A very interesting entry at Strategy Page, with the most significant points brought out in the second paragraph:

DoD is overhauling its entire intelligence apparatus …The plans are pretty ambitious, and are partially implemented. The basic idea is to take advantage of abundant computer power, and affordable networking, to tie together as many troops, vehicles and warships as possible into one giant information gathering system.  . . . DoD has, for years, been aghast at the huge amounts of data that NRO, CIA and NSA collected, but never had the analyst resources to do anything with. The new DoD system is much more oriented towards solving immediate intel problems with all possible dispatch. No more waiting days for satellite photos, when the information was needed in hours, or minutes, to be useful. […]

For all of my former colleagues who didn’t pay attention in I&W training: this is a critical indicator.

Remember how we kept hoping beyond hope that the day would come when they would give us the time to really research problems and think up some original and perhaps even ingenious recommendations for action? As long as we are on this path that is never going to happen. More precisely, the number of people who might get a shot at such gigs is getting smaller by the day. Start sending out feelers to that other place, start making contacts at a think tank, or start thinking about being a professor . . . that or get used to the idea of pulling a couple months of mid-shifts in the J2 every other year or two.

When you’re not pulling nights you might want to think about night school, because some day this war will be over. With the IT investment and changes in tactics, they won’t need a lot of bodies (CSRS-exodus notwithstanding). Be special, or be prepared for the RIF.

About the Author

Michael Tanji

Michael Tanji spent nearly 20 years in the US intelligence community. Trained in both SIGINT and HUMINT disciplines he has worked at the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, and the National Reconnaissance Office. At various points in his career he served as an expert in information warfare, computer network operations, computer forensics, and indications and warning. A veteran of the US Army, Michael has served in both strategic and tactical assignments in the Pacific Theater, the Balkans, and the Middle East.