Abstract
In this analysis, we will evaluate the concepts of counterintelligence and intelligence collection methods adopted by the US government since 9/11. Some of these methods include Human Intelligence (HUMINT), Signals Intelligence (SIGINT), Measurement and Signature Intelligence (MASINT), and Opensource Intelligence (OSINT). HUMINT involves using human contact to gather information, while SIGINT uses communication, electronic and foreign instrumentation. MASINT, on the other hand, is the use of science and technical intelligence to gather quantitative and qualitative data, while OSINT involves collecting data from the general public. These methods are evaluated in detail in this analysis.
Introduction
Counterintelligence practices make an essential part of the government security processes. Counterintelligence mainly involves using different techniques and activities to minimize the efforts of foreign actors toward intelligence collection about security. Counterintelligence mainly aims to protect a nation’s security by identifying and neutralizing threats by providing services and infrastructure for such processes (Prunckun, 2019). In the United States, the Department of homeland security (DHS) has a counterintelligence program to detect, deter, and disrupt foreign intelligence threats to the country. The department has some resources that identify, exploit and sabotage the efforts of international organizations such as governments, international terrorist organizations, and foreign intelligence entities. The 9/11 attacks indicated many flaws and inefficiencies in American intelligence architecture. The government failed to use data and apply information to predict the possibilities of an attack and threat to American security. As a result, several intelligence collection methods have since been adopted and used by the DHS to protect the nation and deter any form of aggression (Olson, 2021). In this analysis, therefore, an evaluation of four methods of intelligence collection will be evaluated, as well as an evaluation of how they are used in the post-9/11 world.
Human Intelligence (HUMINT)
Human intelligence involves gathering intelligence information through the use of human contact. It is one of the leading traditional strategies for gathering intelligence. After the attacks in America on September 11, 2001, it was noted that the earlier HUMINT strategies adopted by the USA had failed in helping them create an environment where the nation needed to be made aware of the impending attacks. HUMINT often involves low-tech strategies of personal interaction and spies on the physical ground of the areas where the intelligence is being gathered (Thomas, 2019). Intelligence collection involves close operations and functions in the communities to ensure effectiveness through HUMINT. HUMINT methods are complex and require precision, with humans being used as fundamental ways of coaxing information. This is used as the most useful source of information. This strategy effectively gets access to terror information that is beyond the reach of satellite and photographic equipment (Thomas, 2019). Humans in close contact with terrorist operatives can get visual evidence from the terrorist training camps and understand the networks widely through their training activities and speeches from their leaders. This strategy is used to get concrete clues on the group’s plans and strategies through contact with the person involved in the operations.
After the 9/11 attacks, the government developed essential strategies for strengthening its HUMINT strategies and ensuring its operations would succeed in the long term. First, the USA came up with rules which sought to prohibit hiring agents with records of human rights violations. Also, the government prohibited the posing of agents as priests and journalists and required the recruitment processes to divulge the recruits’ identities to the agency headquarters. The CIA came up with a detention and interrogation program which involved the capture and interrogation of suspected terrorists through the use of enhanced interrogation techniques (Yankov, 2019). These were crucial in allowing the government to obtain essential and valuable information about terror activities.
On the other hand, the government further upgraded their use of human sources on the ground where terror groups were active. They recruited more and deployed more agent informants to these countries who could obtain information about terror plans and activities. HUMINT strategies were also boosted using electronic surveillance and other forms of intelligence gathering, such as satellite imagery and signal intelligence, which further boosted the gathering of threats by potential terrorists. The government revealed a vast counter-terror archipelago where more than 1271 government entities were deployed, as well as 1931 private companies which were focused on counterterrorism efforts (Taneski & Petrovski, 2020). The war on terrorism adopted by the government aimed at increasing the number of people with top-secret security clearances and creating offices and facilities to accommodate them. This was to ensure that more information and strategies for dealing with terror activities were achieved.
Signals Intelligence (SIGINT)
This category of intelligence gathering involves the use of communication, electronic and foreign instrumentation. The government intercepts and analyzes electronic signals such as emails, phone calls and text messages, and any form of data transformation and uses it to its advantage. This mainly allows the government to learn about the threats, actions, capabilities and intentions of a nation’s adversaries (Iftimie & Wilson, 2020). This strategy helps the government identify some strategies and course of action for implementing and creating solutions to different problems. One of the departments in the USA that have been assigned the role of managing Signals Intelligence is the National Security Agency which uses advanced technologies and tools to intercept and analyze different signals to extract intelligence information. This information details the communication, the senders, and the message’s recipients (Iftimie & Wilson, 2020). Also, an essential part of the interception is understanding the content of the message. This provides significant leeway for ensuring national security and guarding the country against terrorist activity.
After the 9/11 attacks, this is one of the major areas that the USA improved in their intelligence collection strategies. The government was dedicated to ensuring no future terror attacks in the country. The government strengthened National Security by providing them with more resources. As a result, the NSA came up with the warrantless wiretapping program. This was an important strategy that involved monitoring and interception of electronic communication (Kamiński, 2019). This involved access to emails, phone calls and messages without any court warrant. At the same time, the government came used with a strategy involving internet traffic and satellite imagery for gathering intelligence about the possibilities of terror attacks. The US also put some effort into working with different allies to share intelligence and ensure a better response to threats. One of the main problems identified by the government that resulted in the 9/11 attacks was that the government had failed to monitor the electronic communications of the terrorists (Kamiński, 2019). Therefore, the government was prepared to ensure that future terrorist attacks could not take place and that they would disrupt any operations of terror organizations. It is, however, essential to note that these strategies resulted in some controversies, but they were equally successful in preventing any terrorist activity.
Measurement and Signature Intelligence (MASINT)
This method of intelligence collection mainly involves using science and technical intelligence information obtained from quantitative and qualitative data analysis. MASINT consists of some subcategories: acoustic intelligence, chemical and biological intelligence, nuclear intelligence and radar intelligence. MASINT often involves analyzing data obtained through sensing instruments to identify features associated with the source, the sender or the emitter, thus identifying them (Kamiński, 2019). MASINT helps detect, classify and describe the signatures of the target sources. This is useful in tracking and classifying targets identified through the intelligence process. MASINT complements other intelligence methods by further examining the signals obtained from other methods and determining the depth of the data within the signals. MASINT in the USA is controlled by the Defense Intelligence Agency, which collects information through military components and analyzes the data for security purposes (Kamiński, 2019). As a technological strategy, MASINT was used by the government to gather information to reduce future attacks.
To improve its intelligence collection, the government employed MASINT to monitor its air traffic strategically. The government works hand in hand with various organizations so that air transport planes are equipped with sensors that detect any anomalous patterns in plane activities and any form of activity within the USA’s airspace (Carlini, 2019). This process involves the evaluation of the flight paths to determine the unusual flight paths and the presence of unauthorized aircraft. This was mainly because the 9/11 attacks were mainly carried out through air transport attacks. MASINT was identified as strategic and the most effective way of ensuring that the government gains valuable intelligence. This information is then used by law enforcement and security agencies, allowing them to ensure a quick and more effective response to any attack within the US airspace.
Further, the US government uses MASINT to monitor its communication networks (Carlini, 2019). This involves using different sensors for detecting and analyzing different communication patterns and using the information for important government intelligence purposes. MASINT is used hand in hand with other methods to enable intelligence agencies to improve their efforts of identifying potential threats and tracking any form of a terror attack.
Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT)
This strategy in intelligence collection derives data and information from the general public. It is a precious source of information, especially for security professionals allowing them to focus their efforts on various areas of interest. This data collection process is often collected and disseminated on time for different audiences, and it is used to address specific intelligence requirements. It goes beyond the information available through the internet search engines and web pages but further engages in in-depth data evaluation and analysis (Ungureanu, 2021). Government security professionals access the vast quantity of information available and apply it to make security-related decisions. They use strategies such as hacking to identify different weaknesses of networks so that they can be dealt with before threat actors exploit them.
The government security actors and other agencies prioritized the collection and analysis of open-source data in their efforts to ensure counterterrorism. They came up with different initiatives and government agencies that were aimed at improving OSINT. For instance, in 2005, the president established the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) (Chaudhary & Bansal, 2022). This position was tasked with coordinating and integrating intelligence across the government. During the same year, the CIA open-source center was created to provide a centralized collection location, analysis and dissemination of information for security purposes. Further, some data collection methods were adopted, including social media, news article tracking and the analysis of publicly available data (Kamiński, 2019). On the other hand, the government 2006 created a National Open-Source Enterprise (NOSE) whose role was to carry out analysis and dissemination of data to support the government’s security operations.
Conclusion
This analysis shows that the US government went into full force to fight terrorism after the 9/11 attack. The attack acted as a turning point for the US efforts towards fighting criminal activity. The government agencies identified their weaknesses and failures regarding security protection and the fight against terror. As a result, the government empowered their existing strategies and adopted new and more intensive intelligence collection methods. One of the ways was by improving their HUMINT strategies which involved increasing the security agents and training them for their roles as intelligence collectors. For SIGINT, the government adopted more sophisticated technologies and strategies for wiretapping and data collection. MASINT strategies, on the other hand, were improved through monitoring air traffic and evaluating the likelihood of malicious activity in the American air. The OSINT strategies were the government’s priority, which saw the creation of different agencies and departments involved in intelligence collection. Through these strategies, the government successfully ensured all-around protection of the country from outside aggression.
References
Carlini, J. (2019). Adapting and Adopting Measurement and Signature Intelligence for Modern Military Operations. American Intelligence Journal, 36(2), 11-17.
Chaudhary, M., & Bansal, D. (2022). Open source intelligence extraction for terrorism‐related information: A review. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery, 12(5), e1473.
Iftimie, I. A., & Wilson, R. L. (2020, March). The Use of Signals Intelligence in Offensive Cyberspace Operations: An Anticipatory Ethical Analysis. In International Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security (pp. 262-XVIII). Islamabad, Pakistan: Academic Conferences International Limited.
Kamiński, M. A. (2019). Intelligence sources in the process of information collection by the US intelligence community. Security Dimensions. International and National Studies, (32), 82-105.
Olson, J. M. (2021). To catch a spy: The art of counterintelligence. Georgetown University Press.
Prunckun, H. (2019). Counterintelligence theory and practice. Rowman & Littlefield.
Taneski, N., & Petrovski, A. (2020). The role of intelligence from human sources in the fight against terrorism. Knowledge-International Journal, Scientific Papers, 41(5), 923-929.
Thomas, J. E. (2019). Human Source Intelligence. In The Military Intelligence Community (pp. 55-70). Routledge.
Ungureanu, G. T. (2021). OPEN-SOURCE INTELLIGENCE (OSINT). THE WAY AHEAD. Journal of Defense Resources Management (JoDRM), 12(1), 177-200.
Yankov, Y. (2019). Human intelligence in different operations. Science. Business. Society., 4(2), 77-79.
write