Operational Intelligence and the U.S. Army: Much ado About Nothing or Misunderstood Excellence? A Prescription for the 1990's and Beyond

Abstract

This monograph examines U.S. Army intelligence doctrine as it relates to operational intelligence in the post Viet Nam era. Until recent changes incorporated the concept into written doctrine, intelligence writings did not explicitly address this distinct category of intelligence. However, the intelligence community has long been aware of a third and intermediate level of operations and intelligence, and has generally developed organizations and methods to meet the intelligence needs of intermediate commanders. The monograph attempts to answer the research question: What is operational intelligence: How is it different from strategic or tactical intelligence and what can it do for the operational commander? It does this by reviewing basic intelligence doctrine and current writings with an eye towards the differences in levels of intelligence and the intelligence requirements of an operational commander. This is done in both conventional war and low intensity conflict. This review leads to an expansion of the definition of operational intelligence and the conclusion that operational intelligence is something the army has done (albeit 'ad hoc') when there has been an operational level commander to support. The conclusion also notes that there have been operational intelligence failures in the past and the possibility will continue to exist as long as intelligence involves the dynamics of human nature. The monograph concludes that intelligence may be a common bond that links policy makers and commanders and notes that when this link is missing, the entire spectrum of policy, planning and execution (the essence of operational art) does not seem to work in consonance. (kr)

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 18, 1989
Accession Number
ADA215794

Entities

People

  • John D. Frketic

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • C4I
  • Electronic Warfare
  • Human Systems
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Army Intelligence
  • Army Operations
  • Electronic Warfare
  • Geography
  • Intelligence Community
  • Intelligence Cycle
  • Korean War
  • Lessons Learned
  • Military Intelligence
  • Military Operations
  • Military Tactics
  • National Security
  • Schools
  • Second World War
  • Strategic Intelligence
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.