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Military Intelligence

Military intelligence includes information on other countries' military forces, plans, and operations gained through a variety of collection methods. RAND analyzes this intelligence to help civilian policymakers and military leaders understand political and military trends around the world, the sources of potential regional conflict, and emerging threats to the global security environment, and provides recommendations on how best to employ information-gathering techniques and technologies.

Report

Report

Assessing Competencies and Proficiency of Army Intelligence Analysts Across the Career Life Cycle

This report describes the development and implementation of a process to assess key analytic competencies and proficiency of the U.S. Army's analysts in the 35F military occupational specialty and the design of a protocol for ongoing evaluation.

Jul 27, 2017
Report

Report

Reimagining the Character of Urban Operations for the U.S. Army: How the Past Can Inform the Present and Future

Provides a historical analysis of how militaries have deployed light and mechanized infantry with armored forces during close urban combat, to identify the comparative advantages and costs of this warfighting approach and lessons learned.

Mar 13, 2017
Commentary

Adapting the President's Daily Brief to Trump

President-elect Trump is receiving President Obama's version of the daily briefing; it has yet to be tailored to his preferences, to which every president is entitled. The intelligence community should seek to adapt the briefing to maximize its interest and relevance to the president-elect.

Jan 6, 2017
Report

Report

Defining the Roles, Responsibilities, and Functions for Data Science Within the Defense Intelligence Agency

This report addresses and recommends potential methods for the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) to identify, hire, and organize data scientists.

Nov 18, 2016
Report

Preparing for the Future of Air Force Intelligence Analysis

Given the recent focus on irregular warfare, it is essential that the United States Air Force has the capability to provide intelligence analysis in support of a broader range of operations. Past operations offer key lessons to help prepare for USAF intelligence in the future.

Apr 27, 2016
Commentary

ISIS vs Special Ops

However critical to the fight against ISIS, using special operations forces for raids represents only half of the needed military adjustment. The other half is the effort to build indigenous forces capable of taking and holding territory in Iraq and Syria.

Dec 8, 2015
Journal Article

Journal Article

Assessing and Evaluating DoD Inform, Influence, and Persuade Efforts: Guidance for Practitioners

This article aims to establish effective principles and best practices for the assessment of IIP efforts from across sectors and distill them for future application in DoD.

Oct 22, 2015
Commentary

Loose Clicks Sink Ships: When Social Media Meets Military Intelligence

Social media updates can reveal military intelligence. But stopping a soldier from posting a geotagged tweet or Instagram photo presents challenges.

Aug 14, 2015
Commentary

Disrupting Terrorist Safe Havens

Disrupting the terrorist safe havens in Syria and Iraq would require a balanced approach that makes the business of terrorist planning and training difficult without entangling U.S. forces in new conflicts and angering the very populations the United States seeks to assist.

Aug 18, 2014
Report

Report

Lessons Learned from the Afghan Mission Network: Developing a Coalition Contingency Network

Reviews and assesses the operational and technical history of the Afghan Mission Network, the primary network for the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, and identifies lessons learned for future coalition networks.

Mar 28, 2014
Report

Improving the U.S. Military's Understanding of Unstable Environments Vulnerable to Violent Extremist Groups: Insights from Social Science

What factors create and perpetuate environments susceptible to insurgency, terrorism, and other extremist violence and instability? Twelve are presented to inform military decisions on allocation of analytic and security assistance resources.

Jan 16, 2014
Report

Motion Imagery Processing and Exploitation (MIPE)

Motion Imagery Processing and Exploitation (MIPE) systems aid analysts in the detection, identification, and tracking of objects of interest and activities of interest in live and archival video. This report defines and investigates the potential of MIPE systems, which can enable military intelligence analysts to respond to the current information deluge and exploit a wide range of motion imagery collections.

Dec 4, 2013
Commentary

The Downside of Drones

The chief political drawback is that target countries' populations view drone attacks as violations of their sovereignty every bit as much as manned raids. The chief military drawback: A drone attack destroys the critical intelligence that is needed to ensure that the tactical strike can be converted to strategic advantage.

Nov 1, 2013
Blog

Do U.S. Raids in Libya, Somalia Signal a Shift in Terror Strategy?

The raids that the United States conducted over the weekend in Libya and Somalia could signal a new focus in Washington on capturing terrorist suspects and gathering intelligence rather than relying on drone strikes. RAND experts Linda Robinson, Angel Rabasa, and Seth Jones comment.

Oct 10, 2013
Commentary

Calling for a Time-Out in the Army Intelligence Software Debate

The Army's Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS) program has been getting much attention from Congress, and its future was the subject of a heated exchange between the Army's Chief of Staff General Raymond Odierno and Representative Duncan Hunter in May.

Aug 21, 2013
Commentary

Learning Curve

The post-Vietnam “never again” attitude led to a severe atrophy of the U.S. military's counterinsurgency skills and it is quite possible that the U.S. military will go through a similar phase of unlearning over the next several years, writes James Dobbins.

Mar 14, 2013
Commentary

New 'Rule Book' to Set Parameters for Targeted Killings

A constrictive rule book against direct-action counterterrorism techniques could be in tension with operational realities. But it would go some way toward establishing the legal and ethical framework under which such difficult decisions are made, writes Patrick Johnston.

Dec 5, 2012
Dissertation

Dissertation

Occupational Burnout and Retention of Air Force Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS) Intelligence Personnel

Explores occupational burnout and retention of Air Force intelligence analysts working in the Distributed Common Ground System.

Oct 30, 2012
Commentary

Do Targeted Killings Work?

When terrorists are afraid to poke their heads above ground, it becomes exceedingly difficult for them to communicate, coordinate, and conduct attacks—especially sophisticated ones like 9/11, writes Patrick B. Johnston.

Sep 28, 2012
Report

Military Intelligence Fusion for Complex Operations: A New Paradigm

A proposed a paradigm shift in how military intelligence is fused, via behavioral intelligence analysis, a concept that provides a more complete picture of the complex counterinsurgency environment.

Jul 23, 2012

RAND Topic:
Military Intelligence

Topic Synonyms:
MI

Military Intelligence

Assessing Competencies and Proficiency of Army Intelligence Analysts Across the Career Life Cycle

Reimagining the Character of Urban Operations for the U.S. Army: How the Past Can Inform the Present and Future

Adapting the President's Daily Brief to Trump

Defining the Roles, Responsibilities, and Functions for Data Science Within the Defense Intelligence Agency

Preparing for the Future of Air Force Intelligence Analysis

ISIS vs Special Ops

Assessing and Evaluating DoD Inform, Influence, and Persuade Efforts: Guidance for Practitioners

Loose Clicks Sink Ships: When Social Media Meets Military Intelligence

Disrupting Terrorist Safe Havens

Lessons Learned from the Afghan Mission Network: Developing a Coalition Contingency Network

Improving the U.S. Military's Understanding of Unstable Environments Vulnerable to Violent Extremist Groups: Insights from Social Science

Motion Imagery Processing and Exploitation (MIPE)

The Downside of Drones

Do U.S. Raids in Libya, Somalia Signal a Shift in Terror Strategy?

Calling for a Time-Out in the Army Intelligence Software Debate

Learning Curve

New 'Rule Book' to Set Parameters for Targeted Killings

Occupational Burnout and Retention of Air Force Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS) Intelligence Personnel

Do Targeted Killings Work?

Military Intelligence Fusion for Complex Operations: A New Paradigm

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