Back to Basics: Focus on the Fundamentals for Intelligence Pre-deployment Training
Abstract
The Marine Corps' technological and cultural capabilities will always lag behind the requirements of the current conflict. While the Marine Corps consistently tries to field equipment and training to bridge this gap, these last minute initiatives are of little help to Intelligence Chiefs, S-2s, and Intelligence Watch Officers preparing to deploy. By looking for technological and cultural solutions to the intelligence challenges in a counterinsurgency, the Marine Corps is failing to train analysts in intelligence fundamentals. Marine junior officers and Staff NCOs within the intelligence field must focus on training Marine intelligence analysts in five basic intelligence fundamentals to have a significant impact on the current battlefield and prepare the Marine Corps Intelligence community for future conflicts. The asymmetric nature of the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) coupled with the Marine Corps' immersion in Middle Eastern societies has resulted in new challenges for the Marine Corps intelligence. The Marine Corps' missions in Iraq and Afghanistan are causing the Corps to apply conventional intelligence assets and procedures to unconventional threats while also seeking new training and equipment to solve counterinsurgency related problems. The intelligence community's attempts to acquire the latest intelligence databases and hardware as well as cultural, linguistic, and SASO training will provide long-term benefits to Marine Corps intelligence; however, in a time and resource constrained pre-deployment environment, the Marine Corps intelligence community can not afford to sacrifice its analytical capability in order to chase new programs and equipment.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 07, 2006
- Accession Number
- ADA498781
Entities
People
- J. Gelerter
- J. R. Jones
Organizations
- Marine Corps University