What are the modern challenges to our intelligence agencies? Are they adequately trained to handle such challenges? (200 words)
Refer – The Hindu
Enrich your answer from other sources if the question demands
IAS Parliament 6 years
KEY POINTS
Modern Challenges
· It is difficult to recognise the new generation of terrorists as a mere extension of the earlier radical terrorists.
· There is less theology today and the new age terrorist seems to belong to an altogether different genre of terrorism.
· The spate of recent attacks in Europe and parts of Asia are very different in structure and the morphology from attacks of an earlier period.
· The recruitment techniques, especially the terrorist organisations’ ability to proselytise over the Internet, including “direct to home”, set it apart from earlier variants of radical terror.
Intelligence agencies capability
· Intelligence agencies today are well-versed in the latest techniques of intelligence gathering and analysis.
· Agencies obtain vast amounts of information from both human and technical intelligence. This is apart from open source intelligence.
· Agencies employ data mining techniques and are familiar with pattern recognition software.
· Today, noise and signals constitute valuable meta-data. Analysing meta-data has produced more precise information and intelligence than is possibly envisaged, and agencies well recognise the value and utility of this.
· In addition, intelligence agencies have become highly adept in monitoring and exploiting open source material.
· Mapping and analysis of social networks is today a critical aspect of their work.
· Many intelligence agencies today have an extensive database of several thousands of terrorists and potential terrorists.
Shortfalls
· Intelligence agencies, like many other organisations, are risk-prone.
· They do make mistakes. Intelligence analysts, like analysts in other fields, are particularly vulnerable.
· The real problem in dealing with terrorism and terror networks is that the “intelligence gap” rather than an “intelligence failure”.
· Problems arise mostly due to inadequate sharing of intelligence across institutions and countries.
Way Ahead
· To fill the gap, there is a case for far greater sharing of intelligence and information among intelligence agencies worldwide than it exists at present.
· It now transpires that certain foreign intelligence agencies had additional information about the possible attack which was not shared in time, and which led to an intelligence gap.
· Terror and terrorism is a universal phenomenon. Every nation is bound to share the intelligence available with it to prevent a possible major terror attack.
