The Relationship between Intelligence and Security

Among many securi ty professionals, intelligence still remains a governing factor in resource allocation and configuration of securi ty operations. This situation drives many securi ty directors and law enforcement officers to wait for intelligence gathered by outside agencies (FBI, CIA, DHS etc.) to dictate securi ty efforts and deployment as if there is a magical formula between intelligence and securi ty.

The threat level color system currently used by the Department of Homeland Securi ty is a mechanism that promotes exactly this kind of misuse of securi ty resources. It is purely an intelligence driven system that mandates how America needs to do securi ty. This leads to a situation where vague chatter gathered over cell phones or the internet directly effect the deployment of securi ty or law enforcement officers at a random airport in Maine or a mall in Texas. Every time the national threat level rises from "Yellow" to "Red" law enforcement and securi ty organizations are "beefing" up their operations, increasing their securi ty visibili ty for the public, yet fail to provide real obstacles for the aspiring terrorist.

The question one should ask is whether general intelligence, indicating general threat should have such a great impact on the entire securi ty configuration of this country. Intelligence has a role in apprehending terrorists before they execute their plan but the role of intelligence in defining and manipulating securi ty efforts should remain very specific and limited. If information gathered is reliable, timely and targeted it should, in-fact focus the efforts of securi ty. However unspecific and general intelligence should not be an instigator of an all-out different securi ty approach and makeover. Relying in such way on intelligence can be used by terrorists or adversaries who want to slowly grind down our resources and patience and terrorize a whole nation

through disinformation.

Securi ty directors and/or police chiefs should not wait for outside intelligence in order to act; they must develop their own intelligence gathering capabilities within the protected environment. This internal intelligence gathering mechanism has to directly correspond to terrorist activities and suspicious indicators that are specific to the protected environment. Developing an internal intelligence gathering system is done by first identifying the terrorist methods of operations that apply to the protected environment by simulating all aspects of a terrorist activi ty from the planning stages to the execution and finally the getaway. Second, suspicious indicators need to be articulated based on the terrorist methods of operation. This knowledge will arm securi ty and law enforcement personnel with the skills to detect, assess and deploy against any kind of suspicions or threatening situation.

Finally, Intelligence and securi ty are two mechanisms that support each other but in no way can they depend on one another. Intelligence must constantly strive to find the terrorist as if there is no securi ty and securi ty must constantly assume threat as if there is no intelligence.

This is the only way to go and to be one step ahead of the terrorist.

Amotz Brandes
Managing Partner
Chameleon Associates LLC

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