The Transformation of Army intelligence

Military Intelligence Professional Bulletin, Oct-Dec, 2000 by Robert W. Noonan Jr.

Emerging world trends point to a period of unbounded strategic challenges, a wider range of threats, increased unpredictability, and a more complex range of operating environments that will challenge the United States at every level of intensity. Regardless of where our soldiers fight or operate, they will face influences from varying threats or environments. Our dominance as the sole super power capable of projecting significant military forces into any region in the world is forcing our adversaries to seek other ways to target the United States. Our foes are learning and adapting. They are exploring other methods to level the battlefield and offset an overwhelming and obvious U.S. conventional military superiority. Through asymmetric means, U.S. forces will face disenfranchised "warriors," zealous individuals and groups who compensate for their lack of military capability to level the playing field by committing unconventional acts. We must prepare for asymmetric responses across the full operational spectr um. Our country will require a world-class Army capable of rapid response and dominance across the entire spectrum of operations. A broad range of well-balanced, responsive land force capabilities, employed within a joint operational framework, will be critical to sustain land dominance. To meet this demand, the Army is transforming through three phases: the Initial phase consisting of developing operational and organizational models while maintaining a legacy force; the Interim Capability phase consisting of fielding follow-on or interim brigades (Interim Force); and the Objective Force phase consisting of total transformation to the Objective Force. This article provides some perspectives on the implications of Army transformation for the Military Intelligence Corps (see Figure 1).

Army Intelligence Transformation

The goal of Army Intelligence is to achieve situational dominance for Army decisionmakers and warfighters. Key to this is information superiority that enables the seven operational characteristics of the Army Objective Force: responsiveness, deployability, agility, versatility, lethality, survivability, and sustainability. Situation-dominating results give commanders the ability to acquire, track, engage, and assess targets, thus dominating the battlefield environments and situations across the spectrum of conflict. Army Intelligence is already moving out on the path to achieve this. We are developing and employing a seamless architecture that provides an enhanced situational awareness through internetted command, control, communications, and computers ([C.sup.4]), and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) platforms. These platforms provide commanders with a common view of the battlefield across all echelons while leveraging the capabilities of higher echelons through reach-back capabilities.

As the Army builds from the Initial to the Objective Force, Army Intelligence (Al) will apply lessons learned, incorporate available technology, and make essential changes in training and doctrine to ensure seamless support (see Figure 2) while accelerating investment and experimentation with new technologies that support Objective Force requirements. The Intelligence Objective Force will be capable of providing enhanced situational understanding, battlespace visualization, and information superiority through collaborative, interactive, integrated, and interoperable intelligence databases and networks. Significant efficiencies will be achievable operating within the Global Information Grid. Improved simulations will train intelligence soldiers anywhere, and collaborative analytical tools will give them access to regional and technical expertise anytime.

Enabling Transformation through S&T Investment and Technology Protection

ISR Modernization. As the Army begins to shape its future forces and capabilities under the Transformation Campaign Plan, advanced technology will serve as the crucial enabler for both achieving and maintaining combat overmatch for Army elements engaged against any adversary. Army ISR initiatives (see Figure 3) focus on migrating to fewer, but more capable, multidiscipline platforms with modular sensors, integrated processors and preprocessors, and global information access through the tactical info-sphere. Introduction of new technology will allow rapid analysis, production, and dissemination of intelligence to ensure a common operational picture on a dispersed battlefield.

Future Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (TUAV) payload upgrades will continue the trend toward a multidiscipline ISR approach. We will maximize the value-added potential of tactical signals intelligence (SIGINT) systems by transitioning measurement and signature intelligence (MASINT) capabilities from its scientific and technical (S&T) focus to operational and tactical intelligence applications in support of warfighters. Advanced technology also enables us to merge Airborne Reconnaissance Low (ARL) and Guardrail Common Sensor (GRCS) into a single airborne platform, Aerial Common Sensor (ACS), improving the commander's view of the battlefield despite diverse weather, foliage, and low-light conditions. Similarly, our numerous TENCAP (Tactical Exploitation of National Capabilities) systems will eventually integrate into a single system, the Distributed Common Ground System-Army (DCGS-A). DCGS-A will provide a multidiscipline, interoperable, common, open systems ISR and targeting architecture, and critical senso r-to-shooter links. Additionally, we will continue to develop a computer network exploitation capability supporting both computer network attack and defense.