How Can Human Intelligence Enhance Collection on an Era of Un-Manned Technology and Reduced Personnel

The challenges faced by today's military confronting the enemy have vastly changed from the enemy faced 20 years ago. The new enemy is nationless and hides amongst the civilian population. This Hybrid Threat knows no borders and survives in anonymity. Combating this Hybrid Threat in today's world is challenging and requires a better understanding of the enemy. Intelligence collection is crucial in identifying who this threat is, where they operate, and their intentions, so commanders and decision makers can be proactive in dealing with future threats. Technology has advanced exponentially, and produced intelligence collection disciplines that virtually eliminate the threat to human life. However, by relying on technology at the expense of other collection disciplines, we are only seeing half the picture, at best. When an enemy wears the same clothes as the population, lives in the same villages, and speaks the same language, the only way to identify them is through people that know friend from foe; human sources. The Hybrid threat is where Human Intelligence excels, and this low-tech collection capability is becoming more relevant than ever.