operations and law enforcement, and to provide information insurance to keep government communication and information systems safe. The site provides information on GCHQ including FAQs, press releases and publications. There is a history of the organisation, including information on Bletchley Park and sigint heroes. The site also contains a section on codebreaking which provides a summary of codebreaking history from Elizabethan times to the interwar period and cipher puzzles.

Hutton Inquiry

This is the official website of the Hutton Inquiry. It provides general information about the public investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Dr David Kelly, chaired by the Right Honourable Lord Hutton. It contains a full list of witnesses, which included BBC reporters, Alistair Campbell the Prime Minister's Director of Communications, newspaper journalists, the Kelly family, Geoffrey Hoon MP Secretary of State for Defence, Martin Howard Deputy Chief of Defence Intelligence MoD and Andrew Gilligan a reporter for the BBC. The site also contains the hearing transcripts including statements made by all witnesses during the inquiry. There is the full documentary evidence that can be made available to the public including evidence submitted by the BBC, the Cabinet Office, Dr Kelly's family, the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, files retrieved from Dr Kelly's home computer, the Ministry of Defence and the Intelligence and Security Committee. There are also details of Lord Hutton's rulings and biographical details of Lord Hutton, the counsels and secretary to the inquiry.

Information analysis centres

This is Research and Technology Organization (RTO) AGARD-CP-78, dated February 1971. The idea of holding this Specialist Meeting arose originally out of discussions within the Technical Information Panel of AGARD. There is now world-wide appreciation of the problems and difficulties extracting reliable technical information from the vast quantities of publications emerging from the world's press, and the technological explosion the past years has high-lighted the essential nature of the problems. There is an essential requirement for information staff to extract, assess, analyze and communicate current "state-of-the-art" documents in order to permit the engineer and scientist to get on with the job for which he was trained rather than that he should spend valuable time searching through masses of information, much of it irrelevant, which nowadays beset him on sides. The fact that this Conference took place and was so well supported by NATO Countries is ample evidence of the concern with which the problem viewed internationally. The Conference was, it is believed, the first of its kind to be held within the NATO Alliance and presented an opportunity for the delegates to benefit from the experience in the field of information analysis centres gained in the United States and to hear of and discuss the need for similar centres in Europe. Bibliographic and abstract details are available in HTML format. A table of contents and the full text (8.55MB) of the document can be accessed online in PDF format. The document is contained in the RTO's Full Text Publication Library.

Information Warfare Site (IWS)

This site is an online resource on a range of subjects from information security to information operations and e-commerce. It contains full text documents, articles, leaflets, links and news on a variety of topics including Information Operations, Military Affiars, Revolution in Military Affairs and C4I, Intelligence and Terrorism. The site also links to mailing lists, book reviews and event listings.

Inquiry into Intelligence on Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction

This site provides access to the full text pdf version of the Parliamentary Joint Standing Committee on ASIO (Australian Sceurity and Intelligence Organisation), ASIS (Australian Secret Intelligence Service) and DSD (Defence Signals Directorate) report released on 1st March 2004. It investigates intelligence on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction which were used as justification for a pre-emptive war with Iraq in March 2003 and whether the intelligence used by the Australian government was accurate and reliable enough in order to make a case for military conflict. It also makes recommendations for an independent inquiy into the performance and operation of Australian intelligence agencies.

Institute for the Study of Conflict, Ideology, and Policy (ISCIP) : Perspective

Perspective is an electronic journal provided by the ISCIP based at Boston University. The site provides the full text of articles from the first issue to the present. The ISCIP studies political, international and security affairs of Russia and the NIS. This site links to the ISCIP and further publications such as NIS Observed (a biweekly analytical review), news features, books, occassional papers, lectures and a database on post-Soviet affairs.

Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction Programs

This site provides access to the full text pdf document of the US Central Intelligence Agency's assessment on Iraq's nuclear, chemical and biological weapon programmes, published in October 2002 prior to the Iraq War. It looks at the United Nations sanctions and verification process and Iraq's level of compliance with inspectors.

It's Mine! Why the US Intelligence Community Does Not Share Information

This is the full text of a thesis by Andrew Green USAF, which was presented to the faculty of the School of Advanced Air Power Studies (SASS), Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama in 2005. Although the US government has access to vast amounts of information, the system for processing and using that information is weak. The fact that the intelligence community (IC) shows a propensity to not share information among its many agencies is not a revolution. The problem has dogged the IC since its post-World War II inception. The vital issue, then, is not that a problem exists, but that the problem persists. Specifically, “why does the IC not share information?” There is, undoubtedly, a myriad of plausible and valid explanations for every instance in which a single individual or agency in the intelligence community (IC) did not share information with another individual or agency. A cursory review of examples where a lack of timely information sharing contributed to intelligence failure, however, suggests three broad categories of theory are likely candidates for a more comprehensive explanation of intelligence sharing deficiency. These are organizational theories of bureaucratic inefficiency, theories of the evolving nature of information and power, and theories of collective inaction. Each of the theories expanded upon above provide a viable explanation as to why the IC is not willing to share intelligence information. Each accepts the premise that organizations exist in order to achieve the needs of the organization in the most efficient and effective means possible. However, each finds inherent structural limitations that prevent the organization from achieving goal optimization. Although all three theories are compelling in their own right, the interaction of the three provides a compelling rationale for why the IC should be expected to operate suboptimally—if not dysfunctionally—in its work. [Taken from abstract]. The full text is available in PDF format and is provided by the Air University Research Web site.

Jane's Intelweb

This site provides the Terrorism Watch Report (TWR) and Intelligence Watch Report (IWR). These publications track and monitor international terrorist groups and insurgency movements, intelligence communities, economic espionage and computer security issues. Certain areas of the site are only available to members, but samples of the reports are available.

MI5 : The Security Service

Website of the UK's defensive security intelligence agency, the MI5 security service. The MI5's purpose is to protect national security and support law enforcement agencies in preventing serious crime through assessing threats, and collecting and disseminating intelligence. The site contains information about the service including a statement of purpose and values, an outline of responsibilities and work areas and a history of the service. It also contains answers to many misconceptions about what the MI5 does, links to the Security Service Act 1989, and provides details on job vacancies and careers within the security service.

Military Intelligence Corps Association (MICA)

MICA is the professional association of the US Army's Military Intelligence Corps. This site provides a profile of MICA and its history, MICA officers, its constitution and scholarships. Personal and corporate membership details are available, along with information about the Knowlton Award. There is also an online gift shop and a link to Vanguard, the MICA quarterly newsletter.

Military Intelligence

This site provides links to US military intelligence web sites. It has links to Department of Defense agencies; military agencies; command, control, communications, (computers), intelligence (C3I, C4I) centres; and military intelligence organisations. It also provides links to full text military intelligence documents, historical intelligence sites, and further research aids. It is also possible to link to subject portals on economic intelligence and strategic intelligence which contains further information on historical links, espionage, satellites, terrorism and laws.

Modelling and Analysis of Command and Control

Research and Technology Organization Meeting Proceedings, RTO-MP-038, 12-14 January 1999, Issy Les Moulineaux, France. It contains papers prepared for the Symposium of the RTO Studies, Analysis and Simulation (SAS) Panel. The focus of the symposium is on research information for the evaluation of C3I (command, control, communications, and information / intelligence) systems. Subjects covered include measures of merit, modelling and simulations, human factors and organizations, and applications.

National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States

Also known as the 9-11 Commission, the Commission was created in 2002 by congressional legislation to investigate the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. The site provides information on the Commission and its remit; details of public hearings including full transcripts and video footage of the hearings; staff statements and press releases. The complete 9/11 Commision Report is available in PDF format (7.5 MB) and also available in smaller PDF sections at the website. The subjects of hearings have included intelligence and the War on Terrorism, emergency preparedness, counter-terrorism policy, and law enforcment and the intelligence community which included a detailed investigation into the terrorist threat in 2001 and what the intelligence services were doing to address the threat.

Pentagon Library

The Pentagon Library site provides information about the physical building, plus online services. These include the library catalogue, online databases and reference sources. Certain databases are only available to Pentagon employees, but others include the periodical holdings list of the Pentagon Library, DTIC (Defense Technical Information Center), AUL (Index to Military Periodicals), GPO access (Government Printing Office), GAO reports (Government Accounting Office), Rand reports and ERIC. Details can also be found from bibliographies, briefing guides, pathfinders & quick lists. It is also possible to reach information about the US Army, Headquarters Department of the Army (HQDA) and the Information Management Support Center (IMCEN).

Report of the Inquiry into Australian Intelligence Agencies

Also known as the Flood Report, this site provides access to full text html and pdf versions of the report published in July 2004. It has been written by Mr Philip Flood who was appointed by the Prime Minister to examine intelligence organisations and their assessments in response to a recommendation from the Parliamentary Joint Committee into ASIO, ASIS and DSD (PJCAAD) inquiry into intelligence on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction in March 2004. The report looks at Australia's intelligence needs; the intelligence community and how it operates; intelligence assessments and the quality of information used to make the case for going to war in Iraq in March 2003; intelligence on the threat posed by Jemaah Islamiah, the group blamed for the Bali terrorist attacks in 2002; and makes recommendations for reforming Australia's intelligence agencies.

Report on the U.S. Intelligence Community's Prewar Intelligence Assessments on Iraq

This site provides access to a full text pdf document produced by the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence published on the 7th July 2004. The report looks at American intelligence before the 2003 Iraq War on Iraq's possession of weapons of mass destruction, Iraqi links to terrorist groups, the threat Saddam Hussein posed to the region's security and his regime. It looks at the collection of intelligence on Iraq, whether the Intelligence Community's judgements were accurate and distributed to policymakers properly.

Review of Intelligence on Weapons of Mass Destruction

This site provides access to the full text pdf version of HC898 published on 14th July 2004, written by a Committee of Privy Counsellors headed by Lord Butler which investigated British intelligence on Iraq and its weapons of mass destruction (WMD) prior to the 2003 Iraq War. The report sets out the findings of an inquiry set up in February 2004 by Jack Straw whose remit was to assess intelligence coverage on weapons of mass destruction in countries of concern like Iraq, North Korea and Iran and the world trade in WMD; investigate whether intelligence on Iraq’s WMD was accurate up until March 2003 when the war began and investigate discrepancies between the intelligence used by the government prior to the war and evidence found by the Iraq Survey Group following the war; and to make recommendations for future intelligence assessments on countries.

Review of Intelligence on Weapons of Mass Destruction

This is the official site of the committee of Privy Counsellors headed by Lord Butler, also known as the Butler Committee, which was set up in February 2004 by Jack Straw to investigate intelligence on Iraq prior to the 2003 Iraq War including information on its weapons of mass destruction, how the intelligence was gathered and analysed, and to make recommendations for future intelligence gathering. The site contains the full text final report of the Committee, information on the procedures of the Committee including terms of reference and the timetable, and biographies of the review team.

Rongstad's Worldwide Military Pages

This site provides links to a wide range of military sites. These links are grouped into subject areas, which include war and the history of war, the art of war, battles, military news, military books, information warfare, civilian internment, Iraq War, blogs, military web rings, the United States and weapons.

Scientific and technical information - Why, which, where, and how ? Lecture series

This is Research and Technology Organization (RTO) AGARD-LS-44, dated February 1971. This Lecture Series, sponsored by the Technical information Pant (TIP) and the Consultant and Exchange Programme of AGARD, was presented in Oslo (Norway) on the 2nd and 3rd November, 1970 and in Rome (Italy) on the 5th and 6th November, 1970. The principal objective of this Lecture Series was to bring to the attention of users (Technologists and Scientists) the present capabilities of information systems, services and media retrieval techniques. As in all branches of Science and Technology, automatic methods are playing an increasing part in Information Science and this was reflected in the lectures which were presented by leading experts in the field. The Series covered the basic background to what information can do for Scientists and Technologists, the needs of the technical community, sources of technical information, information channels and formal services for obtaining information together with a review of selected dissemination of information (SDI), a technique for providing announcements of a limited number of documents of specific interest to individuals or groups. The concept, mission and operation of scientific and technical information analysis centres were presented and the relationship of analysis centres to conventional information centres fully described. Bibliographic and abstract details are available in HTML format. A table of contents and the full text (18.8MB) of the document can be accessed online in PDF format. The document is contained in the RTO's Full Text Publication Library.

Signal Magazine

This is the official journal of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA), its focus is on communications, electronics, intelligence and information systems. The site provides the full text of selected articles from the current issue and archives to December 1995. The site provides a subject index of articles, information on AFCEA, and further products such as the Source Book.

State and Local Intelligence in the War on Terrorism

This technical report (MG-394-RC) was published by The RAND Corporation in 2005 and was written by K. Jack Riley, Gregory F. Treverton, Jeremy Wilson and Lois M. Davis. One aspect of combating terrorism that is often discussed but seldom examined in detail concerns the overlap of intelligence and law enforcement and the role of state and local law enforcement agencies as the ultimate “eyes and ears” in the war on terrorism. This report helps fill that gap by examining how state and local law enforcement agencies conducted and supported counterterrorism intelligence activities after 9/11. It analyzes data from a 2002 survey of law enforcement preparedness in the context of intelligence and reports the results of case studies showing how eight local law enforcement agencies handle intelligence operations. Finally, it suggests ways that the job of gathering and analyzing intelligence might best be shared among federal, state, and local agencies. [Taken from abstract]. This is a PDF file, so Adobe Acrobat software will be required in order to read it.

Strategic Intelligence Links

This web site provides access to a directory of links maintained by the Political Science Department, Loyola College. The links cover all aspects of US and international strategic, military and economic intelligence. This includes coverage of the American security services,homeland security, military intelligence organisations, international security services and materials relating to economic espionage. Links are given to government bodies, research institutions and full text legislation, reports and online documents. The latter include coverage of some historical crises such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, intelligence during the Cold War plus materials relating to the war against terrorism and the the 2003 Gulf War against Saddam Hussein and Iraq. Limited annotation on content is provided.

Studies in Intelligence

Provided by the Sherman Kent School for Intelligence Analysis at CIA University and in conjunction with the Center for the Study of Intelligence (CSI) and the Directorate of Operations, this is an electronic archive of full text unclassified and declassified articles on intelligence analysis and operations from the Studies in Intelligence journal from 1955 to 1976. The index can be searched or browsed by author, analysis subject or operations subject.

Suspicious Indicators and Security Countermeasures for Foreign Collection Activities Directed Against the U.S. Defense Industry

This document was produced by the United States Defense Security Service in May 1997 and is intended to help security professionals and others identify threats from suspicious contacts and to take appropriate action. Headings include: suspicious work offers, inappropriate conduct during visits, targeting cultural commanalities.

Technology Collection Trends in the U.S. Defense Industry Volume IV 1998

This document describes the most likely areas in U.S. defence industry to be targeted by foreign entities collecting information to enhance their own military capabilities or to attack those of the U.S.

Terrorism : Key Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission and Recent Major Commissions and Inquiries

This is a full text pdf version of a CRS Report for Congress written by Richard F. Grimmett and published in August 2004. It looks at the recommendations in the 9/11 Commission Report, the Gilmore Commission, the Bremer Commission, the Joint Inquiry of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees, and the Hart-Rudman Commission. The report is divided into four themes: focus of US international anti-terrorism policy; institutional steps to protect against and prepare for terrorist attacks; intelligence issues; and Congress and oversight issues.

The 9/11 Commission Report : Strengths and Weaknesses

This is the full text pdf version of the report written by Anthony H. Cordesman and published by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in August 2004. It looks at the recommendations outlined in the final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (also know as the 9-11 Commission) which was set up to investigate the events surrounding the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States and warns that it has more weaknesses than strengths.

The Angolan Mission Observer

This is the bi-monthly publication of the Permanent Mission of the Republic for Angola to the United Nations. It appears on the web site of the Embassy in the United States and there are links to other information sources about Angola. The documents are in pdf format and require adobe acrobat to read them.

The Commission on the Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction

This site provides access to the full text of the Commission's report, published on 31st March 2005. The Commission was established in February 2004 to assess the United States intelligence community and whether it is sufficiently organised and equipped to identify and warn the government of weapons of mass destruction proliferation in foreign countries. The report looks in particular at the intelligence failures on Iraq and its weapons of mass destruction and asserts that the intelligence community needs to be transformed in order to meet the demands and threats of the current environment. The chapters look at intelligence assessments, successes and failures on Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan and monitoring nuclear weapons development in North Korea and Iran. It also looks at leadership and management in the intelligence community; intelligence collection, analysis and information sharing; homeland security; counter intelligence; and covert action.

The Knowledge Matrix Approach to Intelligence Fusion

This technical report (TR-416-A) was produced by The RAND Corporation in 2007 and was written by Christopher G. Pernin, Louis R. Moore and Katherine Comanor. As the U.S. military transforms to an information-based force, it will need processes and methods to collect, combine, and utilize the intelligence that is generated by its assets. The process known as fusion will play an important role in determining whether this intelligence is used in the most beneficial manner. The process of fusion, combining pieces of information to produce higher-quality information, knowledge, and understanding, is often poorly represented in constructive models and simulations that are used to analyze intelligence issues. This report describes one approach to capturing the fusion process in a constructive simulation, providing detailed examples to aid in further development and instantiation. The sequential fusion method in intended to determine whether separate intelligence observations are close enough geographically, have consistently identified the same battlefield entity, and contain high-quality information, all of which must be considered before fusion of intelligence can occur. The fusion process described in this report is, for the most part, an implicit representation of the generation of battlefield intelligence and can be used in a constructive simulation or fusion model to better understand the dynamics of intelligence-gathering systems and their effect on intelligence metrics. [Taken from abstract]. This is a PDF file, so Adobe Acrobat software will be required in order to read it.

Threat Levels : The System to Assess the Threat from International Terrorism

This is the full text pdf version of the UK Government report published in July 2006. It outlines the system and process for identifying and warning about threats to national security in the United Kingdom and response levels as a result of the threat analysis. It explains what threat levels are and how they are used and how the public can find out about threat levels and what their response should be.

UK Intelligence Community Online

This is a UK government website whose aim is to explain the United Kingdom national intelligence machinery. It provides an overview of intelligence provision in support of Government and law enforcement; how the various intelligence and security agencies work together such as GCHQ (Government Headquarters), MI5, SIS (Secret Intelligence Service), MoD Defence Intelligence Staff, JTAC (Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre), the Cabinet and the Home Office and access to their web sites; and provides details of the threat levels system which outlines the national security threat from international terrorism. It also provides access to full text publications; information on how to access intelligence records; and access to UK legislation.

United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence

The United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence is a parliamentary committee which oversees and reports on intelligence programmes and services funded by the US government. The web site provides information on the function and jurisdiction of the committee, its membership and activities. It includes access to recent press releases, transcripts of hearings and full text reports and documents. Topics covered by these include: the work of the CIA, American intelligence services, homeland security, national security, espionage and international surveillance, defence policy, intelligence information and the war against terrorism and the intelligence available about Saddam Hussein and weapons of mass destruction prior to the 2003 Gulf War. The site also includes links to the full text of key legislation relating to national security

Urban Battle Command in the Twenty-First Century

This technical report (MG-181-A) was published by The RAND Corporation in 2005 and was written by Russell W. Glenn and Gina Kingston. In every operation, the functions of command, control, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), and communications are all fundamental to success. But in cities, the dense population, many manmade structures, and other challenges act to severely impede these functions in several ways. This monograph contemplates the nature of those challenges and proposes several recommendations to surmount them in both the short and longer terms. [Taken from abstract]. This is a PDF file, so Adobe Acrobat software will be required in order to read it.

Watching the Bear : Essays on CIA's Analysis of the Soviet Union

This site provides the full text of the book edited by Gerald K. Haines and Robert E. Leggett. It contains papers presented at the presented at the first six panel sessions of the Center for the Study of Intelligence (CSI) and the Center of International Studies at Princeton University conference, CIA's Analysis of the Soviet Union, 1947-1991, held on March 9-10 2001. The papers look at US intelligence analysis of the Soviet Union during the Cold War and provide a critique of the CIA's analysis of Soviet political, economic, military, and science and technology developments based on declassified documents from 1947-1991.

Why Efforts to Centralize the US Intelligence Community Fail

This is the full text of a thesis by Daniel Jones USAF, which was presented to the faculty of the School of Advanced Air Power Studies (SASS), Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama in 2005. Prior to World War II, the formal collection and exploitation of foreign intelligence in the united states fell almost exclusively in the domain of the military. The attack on Pearl Harbor and other events during that war created a growing consensus that the nation required a central authority to manage national intelligence pertinent to multiple departments of the government. In response, the national security act of 1947 created the central intelligence agency and the position of director of central intelligence. Over the next half-century, numerous commissions and panels found neither the agency nor the director ever wielded effective control over the diverse and growing intelligence community. In response to such findings, presidents issued national security council directives and executive orders and congress signed multiple bills to reinforce the cia and dci’s authority over the intelligence community, but the problems of decentralization persist. The terrorist attack of 9/11 provided sufficient impetus to make the first significant structural changes to the failed us intelligence community since 1947. To evaluate the prospects of the national intelligence reform act of 2004 to establish effective central control over the community it is helpful to identify the factors that frustrated previous reform efforts. Five such factors are identified here: the motive and ability of existing intelligence organizations to resist centralized control; the association of central directors with covert operations; the tendency to tie a central director’s authority to his/her access to the president; the proliferation of intelligence agencies and activities; and the increasing co-option of other intelligence organization by the department of defense. While the 2004 act somewhat mitigates the second factor’s confounding influence, the other factors are likely to plague the new national intelligence director’s efforts to effectively lead the community. The department of defense’s proclivity to resist control while co-opting national intelligence functions is especially likely to frustrate the new authority to the detriment of overall national security. {Taken from abstract]. The full text is available in full text format and is provided by the Air University Research Web site.

WMD in Iraq : Evidence and Implications

Written by Joseph Cirincione, Jessica T. Mathews, George Perkovich and Alexis Orton and published in January 2004, this Carnegie report investigates the United States Intelligence Community's assessment on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction prior to the 2003 Iraq War. It looks at prewar intelligence, Iraq's capbailities to produce WMD, evidence of these activities found in Iraq and lessons for the future.

World Factbook

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) provides the world factbook, containing country listings (geographical, economical, governmental information) and reference maps. There are also notes and definitions, explaining any changes to the factbook. The site provides a history of the CIA's World Factbook, plus information about its contributors and purchasing. There are links to the CIA homepage and the Directorate of Intelligence homepage from this site.

Free flight to the information you need - fast!

Home | Aerospace & defence | DEVISE | ESDU Series
Reports Archive | Shrivenham Index | ConferenceBrief | JobsBrief UK | NewsBrief

© Cranfield University