In the Human Domain

The director of national intelligence’s Vision 2015 highlights that in today’s dynamic global environment, national security depends on anticipating risks and out-maneuvering adversaries, not just out-muscling them. Therefore, intelligence is more critical than ever, particularly counterintelligence (CI) and human intelligence (HUMINT).

To streamline the management of the Department of Defense CI and HUMINT enterprises, these complementary disciplines, which both operate in the human domain, were recently merged into the new Defense Counterintelligence and Human Intelligence Center (DCHC).

HUMINT is defined as a category of intelligence derived from information collected and provided by human sources, while CI is information gathered and activities conducted to identify, deceive, exploit, disrupt or protect against espionage, other intelligence activities, sabotage or assassinations conducted for or on behalf of foreign powers, organizations, persons or their agents, or international terrorist organizations or activities. DCHC was established within the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) to centrally manage departmentwide CI and HUMINT enterprises, develop programs that support DoD component CI and HUMINT functions, and execute assigned CI and HUMINT activities worldwide.

The director of DIA, Army Lieutenant General Michael Maples, serves as both the DoD CI and HUMINT manager, while Army Major General Theodore Nicholas is the director of DCHC.

“The standup of this center is an exciting development in the defense intelligence enterprise,” Nicholas said. “We are taking defense CI and HUMINT to a new level, ensuring outstanding support to our customers.”

When creating DCHC, Nicholas looked at the existing CI and HUMINT oversight practices and took the best from each program and streamlined the processes, resulting in greater information sharing. CI focuses on preventing adversaries from collecting intelligence, while HUMINT seeks to collect intelligence. The two disciplines have commonalities when it comes to acquiring and managing sources, reporting information, training and targeting.

The establishment of DCHC marks the first time that DoD has integrated CI and HUMINT at the defense level. “This integration reflects the importance that DoD is placing on CI and HUMINT. Both programs are indispensable to countering foreign intelligence threats and to winning the fight against terrorism,” Nicholas said.

BEST DEFENSE

The following analogy is an attempt to explain why CI and HUMINT are two very distinct but complementary disciplines that have been brought together. This analogy is not intended to minimize the complexities of the CI and HUMINT disciplines, but rather to simplify the concept in order to allow greater appreciation and understanding of why the two were placed side-by-side within DCHC.

Consider the human domain as a playing field, on which there is a team consisting of an offense, HUMINT, and a defense, CI. To accurately understand this analogy, the old adage that “the best defense is a strong offense” must be embraced. In other words, CI, the defense, must be prepared to go on the offense at any time, and HUMINT, the offense, must keep its adversary on the defense. Both enter the playing field, or the human domain, just as a football team enters the stadium. Preparation and execution on the field requires that both follow a unified playbook, or strategy, as well as actively collaborate and continuously communicate with one another. Ultimately the team strives to achieve success; the offense scores, in the form of HUMINT collection, while equally importantly, the defense prevents the adversary from scoring.

Unlike a football game, both CI and HUMINT play simultaneously, and for these two critical disciplines the game never ends—thus highlighting the importance of persistence, endurance, innovation and teamwork.

“The functions of CI and HUMINT have similarities in which we can integrate and gain efficiencies while ensuring the unique functions of each discipline remain intact and separate,” Nicholas said. “‘This is why we created the Directorate for Counterintelligence (DC) within the center to provide the proper focus to defense CI functions for the community.” Prior to DCHC, the Directorate for HUMINT (DH) existed as a separate directorate within DIA, but now resides in the center.

In addition to DC and DH, the center has three other components: the D2X Special Office, Defense Cover Office (DCO) and the CI/HUMINT Enterprise Management Office (DEO).

DC oversees DoD CI and counterterrorism operational investigations and provides CI support to HUMINT operations, as well as all-source analytic support to the DoD CI community. DC brings together the CI efforts of the agency as well as those from the former Counterintelligence Field Activity (CIFA), which merged into DIA as part of the establishment of DCHC.

DIA had already been performing CI enterprise functions: strategic analysis and production; CI requirements management and CI support to the joint staff; and support and oversight of the CI staff officers at combatant commands. In addition, CIFA was providing operational CI support functions, including the management of operations and investigations, friendly force and adversarial situational awareness, and force protection support to DoD components.

DH continues to plan and conduct defense HUMINT operations and centrally direct and manage DIA HUMINT personnel, to include the Defense Attaché System, DIA overt and clandestine collection field sites, contingency platforms and document exploitation.

Previously part of DH, DCO now resides under DCHC and will continue to execute defense cover programs on behalf of DoD.

ENTERPRISE FOCUS

The two enterprise-focused elements within DCHC are D2X and DEO.

D2X is the defense-level equivalent to the J2X CI and HUMINT staff element structure within the combatant commands and services. D2X, under the leadership of Thomas Gandy, was established to coordinate, de-conflict and synchronize DoD CI and HUMINT activities globally. Its responsibilities include situational awareness, requirements tasking, technical support, source registration and de-confliction, intelligence planning, and leading the development of integrated precision targeting strategies for hard targets.

DCHC’s creation follows on the heels of the standup of the Defense Intelligence Operations Coordination Center (DIOCC). DIOCC manages intelligence operations across defense intelligence and serves as DoD’s entry point into the National Intelligence Coordination Center.

DCHC, via D2X, will be closely linked to DIOCC, serving as the defense liaison for all CI and HUMINT collection requirements validated by DIOCC and tasked to DoD CI and HUMINT organizations. DCHC will also serve as the direct entry point for all other CI and HUMINT intelligence operation requirements, including operational communications, targeting and technical support.

DEO combines the community program management functions of the former CIFA and the former Defense HUMINT Management Office and is responsible for managing commonalities across both disciplines. This includes overseeing DoD CI and HUMINT long-range planning; policy, doctrine, training and professional development; resource and performance management; and technology development.

DEO establishes and implements the means, mechanisms, policies, procedures and plans necessary for the director of DIA to lead, manage and direct DoD CI and HUMINT communities as horizontally integrated enterprise operations. As a defense-level organization, DCHC will provide greater organizational alignment with CIA’s National Clandestine Service, FBI, Department of Homeland Security, the combatant commands and services.

DCHC will lead, direct and centrally manage the DoD CI and HUMINT enterprise in close collaboration with each of the services, combatant commands and the national community. Equally important, the center will serve as an advocate for and ensure support to each of the CI and HUMINT executors— Army, Air Force, Navy and the combatant commands. This will be accomplished via established linkages to all, thus facilitating necessary and continuous coordination and de-confliction with all throughout the enterprise.

“We have an organization that can represent all of defense CI and HUMINT capabilities and requirements to Congress, other members of the intelligence community, and all internal and external stakeholders. DCHC provides unified strategic direction, requirements management and prioritization,” Nicholas said. ♦

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