Humint OMT manages intelligence gathering

KHOWST PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN

10.03.2010

Story by Pfc. Christopher McKenna 

Combined Joint Task Force 101

KHOWST PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Integrated within the Afghan populace and combined into daily combat operations, a group of individuals can be found who, at first glance, could be mistaken for civilians.

That couldn’t be further from the truth.

The soldiers with Task Force Rakkasan’s Human Intelligence Team, Huminters, blend in with the local population to ensure they can bring commanders at all levels the best possible intelligence.

“Information gathered by Huminters is used by commanders to help drive their missions,” said U.S. Army Warrant Officer Tasha Tataru, Company B, 3rd Special Troops Battalion Human Intelligence Operational Management Team officer, from Fayetteville, Ga. “We are considered the subject matter experts for any given battle space.”

The OMT manages all human intelligence team operations; receiving reports and presenting the information to 3rd Brigade Combat Team command team, and in many cases all the way up to the 101st Airborne Division.

Before the Army transitioned to brigade combat teams in 2005, said Tataru, human intelligence gathering was a new concept done through military intelligence battalions. Now, this type of collection is organic to the brigades, conducted by several teams dispersed throughout the Rakkasan area of operations.

Previously referred to as interrogators by the military, Huminters picked up the human intelligence gathering responsibilities when the Army transitioned, Tataru added.

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Stephen Watts, B Co., 3rd Special Troop Bn. OMT non-commissioned officer in charge, said his recruiter sold him on the concept when he entered the Army five years ago.

“Who wouldn’t want to be an interrogator out collecting intelligence on the bad guys,” asked Watts, a native of Brockston, Mass.

Watts spent previous deployments on the ground with line units. He said by doing that, he had greater knowledge of the area he was covering, but wasn’t integrated into the overall scope of brigade operations.

“Being up here, I get a much better understanding of the brigade battle picture,” Watts said.

“Any report our guys gather, they send to us,” said Tataru. “We also manage their sources and guide them to focus on certain information collection efforts.”

As is true with every job, there are always the day-to-day struggles.

Watts said the biggest obstacle his teams face is constantly proving themselves to those they're embedded with.

Being out on a daily basis with the infantrymen of the various battalions, their success is determined by the success of their intelligence gathering abilities.

“While information travels fast, it can still be hard for some people to understand how it works,” Tataru said. “If a truck gets hit by an [improvised explosive device], the commander is going to want to know who did it so they can execute a mission.”

While the intelligence is accurate more often than not, sometimes the targets the teams are sent after have already moved on and dispersed.

“Everyone wants to see results right away, but it’s not always the case,” Tataru said.

Sometimes the gathering of accurate information takes time, Tataru said. But when done properly, it often results in the successful execution of a mission.

Be it an IED cell or an individual on the high value target list, the OMT makes sure the human intelligence team is taking key insurgent forces out of the fight, helping bring the country back to the people of Afghanistan.

• Date Taken: 10.03.2010
• Date Posted: 10.03.2010 06:57
• Story ID: 57414
• Location: KHOWST PROVINCE, AF