The Strategic Intelligence Possibilities of Theater Internment Facilities

Conference Paper for ISA Midwest, November 2009

One aspect of the global “War on Terror” that has received limited coverage in the academic literature is the problem of detained persons as it relates to intelligence. This is a surprising oversight given the number of detainees that the U.S. has been responsible for (over 25,000 at its peak in Iraq alone). I first review the limited relevant literature on detention policy and practice and then build an overview of the detention process in Iraq using these sources and open source, unclassified news items. Next I build a model showing the need, and potential opportunities for strategic intelligence exploitation of insurgent and terrorist targets. The primary recommendation is to gather relational data on detainee communication, both authorized and
illicit, and to use this data to perform network analyses of terrorist groups and their individual members. The first rule of war is to know your enemy, and the detention environment offers a prime strategic intelligence opportunity for the U.S. to become acquainted with the stated enemies of the United States and its way of life.