Open Source Intelligence

The U.S. Army Intelligence Center and Fort Huachuca (USAIC&FH), with the encouragement and support of the Army Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, is creating a new Army intelligence discipline called Open Source Intelligence (OSINT). This new discipline recognizes the importance of public information; the need for a systematic approach to its collection, processing, and analysis; and its value in multidiscipline intelligence operations.

To facilitate the integration of the OSINT discipline into operations and training, USAIC&FH is developing an interim field manual (FMI) on OSINT. The manual, FMI 2-22.9, Open Source Intelligence, will provide interim tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) on how to plan OSINT operations; collect and process publicly available information; and produce OSINT.

What does this new discipline mean to U.S. Army intelligence? OSINT operations are integral to Army intelligence operations. Publicly available information is the foundation upon which all intelligence operations build to develop all-source intelligence that supports situational understanding and decisive action. The availability, depth, and range of publicly available information enables intelligence organizations to satisfy intelligence requirements without the use of specialized human or technical means of collection. OSINT operations support other intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) efforts by providing information that focuses collection and enhances production.

As part of an all-source intelligence effort, the use and integration of OSINT ensures that decisionmakers have the benefit of all available information. In short, OSINT as part of an integrated and balanced intelligence effort ensures that decisionmakers at all levels have the benefit of all sources of information.

American military professionals have collected, translated, and studied articles, books, and periodicals to gain knowledge and understanding of foreign lands and armies for over 200 years. The value of publicly available information as a source of intelligence has, however, often been overlooked in Army intelligence operations. The development of FMI 2-22.9 provides a catalyst for renewing the Army's awareness of the value of open sources; establishing a common understanding of OSINT, and developing systematic approaches to the collection, processing, and analysis of publicly available information.

Although readily available, the exponential growth in computer technology and the Internet over the past two decades has placed more public information and processing power at the finger tips of soldiers than at any time in our past. A body of knowledge on culture, economics, geography, military affairs, and politics that was once the domain of "grey-beard" scholars now rests in the hands of high school graduates.

For intelligence personnel, this combination of technology and information enables them to access a large body of information that they need to answer their unit's intelligence requirements. As the following quote illustrates, our over-reliance on classified databases and technical means of collection has often left our soldiers uninformed and ill-prepared to capitalize on the huge reservoir of unclassified information available from open sources.

   I am deploying to El Salvador in a few months, and
   will be serving as the S-2 NCOIC for the task force
   there. I need to put together some information for the
   Task Force Commander on the country and the situation
   there. Although I have served in Operation IRAQI
   FREEDOM 1, I have no idea how to go about this, for
   when we deployed to Iraq the country brief was pretty
   much handed to us.--Sergeant, S2 NCOIC, Engineer
   Group

From El Salvador to Iraq, the U.S. Army operates in diverse operational environments around the world. These diverse operational environments mean the development and use of open source intelligence is not a luxury but a necessity. Open sources possess much of the information that we need to understand the physical and human factors of the operational environments in which we conduct or may conduct military operations. In truth, much of our understanding of these environments is based on publicly available information obtained through educators, journalists, news anchors, and scholars. We believe this concept is captured within the following characteristics of OSINT:

[] Provides the Foundation. Publicly available information forms the basis of all intelligence operations and intelligence products.

[] Answers Requirements. The availability, depth, and range of public information enables intelligence organizations to satisfy many intelligence requirements without the use of specialized human or technical means of collection.

[] Enhances Collection and Production. OSINT operations support other ISR efforts by providing information that enhances collection and production.

[] Benefits Multidiscipline Intelligence. As part of a multidiscipline intelligence effort, the use and integration of OSINT ensures decisionmakers have the benefit of all-sources of available information.