Benefits of Integration in the Ci Humint Community

¶ … Integration in the CI/HUMINT Community

An Analysis of the Benefits of Integration in the CI/HUMINT Community and Strategies for Effective Implementation

Shea Larson

The success of any counterinsurgency operation depends largely on the effectiveness and appropriateness of intelligence gathered. Human subjects are a crucial source of intelligence for counterinsurgency operations. Several years back, the U.S. Armed Forces opened up opportunities for women to occupy specific positions in counterintelligence/human intelligence (CI/HUMINT) discipline. However, women still remain underrepresented in the same, and researchers remain largely divided on whether their participation in the same ought to be increased. Researchers have raised concern that the decision to integrate women into HUMINT units could cost the country dearly in the long-term as it is likely to ruin unit cohesion and impede on overall effectiveness. Proponents of the whole idea of integration have, however, argued that the inclusion of women in HUMINT units will actually enhance the units' strength and internal cohesion. In the wake of all this controversy, however, studies examining the role of women in CI/HUMINT collection remain severely limited. Moreover, studies seeking to determine best practices for effective integration are almost non-existent. This thesis seeks to demonstrate why integration in the CI/HUMINT community was a well-calculated idea. It examines how the integration of women in the CI/HUMINT service area facilitates the process of intelligence gathering from human subjects, and identifies the specific strategies that could be used to ensure that maximum benefits of integration are realized.