The only grievous word is ‘terrorism’ that creates the feelings of chill running through the spine, shivering of the body, and panic and horror in the minds of people irrespective of status, colour and religion all over the world. We hardly pass a single day without hearing some terrorist activities that take place somewhere, killing or harming innocent people in any part of the world. The entire world is infested with terrorists and the problem is now faced largely by developed as well as developing countries. Terrorists kill in some cases massacre a large number of innocent humans causing the governments incur the massive financial costs in confronting the menace posed by the terrorists. Different terrorist groups have divergent objectives and ideologies.
However, their critical operation strategies and the resultant impact of their activities have similarity as they engage in violent activities and carnage to spread their message. With the objective of curbing the extensive security threat many countries employ diverse defensive and preventive techniques against the terrorist activities. Human intelligence (HUMINT) as well as technical intelligence (TECHINT) is engaged in combating the challenges being posed day-by-day by different terrorists groups across the world.
War against Terrorism
Terrorism is the established ethos and ideology which is based on occurrences. In recent times, it is quite difficult to challenge and combat terrorism unlike any social crime. Different terror groups carry out their operations in highly effective, clandestine, and constantly changing landscape to be successful in their objectives. A highly expertise intelligence network is a requisite part of a country’s arsenal in its struggle against terrorism. Therefore, intelligence capacities and capabilities are the backbone of a country’s ability to avert terrorism.
Human Intelligence (HUMINT)
Human intelligence (HUMINT), the oldest and the cheapest method of gaining intelligence, is served by a human source or contact. The examples of the means of gathering intelligence via HUMINT are developed informant networks and infiltration of terrorist movements through and espionage. The training and experience of the human operative lies behind the information derived out of this form of gathering intelligence. An untrained human operative will have diverse insight into the target he or she is incumbent to monitor. So, this form of intelligence gathering needs the human operative to be trained rigorously on a distinct kind of target monitoring.
Technical Intelligence (TECHINT)
Technical intelligence (TECHINT) denotes the employment of advanced technological apparatus in order to determine terrorist activities in a secret manner. TECHINT does not include the use of human source of information, rather it use the highly advanced set of techniques—electronic intelligence (ELINT), photographic or imaging intelligence (PHOTOINT), communication intelligence (COMINT), signal intelligence (SIGINT), measurement and signature intelligence (MASINT), telemetry intelligence (TELINT), and the most recent computers and internet intelligence (HACKINT). TECHINT can help in snooping huge amount of information from all over the world by means of decoding techniques, remotely piloted aircrafts, computer exploitation techniques, traffic analysis, cable and phone tapping, satellite pictures, etc.
HUMINT vs TECHINT
Human or technical intelligence (HUMINT) as well as technical intelligence (TECHINT) is the backbone of the intelligence system of any nation. But the extraordinary advancement of technology has made TECHINT replace HUMINT on the basis of the effective and efficient usage and the distinct methods of collecting intelligence. The downsides and failure of HUMINT is the major factor to minimise the reliance on this discipline. HUMINT includes time-taking processes like identification, screening and recruitment of agents. Moreover, a human is more persuadable and vulnerable which may result in compromising, a backlash fabrication of information, and great risk to life due to high awareness of the informant or agent to the counterspy units.
The aspects of TECHINT make clear its advantage over HUMINT. TECHINT is largely dependable on advanced technological equipment with minimum human involvement and helps in deriving information easily and safely. A TECHINT operation can be effectively and efficiently executed without any risk of getting misleading or fabricated information in complete secrecy. TECHINT also helps in collecting serious information within so short a time by maintaining higher degree of security. However, technology too has its own limitations. Besides, the counterparts are also operating their activities by command of the advanced technology, so a slightest mistake can cause great risk. TECHINT is very expensive to develop and can be encountered using certain measures by the terrorists. For instance, terrorists hiding in the underground cannot be easily traced and gauged even by the advanced satellite pictures or remotely piloted aircrafts.
Conclusion
Above all, even if the technological intelligence reaches the highest level of advancement, it cannot be used independently and safely. There must be a strong synergy between human intelligence and technological intelligence. The intelligence derived from any of these disciplines must be validated and supplemented by the other reliable techniques. The intelligence community should always keep reliance on HUMINT because of its capability of providing first-hand information, which will probably have no substitute or be out-of-date. So, a nation should not rely on any one of these disciplines, as there is a greater chance of failure which may result in the loss, suffering and death of innocent people at large. The Pearl Harbour (under the United States of America) bombing (7 December 1941) by Japan was successful because of the absence of HUMINT cooperation. The USA military force was very confident on their TECHINT, but the bombing taught them a lesson for their reliance on only one intelligence discipline. So, it can be sum up that these two disciplines of intelligence must work together as integral parts of each other in order to provide better security to the nation, and negligence of one must invite perils for the nation as well as the world.