The Organizational Anomaly of US Army Strategic Counterintelligence

Abstract

The U.S. Army conducts counterintelligence and law enforcement operations consistent with the laws and procedural statutes that govern these same operations in the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Yet the Army has assigned these investigative responsibilities to two separate and distinct organizations, thereby creating an organizational anomaly within the national strategic framework. Because law enforcement and American strategic counterintelligence activities serve as the principal means by which the nation protects its citizens and ensures national security abroad, it is important to acknowledge this anomaly and understand its ramifications. Effective collaboration between law enforcement and counterintelligence forces has been and will continue to be critical to national interests. This thesis explores the effectiveness of the Army's strategic organization for counterintelligence as overlaid on the theoretical and practical underpinnings of strategic Army intelligence, counterintelligence, and law enforcement. By incorporating this research with interview results, the author is able to examine whether or not an intelligence organization is the most effective organizational construct for the prosecution of the Army's strategic, domestic counterintelligence mission. The thesis concludes with a broad examination of the strengths and weaknesses of the Army counterintelligence socio-technical system in a modern context.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 06, 2003
Accession Number
ADA430930

Entities

People

  • Merle V. Bickford

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Autonomy
  • C4I
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Antiterrorism
  • Army Intelligence
  • Counterintelligence
  • Criminal Investigations
  • Governments
  • Human Intelligence
  • Intelligence (Information Gathering)
  • Law
  • Law Enforcement
  • Military Intelligence
  • National Security
  • Security
  • Social Psychology
  • Surveillance
  • Test And Evaluation
  • United States

Readers

  • Criminal Law
  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies
  • Systems Analysis and Design