Introduction
Intelligence is a term commonly used to refer to collecting data of political or military value. In the contemporary, volatile global atmosphere, intelligence gathering, processing, and execution are crucial in maintaining security within nations and regions. Each government spends billions of dollars every year in intelligence gathering, processing, and implementation. Thus, the paper briefly delves into some aspects of joint function intelligence. The purpose of the piece is to evaluate intelligence as a joint function and analyze how commanders can effectively employ the function in an operational atmosphere while also seeking to establish links between principles and categories of intelligence and further offering commander responsibilities and roles and how sergeant majors can employ these ideas in the future.
The Joint Intelligence Process
The joint intelligence process comprises six intelligence operations categories executed by intelligence personnel and organizations to offer national-level decision-makers and commanders timely and relevant intelligence. According to Joint Intelligence (2013), the first process, which entails planning and direction, involves developing intelligence plans and constantly managing their execution. Some of the activities entailed in planning and development include submitting requests for production, exploitation, and collection of support to all supporting intelligence entities, tasking subordinates to collect information or produce finished intelligence, prioritizing and identifying intelligence requirements, and designing effective intelligence architecture.
The second process is analysis and production planning, which involves rapid and collaborative data sharing in geographically dispersed institutions. The third step requires collection and exploitation planning. The approach aligns local and national collection capabilities with anticipated collection demands (Joint Intelligence, 2013). The stage involves multi-echelon collaboration that continuously integrates and coordinates all collection agencies and units’ efforts. It speedily identifies redundant coverage and collection gaps to enhance collection capacities. The fourth process involves intelligence and communication systems architecture planning to guarantee interoperability, assurance/ protection, and survivability of the two systems.
Fifth, CI planning emphasizes efforts to insulate against harmful activities of alien entities. CI specialists assess personnel and physical vulnerabilities and the capacity to cripple military operations via demonstrations, strikes, terrorism, sabotage, espionage, and other technical means. The CI coordinating agency, appointed at the joint task force and CCMD levels, de-conflicts, coordinates, and synchronizes CI activities in various operational regions (Joint Intelligence, 2013). The final process entails planning intelligence support, including future joint intelligence architecture planning and logistics and administration planning. Collection management involves aligning intelligence with collection requirements. After that, the actual collection occurs, followed by processing and exploitation.
Principles of Joint Intelligence
The primary principles of joint intelligence include fusion, collaboration, agility, prediction, excellence, prioritization, integrity, synchronization, perspective, and unity of effort. Perspective agitates thinking like the adversary to comprehend the enemy’s sociocultural nuances and dispositions. Synchronization aims to synchronize plans and operations to promptly respond to intelligence demands to influence decision-making (Joint Intelligence, 2013). Intellectual integrity and honesty remain the hallmark of the intelligence world since it ensures credibility, truthfulness, and adherence to facts.
Unity of effort, enabled by decentralized execution of intelligence activities and centralized direction and planning, permits cooperation to realize a common goal. The prioritization principle enables personnel to prioritize activities based on the superior’s guidance. The excellence principle strives for the highest quality standards. Excellence in intelligence gathering and execution includes availability, objectiveness, relevance, completeness, usability, accuracy, timeliness, and anticipation of information demands.
Moreover, the prediction principle involves considering risks linked with the prediction of adversary intentions. Thus, the intelligence should support offensive and defensive operations, as per the enemy’s characteristics. In intelligence, agility means retaining flexibility and adaptability in shifting circumstances while continuing vital pre-existing work. The collaboration leverages the expertise of various analytic resources for enhanced accuracy and speed (Joint Intelligence, 2018). Lastly, the principle of fusion calls upon experts to always exploit all intelligence and data sources for more complete assessments.
Commander’s Responsibilities
In intelligence, commanders are valuable decision-makers that emphasize assessment activities and plans. Thus, they offer recommendations for the refinement of order and procedures. Commander outline assessment priorities via decision points, CCIRs, and planning guidance. They direct subordinate commanders and staff to focus limited analytical and collection resources. Joint Intelligence (2013) reckon that commanders and their staff balance monitoring and collection efforts between information needed and data they already possess. They formulate their assessments by leveraging subordinate commander and staff assessments, instincts, experience, personal observations, and discussions with various stakeholders.
Moreover, commanders function from the outset to integrate planning and execution. The commanders perform adequate analysis before acting on data and ensure proper assessments and recommendations for sound decision-making (Joint Intelligence, 2013). Commanders also resolve cross-organizational differences/ disputes and integrate joint force component efforts and activities. The commanders ensure proper assessments for better intelligence and actions.
Sergeant Major’s Role
The sergeant major’s position is senior non-commissioned appointment/ rank within the military. The different cadres of sergeant-major include sergeant-major of the Marine Corps, sergeant-major of the Army, and the command sergeant-major. The sergeant-major plays a critical role in intelligence. According to Bass (2021), the signals intelligence chief and the signals intelligence senior sergeant function as the primary enlisted heads of staff elements and assistants to commanders. They also serve as staff NCO tactical and fixed units and major commands in SIGINT/EW (signals intelligence/ electronic warfare) training, combat development, and operations.
The sergeant-major offers direction and administrative, operational, and technical guidance to enlisted soldiers at all echelons and supervises the SIGINT/EW functions. The role also executes, prepares, evaluates, and reviews SIGINT/ EW redeployment, employment, and deployment orders and plans (Runnels, 2014). The function also interprets intelligence demands for SIGINT/ EW tasking translation. The sergeant-major revises SIGINT/ EW doctrinal publications and recommends appropriate changes. Comparison of TDA (tables of distribution and allowances) and MTOE (modification tables of organization and equipment) authorization files with the functions and missions of SIGINT/ EW also falls within the purview. Herein, the sergeant major also recommends appropriate revisions.
Conclusion
The paper set out to evaluate intelligence as a joint function and analyze how commanders can effectively employ the function in a working atmosphere while also seeking to establish links between principles and categories of intelligence and further offering commander responsibilities and roles and how sergeant majors can employ these ideas in the future. From the brief study, it is evident that different players within the intelligence system perform crucial roles in ensuring the accuracy and reliability of gathered information. Sound data adheres to the principles of joint intelligence and follows through the processes established for joint intelligence. Commanders are essential in ensuring collaboration amongst team members and organizations for better results. The commanders leverage the knowledge of team members to arrive at sound decisions. The sergeant majors also coordinate various vital functions and oversee crucial activities in the world of intelligentsia.
References
Bass, T. R. (2021). The Operations Sergeant Major. Infantry, 110(3), 30–31.
Joint Intelligence. (2013). Joint Publication 2-0. Journal Intelligence. Web.
Joint Intelligence. (2018). Joint Operations: Incorporating Change One, Joint Publication 3-0. Joint Operations. Web.
Joint Intelligence. (2020). Joint Planning: Joint Publication 5-0. Joint Planning. Web.
Runnels, J. A. (2014). The Role and Responsibility of the Command Sergeant Major within the Armor Brigade Combat Team in the Sustainment Warfighting Function. Cavalry & Armor Journal, 5(1), 19–21.