The Joint Special Operations University (JSOU) has published a primer about intelligence support to special operations. It is intended to provide a brief overview of complex topic. The four-page ‘Quick Look’ presents relevant terms and definitions and some considerations for the SOF intel professional.

Major topics include:

• SOF Intelligence and the Human Domain
• Intelligence Community / Interagency Collaboration
• Supporting Competition, Targeting and Influence
• Cultivating the Special Operations Intelligence Professional
• Where Can I Learn More about SOF Intel

This is an interesting and quick read. The references and endnotes section will lead you to even more interesting readings in greater detail.

Intelligence Support to Special Operations
JSOU Quick Look
Joint Special Operations University (JSOU)
SOCOM, MacDill AFB, Florida
February 2021
https://jsou.libguides.com/ld.php?content_id=60204448

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Photo: Trojan Footprint UW in Baltic States. U.S. and Danish maritime special operations forces board a ship in the Baltic Sea. Photo by SOCEUR, June 4, 2018.

The Special Operations Forces Site Exploitation Courses (SOFSE) provide students the ability to exploit sensitive-site materials and detainees. The United States Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School (USAJFKSWCS) has two SOFSE courses that are held at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Each is three weeks long and is conducted several times a year.

The Army defines “site exploitation” as the “. . . synchronized and integrated application of scientific and technological capabilities and enablers to answer informational requirements, facilitate subsequent operations, and support host-nation rule of law.” (ATP 3-90.15). Training courses conducted by SOF and conventional forces ensure that service members are knowledgeable about site exploitation procedures and processes. This ensures that information collected and persons found on-site are methodically assessed and transported to the appropriate facility – such as a technical exploitation facility or military police detainee collection point.

SOF units can conduct exploitation at the site utilizing a ‘reach back capability’ that will allow it to rapidly prosecute subsequent targets. JSOC is one SOF unit that conducts intelligence driven operations against ISIS and other jihadist movements. Its “Expeditionary Targeting Force” utilizes ‘identity intelligence‘ (I2) to conduct its missions. In addition, U.S. SOF is also conducting instruction for foreign SOF in site exploitation. For instance U.S. SOF is providing courses of instruction that include tactical site exploitation for the National Mission Unit (NMU) and select Province Special Units (PSU) in Afghanistan.

Some of the different categories of information to include biometric data (retina scan, fingerprints, etc.), cell phone data (CELLEX), electronic media (MEDEX), digital exploitation (DOMEX), and documents (DOCEX). The Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) has designated the U.S. Army Special Operations Command (parent unit of USAJFKSWCS) as the lead SOF component for sensitive site exploitation. (page 2-2, ADP 3–05, July 2019).

SOFSE OAC

Photo: A student in the SOFSE OAC fingerprints a captured enemy role player during training at Ft Bragg, NC. (Photo by K. Kassens, Oct 17, 2019).

The SOF Site Exploitation Operator Advance Course (SOFSE OAC) provides students the knowledge necessary to work on a site exploitation team. This includes team organization, responsibilities, planning, and interagency collaboration. The students in the course are trained in organizing, planning, and conducting forensic and biometric collection, document examination, media exploitation, improved explosive device exploitation, tactical questioning and detainee-handling procedures.

SOFSE TEC

Photo: Students in the Special Operations Forces Site Exploitation – Technical Exploitation Course, use a laser to photograph a document during fingerprint training. (U.S. Army photo by K. Kassens, October 22, 2019)

The SOF Site Exploitation, Technical Exploitation Course (SOFSE TEC) graduates will learn how to operate within a SOFSE facility. The students in the course are trained in advanced battlefield forensics, on-site identification, capturing, and transfering latent prints, document digitization and employment of ballistic imaging devices.

NATO SOF SSE Courses

Photo: A computer, cell phones, propaganda flyers, and images of an IED belt are some of the simulated evidence found during a site exploitation as U.S. and allied special forces search a compound for the NATO Special Operations Forces Campus Technical Exploitation Operator Controller Course on Chievres Air Base, Beligium. (U.S. Army photo by Visual Information Specialist Pierre-Etienne Courtejoie, Oct 29, 2015).

NATO SOF has several courses within the sensitive site exploitation field. These courses are held at the NATO SOF Campus in Belgium. The NATO SOF Technical Exploitation Operations (TEO) Course instructs students in the collection and exploitation of materials during a compressed operation. The NATO Digital Media Exploitation Course concentrates on the retrieval and examination of data stored on computers and other digital storage devices. The NATO SOF Cellular Exploitation Course concentrates on the retrieval and examination of data from mobile devices and the fusion of this data into intelligence reports.

During the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) the art and science of site exploitation has grown leaps and bounds. This has proved to add to the effectiveness of specialized SOF units conducting high value individual (HVI) operations (F3EAD) as well as enhancing the rule of law through warrant-based arrests. Courses of instruction such as SOFSE OAC, SOFSE TEC, and others (NATO SOF) enhance the capabilities of SOF units.

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References:

ATP 3-90.15, Site Exploitation, July 2015
https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/pdf/web/atp3_90x15.pdf

NATO, Technical Exploitation in the Gray Zone: Empowering NATO SOF for Strategic Effect, by Chace A. Falgout, Utica College, May 2019.
https://www.academia.edu/39335310/TECHNICAL_EXPLOITATION_IN_THE_GRAY_ZONE_EMPOWERING_NATO_SOF_FOR_STRATEGIC_EFFECT

Video – Site Exploitation, 2010. A ten-minute long video describing the work of a U.S. Marine Corps Site Exploitation. The video describes the fictional story of how an SE team conducts exploitation in Iraq.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCd7440W0tg

Top Photo: A student at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School in the SOF Site Exploitation Operator Advanced Course photographs a cell phone during training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. (U.S. Army photo by K. Kassens, October 22, 2019)

Intel Update 20180315 – importance of OSINT, Amazon’s ‘Secret Region’, new CIA director nominated, first sighting of AK-47 (CIA), DIA Director’s reading list, language training, UK’s spy poisoning drama, Virginia Hall – OSS agent, Navy sailor pardoned by Trump, Hayden endorses Haspel, and more.

DIA Director’s Reading List. The director’s professional reading list has three categories: leadership and professional development, history, and global analysis. See “DIA Director 2018 Professional Reading List”, Defense Intelligence Agency, March 2018.

Russia Killing Spies in the UK. So the fall out continues over the recent episode (there have been past instances of course) of Russia killing folks on Britain’s soil. As of March 14th the UK has retaliated by expelling over 23 Russian diplomats. The UK Foreign Office said that the use of a nerve agent to kill a person in Salisbury follows a well-established pattern of Russian state aggression. This is the biggest expulsion since the Cold War (the first one). And President Trump’s reaction to Russia killing folks on the soil of a NATO ally?

Navy Sailor Pardoned by Trump. A Navy sailor who had taken photos of the interior of a U.S. Navy nuclear sub was convicted and sent to prison. President Trump recently pardoned him. Read “Trump Pardoned Sailor Who Left Nuclear Sub Secrets in a Dumpster”, Code and Dagger, March 12, 2018.

Article about Virginia Hall. Hall was a Office of Strategic Services agent who infiltrated France while it was occupied by the Germans in World War II. Read her incredible story in USSOCOM’s Tip of the Spear, February 2017.

British Army Language Training. The British Army needs to revamp its language training program. Currently it is too little for the mission sets the Army has – COIN, peacekeeping operations, etc. “Using Language”, Wavell Room, May 12, 2017.

First CIA Sighting of AK-47. The legendary assault rifle of the Soviet bloc first came to the attention of the CIA in 1953. Read “A CIA Agent’s Drawing of the First A-47 Sighting”, Popular Mechanics, March 13, 2018.

New CIA Head. With CIA Director Mike Pompeo heading to lead the Department of State (after Rex Tillerson got the boot) the new CIA Director will likely be Gina Haspel. Read some comments on the new head spy by some national security observers in “Haspel Nominated to Lead CIA, Pompeo to Replace Tillerson”, The Cipher Brief, March 13, 2018. Read an older news story on Haspel by Kimberly Dozier – “New CIA Deputy Beloved by Colleagues & Attacked by Interrogation Critics”, The Daily Beast, February 2, 2017.

Pompeo’s Accomplishments. The White House is high on Pompeo – read a ‘fact sheet’ posted by the White House entitled “Mike Pompeo’s Distinguished Career as CIA Director”, White House, March 14, 2018.

Hayden Endorses Haspel. General Michael Hayden, a former director of the CIA and of the NA, speaks highly of Trump’s nominee to head up the Central Intelligence Agency. Read his article (The Hill, March 14,2018).

CIA’s ‘Black Site’ in Thailand. Some background on Gina Haspel’s involvement in a facility where GWOT detainees were subjected to “enhanced interrogation” in Thailand. “What Happened at the Thailand ‘Black Site’ Run by Trump’s CIA Pick”, GOVEXEC.com, March 14, 2018.

Some Older Intel Reports Of Interest

OSINT, The Importance Of. A former director of the Central Intelligence Agency’s Open Source Center writes on the need to increase the CIA’s (and intelligence community at large) ability to mine open source media for intelligence nuggets. Read “Open Source Information: Info Ops’ Untapped Weapon”, The Cipher Brief, November 17, 2017.

Amazon’s ‘Secret Region’. Amazon Web Services (AWS) has launched a cloud service for the federal government’s intelligence community that can host software and data classified at the ‘secret’ level. Amazon is the leader in providing cloud services for the U.S. intelligence community. Read “AWS launches ‘Secret Region’ for intel customers”, Washington Business Journal, November 20, 2017.

Intel Update 20171027 – Interview of NCIX Director, 525th MIB returns from Afghanistan, broken intelligence cycle, Vickers receives OSS award, CIA receives wrongful termination letter from dog in training, NCSC awareness materials, film on death of former OSS agent, Hitler’s man in Hollywood, U.S. Intel officer returns to Vietnam, Intelligence Matters, and more.

Director of NCIX Interviewed. The National Counterintelligence Executive is headed by Bill Evanina and he has a busy job. His position in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence sees him working in both the security and counterintelligence worlds. In addition, he has to pay attention to the current efforts of Russia in their use of propaganda. Mackenzie Weinger, a national security reporter, recently interviewed Evanina. See “We Are Decades Behind in Countering Russian Propaganda”, The Cipher Brief, August 2, 2017.

Broken Intelligence Cycle. Dr. Nicolas Krohley, a Non-Resident Fellow with the Modern War Institute at West Point, and the founder of FrontLine Advisory, has penned a paper about how technology and data has distorted ‘ground truth’ and “. . . corrupted our ability to root strategic thinking in the realities of the battlefield.” He lists several contributing factors to this problem:

• The ascendance of technology and primacy of targeting
• The fetishization of data
• The cult of the operator

Krohley calls for a restructuring of the intelligence cycle so as to integrate technology and data into Intel updates without losing sight of what is happening on the ground. Read The Intelligence Cycle is Broken. Here’s How o Fix It, Modern War Institute, October 24, 2017.

German Diplomat Passed Intel to Army MI in WWII. Ross Gyssling, a German diplomat, was hated by Hollywood because he tried to influence film-makers to soften the image of Nazi Germany. Gyssling was serving as Hitler’s official representative to the Jewish -dominated motion picture industry. What people didn’t know is he was passing information to Army Intelligence. Read “The Hollywood Nazi who spied for America”, The Washington Post, October 25, 2017.

Dog Dropped From Training by CIA Protests. Lulu, a dog that was dropped from a dog bomb-sniffing selection and training course, has filed a letter of protest with the Central Intelligence Agency. Read “Wrongful Termination Letter Filed by Lulu, The CIA Dog Who Was Fired”, FunnyOrDie.com, October 23, 2017.

NGA Tech Showcase. The US Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) Tech Showcase East takes place on the NGA Campus East in Springfield, Virginia on November 15th.
http://usgif.org/events/NGAEast

US Intel Officer Returns to Vietnam. A military intelligence officer who served in Vietnam paid a visit to a key intelligence operative for North Vietnam to exchange stories. (Newsweek, October 27, 2017).

Intelligence Matters – New Podcast. Michael Morell, a former deputy and acting director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) serves as the host of a weekly podcast presented by The Cipher Brief“Why Intelligence Matters”. Learn more in , Atlantic Council, October 25, 2017.

Film on Mysterious Death of Former OSS Agent. Jim Thompson was an agent for the Office of Strategic Services in the Pacific area of operations in World War II. He later settled and became a successful businessman in Thailand. In March of 1967 he went for a walk in the Malaysian jungle and never returned. Some say he died on a final mission for U.S. intelligence. Read “New film claims to have solved Jim Thompson mystery”, The Washington Post, October 21, 2017.

OSS Society Award to Michael Vickers. A former Green Beret and CIA operative was awarded the OSS Society 2017 William J. Donovan Award. The event took place during a celebration of the 75th anniversary of the the World War II’s Office of Strategic Services. Vickers played a key role in the equipping of the Mujahideen during their fight against the Soviets in Afghanistan while with the CIA. He later served in several high-level positions within the Department of Defense. Other awards presented by the OSS Society include one to CW4 Shane Gandy, a Special Forces Warrant Officer from 1st Special Forces Group. Read more in “Spy Prom: OSS Society Gives Michael G. Vickers 2017 William J. Donovan Award”, Big League Politics, October 23, 2017.

525th MIB Members Returns to FBNC. Soldiers from the 525th Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigade returned from a nine-month long deployment to Afghanistan. For the past nine months the Soldiers led intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations in Afghanistan supporting Coalition and Afghan forces. The 525th, based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina supports the FBNC based 18th Airborne Corps and other units. It became an expeditionary brigade in 2014. Read “Soldiers return to Fort Bragg after 9-month deployment in Afghanistan”, Stars and Stripes, October 24, 2017.

NCSC Awareness Materials. The National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) provides to the public videos and print materials on how foreign intelligence entities are actively targeting information, assets, and technologies. The products will enable personnel to understand the threats and learn how to protect sensitive information.

Read past intelligence updates from SOF News.

Intel Update 20170726 – Book review on Dulles and WW II, Russian mafia and spies, CIA program to arm the Syrian rebels, forget James Bond – there are better spies, CIA anniversary, CIA’s “Acoustic Kitty”, Agent 110, ‘Five Eyes’ and intel sharing, and more.

Spies Better than Bond? James Jay Carafano says that the current Bond (actor Daniel Craig) is less than thrilling. He provides us with six spies who are better than the current Bond. Read “6 Spies Better Than Bond”, PJMedia.com, July 24, 2017.

CIA Anniversary. On July 26, 1947 President Harry S. Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947 creating the Central Intelligence Agency.

‘Five Eyes’ Intel Sharing – Needs Improvement. The intelligence sharing agreement between the U.S., UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand needs to adapt to meet the evolving threats of the 21st century. Read “The Spies of the ‘Five Eyes’ Need to Speed Up Intel-Sharing”, Defense One, June 7, 2017.

CIA’s Spy Cats – “Acoustic Kitty”. The CIA once had an idea to bug cats in order to listen in to conversations. Read more in “That Time the CIA Tried to Train Cats to be Spies”, Time.com, July 26, 2017.

CIA Director Outlines Threats and Priorities. CIA Director Mike Pompeo says that the CIA is giving more authority to field operatives and cutting excessive bureaucracy in an effort to boost intelligence operations. Read “CIA Gives More Power to Spies to Bolster Intelligence Operations”, Free Beacon, July 26, 2017.

Book Review – Agent 110. Scott Miller has written a history book on Allen Dulles and his work with Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during World War II in Switzerland. Dulles is more famous in his role as head of the Central Intelligence Agency but he certainly made his mark with the OSS. Read a book review of Agent 110: An American Spymaster and the German Resistance in WWII,  Simon & Schuster, March 2017 in “The real spy story that is more interesting than a spy novel”, The Washington Book Review, July 21, 2017.

How Russian Operatives Work. In testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee Bill Browder gives a detailed account of how Russian agents use ‘U.S. enablers’ to accomplish their nefarious deeds. Read “Bill Browder’s Testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee”, The Atlantic, July 25, 2017.

CIA Arms to Syrian Rebels – A Secret? Almost everyone is talking about the covert (not so secret) Central Intelligence Agency program to arm ‘moderate’ Syrian rebels in their fight against the Assad regime. Prominent people like President Trump are tweeting about it and military leaders and Congress members are chatting about it with the media. Yet others – mostly Democrats and members of the left – are lamenting that these people are chatting about a secret program. The trouble with their complaints is these are usually the same folks looking for ‘transparency’ in intelligence operations. Politics. Kind of discouraging, isn’t it? Read more in “Is the covert CIA program to arm Syrian rebels still secret?”, Military Times, July 25, 2017.

Intel Update 20170109 – gadgets that spies use, questions to be posed during CIA confirmation hearings, Trump to revamp Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), a CIA contract aircraft’s final flight, a partisan CIA, Trump and Intel, and more.

“Earthquake’s Final Flight”. The painting above by Jeffrey W. Bass was done in 2006. It was donated to the Central Intelligence Agency’s art museum (no, you can’t visit it) by the Fairchild Corporation. The painting is of the final flight of two American pilots (contracted by the CIA) and two French paratroopers who dropped resupply bundles to French fighters under siege at Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam. The day after the flight the French garrison fell to Communist Vietnamese forces. The Fairchild C-119 (with US Air Force markings painted over with French Air Force markings) was struck by anti-aircraft fire and finally crashed just over the Laotian border. Read more in a CIA description of the painting in Earthquake’s Final Flight.

Spy Gadgets. A transmitter in a shoe, camera on a pigeon, rectal storage capsule to hold ten different types of espionage tools, glasses that hold cyanide pills, and more. Check out some creative ways spies plied their trade in an article posted in The Irish Sun, January 2, 2017.

A Partisan CIA? Trumps statements of distrust about the CIA have troubled some but there are a few critics out there that say there should be concerns about the spy agency. Read “Is the CIA partisan?”, by Michael Rubin, American Enterprise Institute, December 14, 2016.

Trump’s Intelligence Feud. The Donald is getting off to a rough start with the intelligence community. He recently cited Julian Assange of Wikileaks fame as a credible source on Russian social media and cyber attacks. Hmmmm. I am not sure if the ‘tweets’ denigrating the U.S. intelligence agencies are helpful. Read “Trump Knocks U.S. Intelligence Agencies Over Russia Hacking Review”, The Wall Street Journal, January 3, 2017. See also “Trump Gives Intelligence Agencies Their Daily Briefing”, The Onion, January 3, 2017.

Re-Org of ODNI? It appears that President-Elect Donald Trump might want to change up a lead intel organization – the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Could this have something to do with LTG Mike Flynn? Read “Donald Trump Plans Revamp of Top U.S. Spy Agency”, The Wall Street Journal, January 4, 2017. (Paywall).

CIA Confirmation. The nominee, Congressman Pompeo, faces questioning on five hot topics. Interrogation, surveillance, Russian hacking, morale at the CIA, and his actions while on the Benghazi Committee. Read more in “Five hot issues for the CIA confirmation hearings”, The Hill Blog, January 1, 2017.

Intelligence Update 20170102 – CIA and the Bay of Pigs, “The Spy Who Couldn’t Spell”, CIA art calendar, ancient spying in the Middle East, and More.

Bay of Pigs and What Type of CIA Should We Have. There were (in the 1950s and 1960s) and there are today two types of CIA. One collects and analyzes intelligence and the other conducts covert or paramilitary operations. Throughout the history of the Central Intelligence Agency these two parts of the CIA have been – to varying degrees – at odds with each other. A recent article concerning the Bay of Pigs is illustrative of this divide. Read “Spy vs. Spy: The Bay of Pigs and the Battle for the Soul of the CIA”, War on the Rocks, by James Lockhart, December 27, 2016.

CIA Art Calendar for 2017. Order your 2017 calendar from a firm that is putting out a quality product. A number of artists painted pictures depicting events in the Central Intelligence Agency’s history. A great addition for the home or work office. Learn more in “A CIA calendar the CIA gift shop refuses to sell? Yes, and here’s the strange story behind it”, The Washington Post, December 29, 2016.

“The Spy Who Couldn’t Spell”. Some very keen counterintelligence work and a little luck played a role in preventing a huge loss in intelligence to foreign nations – Libya being one of them. A retired U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant who was in heavy debt decided to play spy while working for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). However, the fact that he was dyslexic was a big factor in his being caught. Read “The dyslexic spy who nearly took down the US”, News.com.au, December 27, 2016.

Ancient Middle East Spies. The kingdoms that existed almost 2,000 years ago relied on spies to determine the intent of their adversaries and to cause rebellion and weakness in neighboring states. Read more in “Everything Old is New Again: Espionage and Stratagems in Ancient Iraq and Syria”, War on the Rocks, December 29, 2016.

Painting at Top of Page. In 2007 Keith Woodcock, an artist, painted a picture depicting a CIA operative firing an AK-47 from an agency chopper into a North Vietnamese Air Force AN-2 Colt biplane. The painting was donated to the CIA and is in display at its headquarters. The painting records the first instance of an helicopter to fixed-wing aerial dogfight. In this particular case the helicopter won – shooting down two of the biplanes. Read more in An Air Combat First, Central Intelligence Agency.

Intelligence Update 20161218 – LTG Flynn’s views of the CIA, Flynn sharing secrets inappropriately while in Afghanistan, CIA’s classified cloud, America’s ‘Top Spy Catcher’, an Intelligence Officer’s guide to dissent, Trump and the intelligence community, and more.

CIA’s Classified Cloud. The intelligence community’s expensive Amazon-built project is proving to be worthwhile. Amazon Web Services endeavor is reducing the time it takes to bring new software into the IC. Read more in “The CIA’s Classified Cloud Is Reducing Task From Months to Minutes”, Defense One, December 15, 2016.

Flynn Critic of CIA. The man who will be President-Elect Trump’s national security advisor – retired General Mike Flynn – is a harsh critic of the Central Intelligence Agency. Some believe that Flynn looks at the CIA as a political tool of the Obama administration. He also says that the CIA has missed the boat in its analysis of ISIS, the Taliban, and other threats around the world. Read more in “Michael Flynn Is Harsh Judge of C.I.A.’s Role”, The New York Times, December 12, 2016.

‘Top Spy Catcher’. William Evanina, the director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, is in charge of keeping America’s secrets secret. Data breaches, Russian and Chinese hacking, spies, insider threats, and more keep his agency very busy. Read more on his job and how he does it. “For America’s Top Spy Catcher, A World of Problems to Fix – and Prevent”, NPR Parallels, December 20, 2016.

Flynn Sharing Secrets? Recent news reports say that Trump’s national security advisor “inappropriately shared” classified information with foreign military officers in Afghanistan without permission. He passed on info to British and Australian allies in Afghanistan. Read more in a news report by The Washington Post, December 14, 2016.

Trump and the IC. The President-Elect is off to a rocky start with the U.S. intelligence community. Michael Hayden – former director of the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) writes on his worries about the relationship between a future President Trump and the various intelligence agencies that will provide important information to him that will assist him in his decision-making process. Read more in “Trump is already antagonizing the intelligence community, and that’s a problem”, The Washington Post, December 12, 2016.

No 1 Intel Customer is . . . “like, a smart person”. Some folks have concerns about the President-Elect. Statements indicating that he is smart enough and doesn’t need intel briefings are concerning. Read “Gathering Intelligence Is Dangerous. So Is Not Reading It”, The New York Times, December 14, 2016. See also “Will Team Trump Politicize Intelligence?”, War on the Rocks, December 15, 2016.

Intel Officer’s Guide to Dissent. “Intelligence officers learn early in their careers that speaking truth to power can come with a cost.” The intelligence community is awaiting the arrival of LTG (Ret) Mike Flynn and President-Elect Trump. One has disdain for the CIA while the other believes in waterboarding and killing family members of terrorists. Read “An Intelligence Officer’s Guide to Dissent”, The Cipher Brief, December 16, 2016.

SOE and OSS Equipment Collection. Read “A look at what was dropped ‘behind German lines’ into occupied France”, Guns.com, December 13, 2016.

The newly-established Target Fusion Cell (TFC) works within the Combined Force Air Component Command (CFACC) in the CENTCOM Area of Responsibility (AOR). The Target Fusion Cell is “. . . an integrated cell of intelligence analysts, targeting experts and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance tactical controllers . . .” The intent of the Target Fusion cell is to bring more information together faster, fuse it, and provide it to decision-makers to allow aircraft (and drones) to hit targets quicker.

Read more about the Target Fusion Cell (TFC) of the CFACC in “Coalition establishes new targeting capability, launches largest strike of the year”, DVIDS, December 17, 2016.

Social Media News – papers, publications, commentary, and analysis on how information operations is used to influence the population in support or against governments and their security forces. Islamic State and Social Media, the Kremlin’s IO machine, ‘disinformation’ (dezinformatsiya) is now ‘fake news’, and more.

Social Media News and the Islamic State in Afghanistan. The Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) uses propaganda to advance its cause, gain popular support, gain recruits, and spread its narrative of Salafi-jihadism. Borhan Osman, writing for the Afghanistan Analysts Network, examines the influence operations of the ISKP in eastern Afghanistan. Read ISKP’s Battle for Minds: What are the main messages and who do they attract?, AAN, December 12, 2016.

Extremist Use of Media. Terrorist and insurgent groups have long used the latest in media technology to gain support in their cause, instill fear among target populations, and gather recruits. Read more in “The Age of Selfie Jihad: How Evolving Media Technology is Changing Terrorism”, CTC Sentinel, November 30, 2016.

Law to Reorganize VOA, Radio Free Europe, etc. There are a number of news outlets run by the U.S. to disseminate information. These include Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe, and Middle East Broadcasting Networks. Some congressional members feel that the organizations are not centralized and therefore cannot quickly adapt to the 24/7 news cycle. Read more in “New Law Would Reorganize VOA, Other US Government Broadcasters”, Voice of America, December 14, 2016.

Islamic State’s Media War. ISIS has a very competent media operation that has successfully disseminated its strategic communications throughout the world. Read more in “Lighting the Path: The Story of the Islamic State’s Media Enteprise”, War on the Rocks, December 12, 2016.

Paper on US IO Efforts. A recent paper by Christopher Paul discusses shortfalls and deficiencies in U.S. capabilities in information operations (IO). Read more in “Enhancing US Efforts to Inform, Influence, and Persuade”, Parameters, Autumn 2016, Strategic Studies Institute, pages 87-97.

‘Dezinformatsiya’ is now ‘Fake News’. The use of disinformation – through social media news – has been a tool for governments for a long time. The Soviets refined it as a component of ‘political warfare’. Recent news reports in main stream media would suggest that ‘fake news’ is a new aspect of the media. Not so much. Read “Before ‘fake news,’ there was Soviet ‘disinformation'”, The Washington Post, November 26, 2016.

ODNI Statement on Foreign Influence on U.S. Elections. The Democrats are up in arms about the possibility that the Russians influenced the U.S. presidential election in favor of President-Elect Trump. Some intelligence agencies are pointing at the Kremlin as well. The Director for National Intelligence is looking into the matter – read a press release (Dec 14, 2016) on this topic in “Intelligence Community Statement on Review of Foreign Influence on U.S. Elections”.

How to Fight ‘Fake News’. One commentator suggests that we should not “. . . try to fight the firehose of falsehood with the squirtgun of truth.” We should instead “. . . put ‘raincoats’ on those who will be hit with the firehose.” Read “Beyond the Headlines: RAND’s Christopher Paul Discusses the Russian ‘Firehose of Falsehood'”, The RAND Blog, December 13, 2016.

Kremlin and IO. The Russians have mastered the realm of information operations. Recent news reports indicate that they have a significant social media machine designed to influence audiences around the world. The Russians cyber warfare capability is also well resourced. This type of hybrid warfare is dominated by information and psychological conflict. Russians view modern warfare as not only military conflict but competition in the political, diplomatic, economic, and informational sectors. (Sort of reminds you of the Cold War – doesn’t it?). Read more in “The Kremlin’s ‘New Generation Warfare’ Is Just Getting Started”, War is Boring, December 10, 2016. For more on this topic read Alexander Velez-Green’s article “The United States and Russia Are Already at War”, Small Wars Journal, December 13, 2016.