Company Level Intelligence Led Operations

[Cavguy]

Personally, I think a good combat arms staff SFC/MSG who is already settled in the unit has far more capability to fill that operational need than a SPC/SGT MI troop who comes in as a new attachment to fill a temporary need. Learning "databases and systems" is the easy part - being able to integrate it into an operational context is quite another. An experienced NCO is always going to be better at putting it into context for the commander than a cherry analyst on his first deployment.

Perhaps what is really needed is an effective O&I course for combat arms NCOs that is similar to the 18F course (the current Battle Staff course doesn't cut it).

No real disagreements there, good points. An E4 or junior E5 MI guy wouldn't be very value added, unless he was really high-speed. (I've always thought E-6 was about right) I have some concerns on this approach. I guess I never had great results from the combat arms S2 NCOIC (MSG) in my experiences, he was more of an assistant S3 SGM than an intel NCO, in practical use. I would see an additional combat arms SFC in the company as quickly becoming a HQ PSG rather than an S2 guy, because in garrison, what would he do?

Understand MI's manning challenges. However, it sure does seem like we have tons of guys running around in intel at nosebleed level, and very few at CO/BN level for a bottom-up intel environment.

I guess I'm looking for an endstate - a competent company intel cell that supports the commander and the platoons that isn't taken from existing authorizations.

[Ken White]

"I would see an additional combat arms SFC in the company as quickly becoming a HQ PSG rather than an S2 guy, because in garrison, what would he do?"

Cavalry troops, Infantry and Tank Companies and even one Artillery Battery {shudder...), I never served in one that did not have in Garrison a training NCO, generally a SSG and tabbed to the job from the Squad or Section he normally would be leading. In Korea, the Domincan Republic and Viet Nam they effectively became the de facto S2-S3 NCO AND served as Co/Trp LnNCO to the Bn/Sqn TOC. And yes, the buck sergeants that picked up their Squads did great. So did the random SP4/SPC who thereby became a Team Leader...

Some of the Companies in the DomRep even appointed a Platoon leader as an Ops/Intel Officer. That worked okay and again the NCO that became the acting PL could handle it. Most units were short of LTs and had one or two PSGs (some were SSGs) playing PL in any event

I've always thought the Co/Btry/Trp Tng (Op/Intel) NCO position had such value that it should've been recognized on the TOE. Both in the DomRep and Viet Nam they also ran the local informers who we paid by collections from the NCOs and Officers. Horrors!

Last tour in Korea, 1975-76, peacetime, our Brigade S2, an MI Officer, became thoroughly upset with the refusal of the Division G2 to share Intel and set up his own Agent net -- oops, local informer net -- and it was effective. Division, for example, had no idea who in the ROK Army had authority to blow the bridges and tank traps in event of an attack -- but our Bde knew...

Problems? Call BR 549, Ken's Cycle Shop -- Wheels Reinvented

[Tom Odom]

Cavalry troops, Infantry and Tank Companies and even one Artillery Battery {shudder...), I never served in one that did not have in Garrison a training NCO, generally a SSG and tabbed to the job from the Squad or Section he normally would be leading. In Korea, the Domincan Republic and Viet Nam they effectively became the de facto S2-S3 NCO AND served as Co/Trp LnNCO to the Bn/Sqn TOC. And yes, the buck sergeants that picked up their Squads did great. So did the random SP4/SPC who thereby became a Team Leader...

Some of the Companies in the DomRep even appointed a Platoon leader as an Ops/Intel Officer. That worked okay and again the NCO that became the acting PL could handle it. Most units were short of LTs and had one or two PSGs (some were SSGs) playing PL in any event

I've always thought the Co/Btry/Trp Tng (Op/Intel) NCO position had such value that it should've been recognized on the TOE. Both in the DomRep and Viet Nam they also ran the local informers who we paid by collections from the NCOs and Officers. Horrors!

Last tour in Korea, 1975-76, peacetime, our Brigade S2, an MI Officer, became thoroughly upset with the refusal of the Division G2 to share Intel and set up his own Agent net -- oops, local informer net -- and it was effective. Division, for example, had no idea who in the ROK Army had authority to blow the bridges and tank traps in event of an attack -- but our Bde knew...

And if I can get the Company-level Stability Ops Newsletter VOL 7 on COIN up, it goes into this arena in depth.

the Brits call the O/I short course for company NCOs a "collator course" ; works well for them. See CALL Newsletter 05-17 Company-level stability operations and support operations, Vol 1 Command and Control

Problems? Call BR 549, Ken's Cycle Shop -- Wheels Reinvented

I had visions of Orange County Choppers with a Ken Sr and a Ken Jr...

But who would play Mikey?

[Ken White]

And if I can get the Company-level Stability Ops Newsletter VOL 7 on COIN up, it goes into this arena in depth.

Hopefully, it'll resonate at upper levels and not get lost...

the Brits call the O/I short course for company NCOs a "collator course" ; works well for them. See CALL Newsletter 05-17 Company-level stability operations and support operations, Vol 1 Command and Control

They're ahead of us on the Intel and Recon bits of what we do. The 'not invented here syndrome' needs to be cast aside and we can learn from them.

I've long contended the title 'first sergeant' needs to go -- it has not served us well. The senior, most experienced NCO in a Co size unit should be the Chief trainer AND the Co Ops TTP guru, call him the Operations Sergeant (or the Marines can call him a Gunnery Sergeant) and he needs an Asst, an SFC who is Intel knowledgeable (Do away with the Army's 'Master Gunner' and its clones...). The Supply sergeant should do all the beans and bullets stuff and there needs to be an Admin NCO, SSG, to handle all that paperless office and personnel stuff. All that is changing but not rapidly enough, old habits die hard and names send images...

Also have long believed the Company/Troop XO is a total waste of an Officer space as currently envisioned -- I've seen way too many units operate very effectively without one.

I had visions of Orange County Choppers with a Ken Sr and a Ken Jr...

But who would play Mikey?

Provide Mikey and I'll take the job...

[William F. Owen]

the Brits call the O/I short course for company NCOs a "collator course" ; works well for them.

Excellent observation. In my day those guys stayed the hell away from HUMINT. In the early days of NI there were some spectacular disasters with people trying to "play spy" and getting innocent folks killed.

IMO, the Coy level Int bod should debriefed patrols, keep the logging and reporting up to date, handle the classified material, and brief the out going patrols - and you need at least 2 men at the company level to do it properly, especially if you have some sort of major drama going on.

[Tom Odom]

Excellent observation. In my day those guys stayed the hell away from HUMINT. In the early days of NI there were some spectacular disasters with people trying to "play spy" and getting innocent folks killed.

IMO, the Coy level Int bod should debriefed patrols, keep the logging and reporting up to date, handle the classified material, and brief the out going patrols - and you need at least 2 men at the company level to do it properly, especially if you have some sort of major drama going on.

Agreed. Just getting that process set in semi-permanent stone would be a step forward.

Best

Tom

[davidbfpo]

The post of Collator was my first venture into intelligence work in the UK police, in era of filing cards and typed briefing bulletins. Very crude on reflection.

Always found "selling" intelligence to colleagues hard, although it can be easier now. HUMINT was not a role we had, although far later in my career it was.

The best results as a collator came far later, nine years ago, when the post was at a smaller station, with about fifty officers. Even then the majority did not contribute to the intelligence picture.

Shortly after an excellent IT system arrived that enabled direct access to the data warehouse where much of the police information was held and the collator role evolved again. Plus analysts started to arrive and all manner of intelligence structures / systems.

I am an advocate of tactical intelligence as close as possible to the frontline officer, in person and providing help from IT systems. Company level I suspect in the military world.

davidbfpo

[Jedburgh]

Infantry, Mar-Apr 08: Suggestions for Creating a Company-Level Intel Cell

AKO Log-In Required

You’re a company commander, deployed in Iraq. You have plenty to do already, and now the boss is pushing you to start a company intel cell, a “fusion cell,” because his boss is pushing him to do so. And though you’d like to “organize for intelligence,” in David Kilcullen’s words, you don’t have a lot of options. Daily patrols, debriefs, and planning consume the time of your platoon leaders and your platoon sergeants. Your fire support officer (FSO) runs around like a maniac between meetings with sheiks and five projects designed to boost the local economy. You look at your training room … and shudder. Where do you begin?......