DISCUSSION 6
Intelligence can and should be used in all matters of homeland security and
emergency management. There have been episodes throughout history
where the proper or improper use of intelligence created success or failure
for one side or the other, be it a military action, business excursion, police
matter, or other type of event.
Share the details of 1 major event in history where the proper or improper
use of intelligence made a significant difference in the outcome of the event.
Be detailed. Remember the types of intelligence available now and then
along with the intelligence cycle
Intelligence
Intelligence is one of the five competencies that every employee of Homeland Security
(HS) needs to be skilled at (Nemeth, 2017). Although it is “nothing more than information
assessment” (Nemeth, 2017, p.332), it is a lifeblood of the operations and it is used in every
aspect of homeland security, domestic and international, criminal, civil, military and covert
(Nemeth, 2017). A person would think intelligence is all about spying but it is much more than
that, it is an everyday observation, routine, and activities (Nemeth, 2017).
As mentioned, intelligence being one of the core competencies of HS employees, the
agency relies on it to successfully identify potential threats (Zaffar, 2019). Gathering, analyzation
and dissemination of intelligence among multiple government organizations is called Intelligence
Community (IC) (Zaffar, 2019). The IC develops intelligence products that government uses for
making policies, legislation, etc. (Zaffar, 2019).
Gathering intelligence has gained a significant role after the 9/11 attacks and collecting of
information has evolved with the increased use of internet, social media, etc. (Zaffar, 2019). The
process of collecting, creating, developing, and disseminating information is also called the
intelligence cycle (Office of the Director of National Intelligence, n.d.). Today, there are six
methods of intelligence collection: Signal intelligence (SIGINT) – obtained from signals, which
can be between people, machines or a mix of both; Imagery Intelligence (IMINT) – portrayal of
objects delivered electronically or on film or other media; Measurement and Signature
Intelligence (MASINT) – scientific and technical information applied to locate, identify or
characterize specific targets; Human-Source Intelligence (HUMINT) – intelligence obtained
from people; Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) – information that is open to everyone, like in a
newspaper, television, media, videos, graphic, internet; Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT) –
mapping data created through geospatial information, and imagery intelligence (Office of the
Director of National Intelligence, n.d.).
With the intelligence use there have been positive and negative outcomes and continuing
I will present an event where intelligence use produced an unfavorable results.
Intelligence use in a Major event in history – attack on Pearl Harbor
Through history, agencies have learned - are still learning, and keep on improving the
intelligence cycle and the use of intelligence methods. Let us take look at the Japanese attack on
Pearl Harbor in 1941. The relationship with Japan was declining, the government was monitoring
Japanese communication and broke most of their codes, yet United States intelligence did not
predict the attack let alone stop it (Straub, 2021). Although they suspected was on the horizon,
there was no systems set in place to use the decrypted information and turn it into “actionable”
intelligence (Wirtz, 2018). On top of that secrecy and division among agencies in 1941 did not
help either (Wirtz, 2018). The intercepted communication between Japanese did not reach Pearl
Harbor nor the United States forces that were in the Pacific, thus the military there was not ready
to send out warming and prepare for it (Straub, 2021).
One of the biggest reasons for negative impacts of intelligence use in Pearl Harbor attack
was not conducting the whole intelligence cycle - no cooperation between agencies, thus the U.S.
intelligence at that time did not disseminate the essential information to the other agencies,
especially to the military, which the attack directly impacted.
Bible maybe one of those two?
(Proverbs 1:7, English Standard Version)
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
(Psalm 34:14, ESV)
Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
References
Nemeth, C. P. (2017). Homeland security: An introduction to principles and practices (3rd ed.).
Boca Raton, FL: Taylor & Francis (CRC Press).
Office of the Director of National Intelligence. (n.d.). What is intelligence? Home. Retrieved
October 22, 2022, from https://www.dni.gov/index.php/what-we-do/what-is-intelligence
Straub, J. (2021). Defining, evaluating, preparing for, and responding to a cyber Pearl
Harbor. Technology in Society, 65, 1. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2021.101599
Zaffar, E. (2019). Understanding Homeland Security: Foundations of Security Policy (1st ed.).
Routledge. https://doi-org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.4324/9780323296243
Wirtz, J. J. (2018). Introduction. Intelligence & National Security, 33(3), 307-308.
https://doi.org/10.1080/02684527.2017.1400223
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