Essay Example on Military Officers: Intelligence Analysis for Security and Peace

Introduction

In most of the countries, the work of security is left to military officers. Military officers are the ones who try to create peace by guarding the borders of a particular nation. Also, the military officers are supposed to detect any terror attack that is about to happen. However, to get information about the attackers, the military officers require intelligence analysis. According to Odom (2008), intelligence analysis involves collecting relevant information by military officers about any suspected terrorists or enemies. Through intelligence analysis, the police officers can have access to essential information that can stop an attempt of the terror attack. Countries such as the U.S, Russia, Germany, and Israel have a keen intelligence base that has hindered terrorists from attacking. However, there are cases of intelligence failures that have led to massive destruction of some of the countries. The main objective of this paper is to analyze various instances of intelligence failures and the causes that contributed to intelligence failure.

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Intelligence

"Intelligence" is a word that is commonly used by individuals, the media, and governments. Many scholars have tried to explain the meaning of intelligence, but some explanations have not captured the entire meaning of it. According to EA (2017), intelligence is the process whereby essential information is collected, analyzed, and interpreted by relevant intelligence bodies. Intelligence is vital to military officers when it comes to preparing to attack the enemy. The intelligence agencies have specialized intelligence officers that collect and interpret information that can be used to protect the government from any attack. Intelligence information is not always in the public domain. The data is obtained from a few individuals that can help ensure the safety of the public.

Intelligence is key to military officers. They use the collected information to attack the enemy. Intelligence is divided into three categories, namely; open-source information (OSINT), closed source information, and classified information (Cia.gov, 2020). Open-source information is the information that is in the public domain. Some of the sources of open source information include conference documentation, white papers, and discussion papers, among others. These materials are mostly free to any person. Closed source information is the intelligence information that is collected for a particular purpose. This information is not accessible to everybody. Some of the sources of closed source information include historical investigations and criminal records. Finally, classified information is collected by physical means such as the use of human beings, technical imagery intelligence, among others. Classified information enhances the quality of the research, and it is always accurate.

Intelligence Failure

Having a strong intelligence base is essential for every country. For instance, the United States is one of the countries that have the best intelligence bases in the world. The U.S has performed some of the intelligence that has seen the country succeed in maintaining peace within its borders. However, some of the intelligence missions failed that led to massive destruction for the country. According to Cia.gov (2020), intelligence failures are systemic surprises that are brought by misunderstandings or having inadequate information about an enemy or any terror attack. In most cases, an intelligence agency can fail to achieve its functions, thus leading to intelligence failure. Any intelligence failure has negative impacts on the military as well as the government.

Intelligence is not one process activity. It follows the respective process to ensure its efficiency in the collection of information. The intelligence process involves the following structures; acquisition, acceptance, delivery, interpretation, and implementation (Vilasi, 2018). The acquisition involves tracing information that already exists or the opinions of the people. Before any information is used by the military to pursue a particular enemy, it must be accepted. The collected data is verified by the top management of the intelligence agency before it is used. After the information is confirmed, it is delivered to an authorized user. Intelligence information is essential if it is delivered on time. After the intelligence information is delivered, it is interpreted and implemented by the military. The misunderstanding of these processes causes some of the intelligence failures.

The Yom Kippur War

The Yom Kippur war is one of the examples of intelligence failure caused by acceptance. Yom Kippur war is also called the Ramadan War or the October War. The battle took place on October 6, 1973. The Syrian and Egyptian military forces surprisingly attacked Israel on the holy day of Yom Kippur. The Egyptian and Syrian forces took the advantage to attack Israel since the Jewish were celebrating their religious celebrations of Yom Kippur (EA, 2017). The Israel Directorate of Military Intelligence (AMAN) took it lightly that the Egyptian forces could not attack them since they had problems of air superiority that needed to be solved. Also, the Israel Directorate of Military Intelligence (AMAN) believed that Syria and Egypt could not collaborate to attack Israel. The attack could have been stopped only if the Director of AMAN General Zeira believed in the intelligence presented by King Hussein of Jordan. Also, the Directorate of AMAN did not take into consideration the activities performed by the Egyptian military. The Egyptian army was evacuating children and women in Egypt while mobilizing its troops. Therefore, it was too late for the Directorate of AMAN to mobilize its forces and attack its enemies.

The Yom Kippur war was a result of acceptance due to the following reasons. First, the Director of AMAN did not take seriously the information given to him by King Hussein of Jordan. Intelligence failure due to acceptance is caused when the director of intelligence does not take into consideration the information that is presented to him. King Hussein had intelligent information about the collaboration between Egypt and Syria to attack Israel. Unfortunately, the Directorate of AMAN, Zeira, dismissed them.

The 9/11 Terrorist Attacks

The attack was done by Al Qaeda terrorists. Al Qaeda is a terror group founded by Osama Bin Laden. A Qaeda, which is an Islamic extremist group, launched attacks against the U.S two aircraft. The two aircraft were crashed into the towers of the World Trade Centre and Pentagon (EA, 2017). The attack took the U.S intelligence by surprise since they were not prepared. The attack could not have happened since Al Qaeda had earlier warned the U.S about the attack. Unfortunately, the U.S intelligence did not take these allegations seriously.

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was aware of the attack since they knew the meeting that happened in Malaysia. Surprisingly, the CIA had important information about Khalid al-Midhar, such as passport numbers, full names, and photographs. Khalid al-Midhar was the hijacker of the two aircraft that were crashed (Medenwald, 2016). The intelligence failure was as a result of acceptance since the U.S did not take seriously the warning provided by Al Qaeda. Also, the attack was a result of a lack of cooperation within the intelligence agencies. There was a hindrance to information sharing that could have saved the two aircraft. Communication is essential in intelligence agencies. Once communication is not effective, there is a possibility of intelligence failure. Also, the attack could have been prevented since the CIA and FBI had given a warning to the U.S government about the suspected attack. Unfortunately, the government took the time to respond to the red alerts.

Israel's Invasion of Lebanon

The war between Israel and Lebanon happened on June 5, 1982. The two nations that also participated in the war were Syria and the PLO. Syria has been an impeccable enemy of Israel. Conversely, Lebanon was the only neighbor of Israel, and they had good border relationships among themselves. The Syrian deployment of surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) posed a threat to Israel (Ryan, 1982). The Israel government began concerned with its security interests due to the deployment of SAMs. Israel's military intelligence warned the military officers about the suspected attack by Syria into its territory. After three months, PLO launched an attack against Israel with over 1,000 rockets. This attack made the Israelites scared, and even a portion of them flew away. Israel fought back by attacking Lebanon. The main aim of Israel attacking Lebanon was the Palestine Liberation Organization. Since PLO had military training centers in Lebanon, Israel invaded the country to attack PLO, who had attacked them using over 1,000 rockets.

The war between Israel and Lebanon was as a result of intelligence failure due to acceptance. Israel intelligence was aware of the attacks that were done by Syria using surface-to-air missiles (SAMs). Also, the PLO took advantage of Israel of not responding to Syria. On the other hand, Lebanon could have mobilized its troops when PLO attacked Israel. The intelligence of Lebanon had information about the attack by the Israelites. Unfortunately, the Lebanon government did not take this into consideration. Israel forces furiously attacked Lebanon, causing damage to the government.

Iraq invasion of Iran

The Invasion of Iran by Iraqi began in 1980. The war between Iraq and Iran lasted for 8 years, thus leaving the two countries in a devastated state. The invasion was a result of the dispute over the Shatt al- Arab which forms a boundary between the two countries. Saddam Hussein was a rivalry of Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran. The Ayatollah saw Saddam Hussein as a brutal and oppressive leader. Therefore, he worked hard to outscore Saddam Hussein. In 1982, Iranian forces gained their territory, which they had lost to Iraq. To fight back, Khomeini retaliated back by sending thousands of Iranian forces (Hardy, 2005). On the other hand, Saddam Hussein answered back by using chemical weapons against the Iranians. The two countries began to use oil tankers to fight each other. The war between the two countries led to immense losses both to economic and political fields. According to Hardy (2005), almost half a million people died, and the number of displacements was about five million. The aim of the two countries had not been achieved. Saddam Hussein had not overthrown Khomeini, or Khomeini had not forced Saddam Hussein to withdraw his forces.

The war between Iraq and Iran was as a result of intelligence failure due to acceptance. Iran and Iraq were aware of their conflicts for Shatt al-Arab waterway between their bodies. The military intelligence for both countries had this information that could have helped to end the war between them. Also, Iran intelligence had information about the invasion of Iraq, but they did not act urgently. However, the leaders Saddam Hussein and Ayatollah Khomeini ignored this vital intelligence information.

Conclusion

Intelligence is essential for any country's military. It enables military officers to have access to crucial information that will ensure peace in its borders. The intelligence agencies are the ones who are entrusted with investigating any suspected attack. Also, intelligence agencies do intelligence analysis to have information about any attack. Intelligence analysis involves collecting relevant information by military officers about any suspected terrorists or enemies. The data collected by intelligence agencies undergo intelligence processes. The intelligence process includes acquisition, acceptance, delivery, interpretation, and implement...