Political Science Questions and Answers - Essay Example

Political Science Questions and Answers You are a Collection Manager for DIA. Recent Intel indicates that North Korea may be supplying Iran with missile technology. PIRs have been set up and assigned to your collection teams to determine exactly what North Korea is up to. Describe what types of Intel you will need to collect, and what types of sensors you will employ to gather the required intel. Also describe where you will employ these sensors/assets. Collection of intelligence will be important in this case. Using human intelligence is useful in the collection of compelling evidence. The deployment of intelligence officers as undercover agents may yield valuable information. The investigations are supposed to be carried out in North Korea shipping terminals, and airports. Though it is a dangerous undertaking, South Korean intelligence can be used. This is because the Koreans have similar culture and language thus detection would not be easy. In addition to human intelligence, signal intelligence can be useful this entails detection of signals of communication between North Korea and Iran. This would enable the agents to know the shipping lines, date and time. As such interception can be easy. Signal interceptors can be schemed to tap signals emanating from North Korea key leaders and also Iran leaders, especially the military leaders. To make sure that the technology is not transported by land, the agency is supposed to alert the various governments involved along the transport corridor to Iran. By doing this, the threat of land transport could be minimized. Agents working on the ground should also have a backup plan in case the plan fails. There should be reinforcement in case their cover is blown. An effective backup may be the US Navy which can extract the persons from danger. Moreover, the navy can also be instrumental in sea interceptions. 2. You lead an analysis team for Army Intelligence. Your team has been assigned the task of determining what conditions will be like in Afghanistan after we draw down our troops, and also to determine if the Strategic Partnership agreement President Obama just signed will hold. Describe what your analysis will cover and what key questions your team needs to answer. What assistance will you need and from what other members of the IC? Afghanistan is a highly tribal country with armed groups read to destabilize the country. Since the ouster of the Taliban, the US troops, alongside NATO has been instrumental in maintaining peace. Afghanistan has a democratically elected government; however, it is speculated that it cannot withstand constant shelling from Taliban and Al-Qaeda. So, the decision to withdraw troops will have a significant impact on afghan security. Collection of information on the strength of the Taliban and its influence among the citizens is key to the investigation. The key question is; will the Afghan government continue to follow the agreement or will fall to the pressure from the militants. The answer may be simple. The Taliban is longing for the withdrawal of foreign troops so that they can harness power. The only thing the government can do is to cooperate with them. This implies that it has to abandon the Strategic Partnership Agreement. The solution to the problem lies with the intelligence community who can identify and foil any attempts on the Afghan government. Close monitoring and support of the Afghan government in the security matters. Moreover, the participation of neighboring countries in stabilizing Afghanistan will define the success of the deal. 3. You work for the FBI as a lead analyst. Recent “Law Enforcement Sensitive” reporting indicates that some Mexican Drug Cartels are increasing their presence and operations in major US cities, and are working directly with gangs whose members are US citizens. Describe how the FBI will analyze this to develop hard intel. Also describe what challenges the FBI will face in gathering this intel about cartels operating in the United States. Finally, mention what other IC members will help you in this effort and by doing what. Fighting drugs cannot be undertaken by a single country since the drugs cartels are spread internationally. The international community must join hand to halt the trade from the source to the destination. The FBI thus requires to work alongside the Mexican security agencies to mitigate the trade. Drug cartels operating in the United States can easily be nabbed by the FBI once the suppliers are identified. Of course, the international norms require that the country obtain permission from the host state. In Mexico, there are drug enforcement police unit whose sole responsibility is to deal with drug lords and cartels. The FBI can use the units to obtain key Intel about the movements of drug lords and their communications. Using the leads from the Mexican drug enforcement police, the FBI can pursue specific individuals who can then unearth the network of other criminals by; (1) tapping into their communications (2) placing agents on the field to monitors the movements and (3) obtaining warrants to interrogate and search the premises of the suspects, with the expectation of obtaining leads. I would also consider using the DEA data to locate prime suspect about local and international drug lords. The DEA has deep networks into the drug cartels and trade. The FBI can use the agency to provide key information about the prime suspects of the trade and the evidence they have. The FBI can thus link its data and the DEA’s to obtain the matching suspects. Thus, investigations can narrow down from a wide range of suspects to individuals, especially the bosses and middlemen, in order to cut supply and distribution links. Finally, it is necessary to conduct investigations within the bounds of justice. This implies that the justice system must be involved in issuing warrants when necessary. Therefore, it can be seen that cooperation of the four parties is vital in combating drugs in USA and Mexico since the effects are shared by the two countries. 4. You are a highly paid consultant in the private sector. Your company has been asked to advise the Government of Japan on how to structure their intelligence community. Describe the US model of intelligence and how Japan could incorporate it. What are the major ways the US uses its three branches of government to conduct and provide oversight of intelligence activities? For Japan to enhance its intelligence gathering, its intelligence community ought to learn from the mistakes and developments experience by the US intelligence community. First, it is worth noting that the US intelligence underwent various challenges prior to the 9/11 attacks. After the attacks, it was seen that loopholes and lack of coordination between the security agencies contributed to the failure to gather enough information that could have been used to bar the attack. The US intelligence agencies were brought under the same supervision of the Department Of Homeland Security. The department ensured that efficiency was guaranteed from all the 3 intelligence agencies. Since the Japanese government does not have notable intelligence community, it is advisable to borrow the US system. The US system has been able to foil several attacks planned by extremist both at home and also abroad. The transition of the Japanese intelligence community should start with the three arm of the government. The legislature, Judiciary and executive of Japan can work together to ensure sustained efficiency and productivity of their intelligence community for the security of the country. The advantage with Japan is that it has a role model and does not have to experiment or go through the tribulations that the US underwent due to intelligence hitches. Cooperation of the three arms of the government is essential to monitor the intelligence community. The government should not conflict its own decisions. It follows that harmony, or similar views should prevail between all arms for the sake of national security. For example, the legislature should outline the roles and functions of the intelligence bodies, whereas the executive and judiciary would be tasked to implement the laws. 5. You are a Marine Intelligence Officer in the field with your unit. Your main job is to protect the fire teams that patrol the villages around your forward operating base by providing timely tactical intelligence, much of which comes from HUMINT obtained directly from villagers. You are paying many sources, and they claim that the insurgents threaten their life, and the lives of their children routinely. Should you continue to use these sources even as children are murdered by insurgents because you are obtaining information from them? Who is more important – your Marines or the village children? Describe the ethics of this and how you would reconcile it Human intelligence (HUMINT) is ideal for gathering real time information that can be used to offer direct assistance to troops on the ground. However, agents on the ground should also be protected. Their act of trying to protect should be reciprocated. This is because they are part of the mission, and thus, they should be treated equally and the people they are protecting. It is worth noting that soldiers are trained to protect themselves and others in battle. It is thus expected that they are able to defend themselves and the villagers in desperate times. Consequently, threats issued by insurgents to children are worrying since children are innocent in war. The intelligence agencies should thus have a backup plan to neutralize the threats on the ground. This can be done in air surveillance using unmanned air vehicles instead of putting men on the ground or risking informers. The importance of HUMINT cannot be eroded by other intelligence gathering methods. This is because of language barriers. Having local informers enables the intelligence community to understand the threats in details (Dept. of the Army 11). In this regard, the informers should be empowered to defend themselves in case of life threaten event. Consequently, there should be enough plans on evacuation of protection in case their cover is blown or they are in imminent danger. This therefore implies that the soldiers in the case should not let the children and locals be killed by militants and should intensify an armed intervention, to protect the locals and also maintain the informers if their cover is still intact, sometimes a little sacrifice makes a big difference. Works cited Human Intelligence Collector Operations. Washington, D.C: Headquarters, Dept. of the Army, 2006. Internet resource. Read More