Company Level Intelligence Led Operations

[davidbfpo]

Woland,

Some of the ground you describe was truly churned over for productive effect in this long-running thread:http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/...ead.php?t=3797

[Woland]

Thanks David, I'd missed that thread and found it very useful indeed. I've also happened upon the article Coldstreamer (I suspect) wrote on Coy level int for SWJ.

I'm not 100% guarnteed to be doing this job as yet, it's 50/50 at this stage between that and a similar role (ish!) for different customers at a much more strategic level. That's the job I'll b able to take to very easily given past experience, but not so the Coy level one.

The most useful thing I read in the above thread was the comment that as a commander you are not looking for your J2 fella to tell you about your own AO. This makes patently good sense and suggests he may be looking more for the J2 guy to run a little int shop, almost.

But anyway, I would envisage making considerable improvements to the process of passing on low level int upwards and also the reciept of higher stuff which comes down. I mean, this whole job could be very non-demanding if all I'm wanted for is to look after secret docs, receive reports from above and send int back up in the same direction. But I'd like to think there is more I can offer than that.

As well as what's cited in the thread above, I'd be grateful if there are any more reading recommendations or thoughts the community may have.

[davidbfpo]

Taken from:http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/...?t=9669&page=3

The smart commander, and his supporting staff, asks not "what do you know?", but "what do I need to know?" It is not about information; it is about important information. That data that leads to a decision point.

[davidbfpo]

Woland,

Just a few thoughts from an armchair and using a hypothetical, local example - a posting to a new local intelligence post in the "outback":

1) Search out the new OiC and his operations NCO. talk to them, maybe understand them as much as they know you.
2) Do this on the principle of 'Know your customer'. Have they written anything, previous record and knowledge of the area?
3) Know your interpreter and local agencies.
4) Go to the new post beforehand and talk to your predecessor.
5) Get plenty of maps and photos - the latest editions.
6) What can the "boots on the ground" report on? Think hard on this; recent Helmand footage shows a patrol going 400-600m from a base and avoiding the locals.
7) Work out what parts of the area have been ignored; maybe people. Is that a valid judgement? If so helps to focus your efforts.
8) Can material provided from higher levels be used? Peter Clarke, ex-UK CT police commander, discusses this in a Colin Cramphorn lecture a few years ago.
9) Identify those "boots" that can be relied upon to fulfil tasks.
10) Think hard what can you do. Set targets and dump them if required.

Adieu