An Intelligence Civil War “HUMINT’” vs “TECHINT”

An Intelligence Civil War:
“HUMINT’” vs. “TECHINT”
Matthew Crosston and Frank Valli
Since 9/11, intelligence has evolved within a changing atmosphere
of modern tactics and techniques for information collection.
This atmosphere, coupled with massive leaps in technological
advancement such as social media, mobile communications,
processing analytics, large-form solid-state data storage, novel
computational hardware, and software equipment, has thrust
intelligence communities around the world into a strange new world
of multi-dimensional intelligence. While science and technology
and human capability both remain valuable facets of the same
overlapping intelligence construct, there is an emerging trend of
diametrically opposed camps pushing for one method over the
other. This article explains how in terms of field application and
intelligence information processing and analysis, both HUMINT
and TECHINT could be maximized by the elimination of forced
rivalry and by the encouragement of mutual cooperation that is
currently lacking.
Keywords: cyber, intelligence, TECHINT, HUMINT, science and
technology, national security
An earlier version of this paper was published by Frank Valli as “‘HumInt’ vs. ‘TechInt’:
A Forced Intelligence Dichotomy,” The Security and Intelligence Studies Journal 1,
no. 3 (Summer 2014). Parts of this paper were also published in Matthew Crosston,
“American UAV Apartheid and the ‘Blowback’ of New Drone Armies,” New Eastern
Outlook (April 3, 2015).
Dr. Matthew Crosston, professor of political science, is the director of the International
Security and Intelligence Studies (ISIS) program at Bellevue University. Frank Valli
earned a Master of Science degree in the International Security and Intelligence
Studies program at Bellevue University.
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Introduction
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A Snapshot of the TECHINT and HUMINT Relationship
2
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3
Human Intelligence: Collection and Information
4
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7 Advances in drone
less
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Science and Technology: Collection and Information
has its critics:
9
TECHINT vs. HUMINT: The Policy Angle

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10
11
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Nobody’s Happy: The Fiscal Dilemma between HUMINT and
TECHINT
resources, both

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and
Bridging the Gap
12
13
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The Fusion Dilemma around the World – A Brief Overview
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De Facto Fusion in the Middle East
that it
the agents
15
17 This
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De Facto Fusion in Greater Asia
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as a whole
20
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Changing of the Guard

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Notes
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