(Source), Under the operational codename Centra Spike, the Intelligence Support Activity operated alongside CIA and local police elements to track down Escobar. Now it's USAPAB. The CIA was leading extraordinary rendition operations in Somalia in conjunction with the ISA and the help of local warlords. Some of the disciplines focused on in the training course are infiltration techniques, advanced air operations, professional driving (offensive and off-road), personal defensive measures, use of state-of-the-art communications equipment, deep surveillance, tradecraft, weapons handling, hand-to-hand combat, signals intelligence, etc. Having informed the U.S. government officials about the mission, Gritz was first told to abort his "mission," but was eventually approached by the ISA. The unit conducts close survelliance with cameras, even going as far as covertly entering terrorists safe houses and planting hidden cameras. For the four main battalions, numbering in total over 300 operators, there are different roles members could fall into. Like many special operations groups, their active arsenal is not likely a small rigid loadout, it is a range of various weapons that are available to suit the units needs. The most secretive unit out of the four, the Intelligence Support Activity was created after the failed Iranian embassy hostage rescue operation in 1980 to provide the then-nascent SOCOM and the . This symbol of failure was later deemed no longer appropriate. The ISAs execution of SIGINT monitoring was so successful that the month-long operation was extended to three years. Guerrilla insurgents in Nicaragua composed only one part of the multitude of threats facing the US With cartels all over South America creating chaos for pro-US forces, Pablo Escobar and his cartel were the targets of several US government agencies and departments, including the ISA. I am currently an Engagement Manager employed with Downer Professional Services, achieving the advancement of Capability Development within the Department of Defence. [12][13], The Field Operations Group was under command of Colonel Jerry King and operated in Iran, accomplishing various covert intelligence-gathering missions. Directorate of Intelligence, Directorate of Intelligence and Security). One approach is to assign IO liaison officers to intelligence organizations. Rather than disbanding the unit, it was expanded. His areas of focus are extremism in the Western world, military privatization and the impact of climate change on global security. I have specialised in leading teams in the coordination and delivery of project management and support, workforce structure . There's a lot of fascinating special operation history in the Netflix thriller "Lou," but going into details would reveal Jason McCarthy of goruck.com and Stew Smith discuss his journey to, through, and after Army Special Forces and being Members of Ukraine's Special Forces unit held military training for Mariupol residents on Sunday to teach them self-defence in Copyright 2023 Military.com. The United States Army Intelligence Support Activity (USAISA), frequently shortened to Intelligence Support Activity or ISA, and nicknamed The Activity, is a United States Army Special Operations unit originally subordinated to the US Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM).It is tasked to collect actionable intelligence in advance of missions by other US special operations forces . This is a Tier Two Defense Intelligence Senior Executive Service (DISES) position. The current badge depicts an American bald eagle grasping a claymore, surrounded by a kilt belt, inscribed with the Latin phrase "Veritas Omnia Vincula Vincit" ("Truth Overcomes All Bonds"). Theater Army country support plans 3-2, page 7 . Even when there is an understanding and awareness of these communities' respective roles and responsibilities, commanders and staffs often do not fully consider and integrate information activities, capabilities, and operations as components of all military activities and operations. One such organization, the Red Brigades, composed of far-left communist-leaning extremists, kidnapped U.S. Brigadier General James Dozier. Tools like radios, computers and lockpicks are much more crucial to the success of its missions. The vast majority of the ISAs operations in Afghanistan are still classified. US Army intelligence defines HUMINT as including: The sources of this information can come from enemy combatants, including regular armed forces, and civilian sources. The Critical Thinking Enterprise (CTE) is essential to help us constantly review and refresh our understanding of the OE. (Source). Drawing upon decades of experience, RAND provides research services, systematic analysis, and innovative thinking to a global clientele that includes government agencies, foundations, and private-sector firms. For a Tier 1 group dedicated primarily to intelligence collection and support, the equipment of the ISA cannot be completely verified, nor can any weapons or equipments continued use be verified. According to The Secret War by William M. Arkin, published in the Los Angeles Times on October 27, 2002, "The Army created a highly compartmentalized organization that could collect clandestine intelligence independent of the rest of the U.S. intelligence community and follow through with covert military action. No unit is quite as secretive as the Intelligence Support Activity. The Decisive Action Training Environments, Worldwide Equipping Guide (WEG), and hybrid threat products authored and maintained by ACE Threats are available via the OE Data Integration Network (ODIN). The United States Army Intelligence Support Activity (USAISA), frequently shortened to Intelligence Support Activity or ISA, and nicknamed The Activity is a United States Army Special Operations unit . The Intelligence Support Activity (ISA) is also under JSOC. Exactly who would execute the direct-action operations, would be determined after the intelligence determine the situational necessities. Foreign language skills, although highly desired, are not a prerequisite to becoming a member of the ISA, though to be a SIGINT/HUMINT operator in the field with other Special Mission Units, working clandestine operations in non-permissive environments, knowing a minimum of several languages is usually indispensable (e.g. I&A's State and Local Partner Engagement . After the cancellation of Operation Credible Sport, the FOG was not disbanded but enlarged. The unit selects operatives for deployments based on their language proficiency and their ability to blend in with the locals. Schwille, Michael, Anthony Atler, Jonathan Welch, Christopher Paul, and Richard C. Baffa, Intelligence Support for Operations in the Information Environment: Dividing Roles and Responsibilities Between Intelligence and Information Professionals. Operating from a Beechcraft model 100 King Air flown by SEASPRAY (a clandestine military aviation unit) based in Honduras, ISA SIGINT specialists monitored communications from Salvadoran leftist guerrillas and fascist death squads, providing intelligence which helped the Salvadoran Army defend against guerrilla attacks. However, this coordination is hindered by a lack of understanding of each community's roles and responsibilities, a lack of shared processes, and low priority across the joint force, prompting a review of these challenges and the development of a comprehensive set of solutions to address them. Being highly proficient in the collection of HUMINT and SIGINT has made them a very effective, yet specifically dedicated, intelligence task force. FOG became permanent and renamed ISA on March 3, 1981. More technical training on SIGINT, such as transmission and signals interpretation is also a component of the training. That operation had highlighted the U.S. shortfall in intelligence gathering. Operatives can covertly enter enemy buildings to plant cameras. The US recognized the usefulness of this unit and began surveying embassies across the world. Under the guiding hand of JSOC, the ISA operated alongside other JSOC and CIA elements, under the codename Gray Fox. As the name implies, SIGINT Squadron is responsible for ISAs signals intelligence mission. Like all units, the Intelligence Support Activity contains operational detachments as well as support detachments such as intelligence analysis, medical, logistics.[16]. The FOG was able to clandestinely enter Tehran and gather the required intelligence. 82K views 1 year ago The Army's Intelligence Support Activity is now the most REQUESTED video I have! (Source). Based on photos of ISA operatives and reasonable assumption, they are most likely to carry: For a unit like ISA, firearms are not its primary weapons. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. There is little doubt that the successful outcome resulted in part from the contributions of ISA's SIGINT specialists and the other supporting Army intelligence elements. In the aftermath, the FOG was hard at work gathering intelligence in Iran in preparation for Operation Credible Sport, the second attempt to rescue the hostages. Highlights include one year as the G-2 of Task Force Eagle in Bosnia where he provided multi- disciplined intelligence support to high visibility peace enforcement operations in the Balkans and as the G-2 of Task . Support for OIE is often sidelined by other intelligence priorities, partly as a result of shortfalls in how IO staffs request intelligence support and partly due to the relatively low priority of IE- and OIE-related support within intelligence organizations. Provides ISR capability with supporting infrastructure for collection, communications and processing, exploitation and dissemination in support of commands engaged in combat operations What are the barriers or challenges to doing so? 1. Alpha and Charlie troops utilize official cover to collect human intelligence. [11] The current organization of ISA is classified but does contain at least three squadrons (Operations, SIGINT and Mission Support/Communications). Operation Anaconda was, by most standards, a very difficult engagement. Operations in the information environment require close coordination between intelligence and information operations personnel. [citation needed]. Chief Special Warfare Operator Michael T. Ernst died following a "military freefall training accident" on Feb. 19 in Marana Lt. Col. Collin Charlie Christopherson, the commander of the 1st Special Operations Maintenance Squadron, was arrested How much do you know about the morale machine that's been deploying with U.S. troops since WWII? . The debris revealed a spider hole and as an operator prepared a grenade, Saddam poked his head out of the hole. Unit names. Mr. Greco has received numerous awards and honors throughout his career. If an operative is in a country with an official cover, possessing a firearm can mean being sent to prison or death. The exact makeup of ISAs force structure is hard to determine. Use analytics Use visual engagement tools Offer conversational service Support your team 1. In planning for a conflict involving the PRC, the United States should . Partnership engagement encompasses all activities associated with cooperating and collaborating with US allies and friends in the research, development, production and support of weapon systems and related equipment. Operation Winter Harvest Operation Desert Storm Operation Gothic Serpent Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Iraqi Freedom. Every modern military relies on intelligence, and the US military is a voracious consumer of intelligence, from both an analytical and functional standpoint. ACE Futures Directorate studies the OE and threats through 2050 to inform concepts, capability development and testing via the Capability Development & Experimentation Branch, Wargaming and Concepts Branch, Capabilities Development Scenario and Studies Directorate (CDSSD), and the Mad Scientist Program. Intelligence Support Activity: Declassified. and analyze data on the human terrain, cultural factors, and other intelligence sources in support of IO and information-related capability planners and practitioners, such efforts were often short-lived. This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. Groups inside and outside of the IC conduct oversight. These techniques include intelligence gathering, infiltration and intelligence support. All RAND reports undergo rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for research quality and objectivity. Zones are prepared, field intelligence is gathered, and targets are laid out for other forces. In line with their proficiency in infiltration, they had an array of passports, credit cards and falsified documents to allow easy movement between territories. (Source). [11], Operation Grand Eagle-aka "BOHICA" was an ISA Clandestine Armed Operation to seek intelligence on the fate of US military and or CIA personnel who may have been captured and left behind in Laos after the Vietnam war. (Source), Active operational support is also a crucial role of the ISA. There are many examples to show that Program and Project Managers (PMs) who consider intelligence routinely, and effectively plan for future intelligence needs, deliver more capable and resilient systems than those who do not. 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