Abstract
The United States is among the major countries that target terrorist groups such as Ansar al-Din. This paper has presented a research paper addressing domestic intelligence collection and analysis of the Ansar al-Din terrorist group. According to the hypothetical terrorist attack, the Ansar al-Din can cause a dangerous attack via important State facilities such as the Hoover Dam. Therefore, there is a need to collect and analyze domestic intelligence on Ansar al-Din’s strategic moves to conduct terrorism in the State. Some of the main methods that can be used to collect domestic intelligence include Signal intelligence (SIGINT), Imagery Intelligence (IMINT), and Human Intelligence (HUMINT).
This information is analyzed effectively through ONSIT, HUMINT, and SIGINT strategies. These strategies can combat the terrorism strategies of Ansar al-Din and maintain the security of the State. This can be facilitated by analyzing the collaboration between the FBI, Homeland Security, and National Security Agency.
Introduction
Terrorist organizations such as Ansar al-Din will likely disrupt the US homeland security system. Homeland security has got to employ domestic intelligence fully to fight such attacks and lessen the impact of the terrorist actions carried out by this organization. Different intelligence tactics are used by various intelligence organizations, including the FBI and the whole National Security Agency (NSA), to prevent the group from engaging in terrorist acts (Barrett & Parker, 2018). This paper aims to evaluate the measures implemented by the intelligence agencies to gather and analyze information about Ansar al-Din that is currently available to grasp their terrorist tactics and targets.
Brief Overview of the Hypothetical Attack
This hypothetical attack involves the simulation of a terrorist attack by the Ansar al-Din. Ansar al-Din’s interests are considered odd to the interests of the United States. According to the hypothetical attack, Ansar al-Din focuses on the structure of the State but not the middle of cities while planning attacks. However, the group is unlikely to have recruited agents from the State to ease their attack by trafficking explosives (Barrett & Parker, 2018).
The act of terrorism is conducted in various ways, where one of them involves disabling and blocking the states’ infrastructure and apparatus. One of the main target areas where terrorism can happen in the United States is the Hoover Dam. This is because the dam’s destruction can limit water supply to major cities, irrigation schemes, and industries in the State, such as Las Vegas and Henderson. Moreover, this can limit hydroelectric power generation and cause floods that will kill many US citizens.
Domestic Intelligence Collection
Describe what it Entails
Information obtained within or outside the USA that relates to a specific threat to national security is referred to as intelligence. The intelligence officer converts these needs into specifications for information collecting. Command components equipped to gather information are responsible for doing so (Hellmuth, 2018). In order to advise the commander of the adversary’s most likely course of action, the intelligence officer analyses the information obtained, primarily from the enemy, analyzes it in light of enemy capabilities, and provides the commander with this information. Many persons in many roles make decisions for operational and governmental policies, and each one requires information gathering (Hellmuth, 2018).
Such information can be distributed concurrently to government actors engaged in operations and decision-making, as well as to intelligence sources and analysts of intelligence studies. However, a recent and crucial component of a contemporary intelligence system is a central intelligence reference service, which gives data gathered and created in the past.
Domestic Collection Efforts within the US
Effort One
One type of information acquired is signals intelligence (SIGINT). This requires intercepting signals that are sent singly or using communication intelligence. The National Intelligence Security Agency (NSA) is responsible for collecting, analyzing, and reporting on signals within the USA (Jones et al., 2020). In this situation, data on Ansar al-plans Din’s potential for terrorist acts can be gathered by the national intelligence agencies in the United States. This technique entails compiling communication, electronic, and messaging data from the Ansar al-Din organization to acquire intelligence. With this engagement, the United States would significantly increase its efforts to thwart possible terrorist strikes by the Ansar al-Din group.
Effort Two
The second sort of intelligence is imagery intelligence (IMINT). It examines the examination of visual photography and electro-optics. Its owner is the National Geospatial Agency (NGA) (Jones et al., 2020). The hyperspectral sensor gathers many images, automatically filtered, equalized, and mosaiced with the “clean” photos using artificial intelligence before being transmitted to the ground station (Jones et al., 2020). if desired, of data capture only the finished result. The artificial in combatingintelligence algorithm’s learning process utilized existing space mission data. The US can gather information about Ansar al-Din via satellite technology. This effort is very effective to combat terrorism in the United States.
Effort Three
The third strategy is the collection of human intelligence (HUMINT). The CIA’s National Clandestine Service (NCS), which collects intelligence from people, oversees doing so (Hellmuth, 2018). According to conventional wisdom, HUMINT has long been associated with the classic intelligence agent, the spy, and criminal acts (Hellmuth, 2018). The truth is that the so-called HUMINT activities are quite useful in the business world, whether during security interviews to find potential insiders within the corporation or during negotiation talks (Hellmuth, 2018). In order to prevent terrorist strikes by Ansar al-Din, the United States can deploy HUMINT activities like reconnaissance, surveillance, and counter-surveillance.
IC Members
Best Collectors of Intelligence Overseas
These organizations handle both domestic and international intelligence for the nation. According to the studies, intelligence agencies like the CIA and military intelligence units are primarily interested in gathering information on a global scale (Hellmuth, 2018). The FBI and DHS are among the organizations chosen to carry out intelligence activities for the nation’s internal security. With a court’s approval, such as the FISA court, the NSA can also be chosen to assist the FBI and DHS. Intelligence agencies like the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, or DHS, employed several strategies to lessen instability in the country (Tromblay, 2018). The analysis of crime by these agencies is a complex procedure that requires inputting various data from relevant sources. According to the DHS, the US Homeland Security team has conducted a series of intelligence analyses on Ansar al-Din’s operations to identify any potential weak points and limit the group’s operations.
Field Agencies of DHS
According to DHS research, the Ansar al-Din made several intelligence-related actions to bolster their self-assurance and leadership. Since the organization’s philosophy encourages its members to engage in combat for their spiritual fulfillment, its Jihad declaration continues to pose significant threats to US homeland security (Tromblay, 2018). To learn the tactical approaches used by the Ansar al-Din organization, all trainees consult a recorded terrorist guidebook (Hellmuth, 2018). As a result of their widespread use of intelligence, which compelled a response from the domestic intelligence services, the decision was made to give the recruits the best training techniques.
Intelligence Analyst Strategies
Strategy One
The OSINT strategy, which gathers and analyzes all information regarding Ansar al-Din, is one of the structured analytical methods for enhancing intelligence analysis. The agency’s OSINT strategy now includes locations other than crime scenes, like restaurants and mosques connected to the victims (Borum, 2020). By examining the publicly available material, the analytical technique aims to master every action done by the terrorists (Brady, 2018). In other words, the FBI has started developing ways to stop terrorist attacks by looking into every potential trigger that could lead to a strike before being stopped by Ansar al-Din. The intelligence agencies continuously investigate any victims of terrorism and even question suspects to learn about any plans the terrorist organization may have had.
Strategy Two
The domestic intelligence agencies can employ HUMINT, a crucial criminology technique, to learn more about Ansar al-Din. HUMINT requires creating a proactive response to the criminal behavior of terrorist organizations (Borum, 2020). The IC members can rely on this tactic by dispatching intelligence personnel to suspected crime areas (Borum, 2020). These spies adopt civilian or criminal personas in order to learn sensitive information about the terrorist group (Borum, 2020). In order to obtain information and give it to the FBI, intelligence agents have occasionally pretended to be thugs looking for potential Ansar al-Din recruits. When gathering data on Ansar al-Din, HUMINT is the finest strategy the IC can employ to get the best results. This strategy would combat terrorism by the Ansar al-Din.
Strategy Three
Finally, the signal intelligence (SIGINT) analysis is another strategy that can be used to interpret intelligence information collected about the Ansar al-Din. Senior civilian and military authorities are among the clients of SIGINT, which gathers foreign intelligence from communications and information systems and provides it to them (Brady, 2018). This requires intercepting signals that are sent singly or using communication intelligence. The National Intelligence Security Agency (NSA) is responsible for collecting, analyzing, and reporting on signals within the USA (Brady, 2018). These intelligence strategies are among the most effective in analyzing Ansar al-Din’s electronic and communication data. This is because this form of information is the most used by the Ansar al-Din organization. Moreover, it will shed evidence on the strategic moves of the group and what is used to combat their terrorist attack.
Conclusion
Attacks against the US homeland security system by terrorist organizations like Ansar al-Din show how well they should employ intelligence. Homeland security has got to employ domestic intelligence fully to fight such attacks and lessen the impact of the terrorist actions carried out by this organization. Several intelligence agencies, including the FBI and the National Security Agency (NSA), employ various intelligence techniques to stop the group from committing terrorist attacks. Ansar al-Din routinely launched big strikes because of their well-established intelligence infrastructure, which acquired all pertinent military information. Generally, homeland intelligence is essential in identifying and helping in the mitigation of risks associated with terrorism, which promotes the achievement of various symbolic objectives.
References
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Borum, R. (2020). Scientific and Technological Advances in Law Enforcement Intelligence Analysis. Science Informed Policing, pp. 99–121. Web.
Brady, K. R. (2018). Assessing the Relevant Failures of the US Intelligence Community Regarding the Attacks of September 11, 2001.
Hellmuth, D. (2018). More similar than different: Of checks, balances, and German and American government responses to international terrorism. German Politics, 27(2), 265–281. Web.
Jones, S. G., Doxsee, C., & Harrington, N. (2020). The tactics and targets of domestic terrorists. Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Web.
Tromblay, D. E. (2018). Intelligence collection versus investigation: how the ethos of law enforcement impedes the development of a US informational advantage. Intelligence and National Security, 33(7), 1070-1083. Web.