7002. Community Open Source Program Office

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1 Chapter 7 CONCLUSION: COLLECTING AND PROCESSING OPEN SOURCE Purpose of the Chapter This final chapter wraps up the handbook by providing information about three official U.S. government channels for obtaining open source intelligence: the Community Open Source Program Office and its global Open Source Information System; the Defense Intelligence Agency Open Source Program and the (planned) Defense Intelligence Agency Open Source Intelligence Center; and--especially important for Marines--the Marine Corps Intelligence Activity and the Expeditionary Factors Study. The Chapter concludes with a brief discussion of the usefulness of the Marine Corps Reserve as a source of existing and new open source exploitation experts, and some recommendations on additional open source training opportunities Community Open Source Program Office The Community Open Source Program Office (COSPO) was established effective 1 March 1994 by DC1D 2/12, which superceeded the earlier establishment on 1 June 1992 of the Open Source Coordinator. The requirement for an Open Source Coordinator first emerged in 1992 as a result of the findings of the Open Source Task Force, one of eleven task forces that Congress required the Director of Central Intelligence to establish as part of his confirmation process. Although all elements of the Intelligence Community have used External Research & Analysis (ER&A) funds to contract for academic and technical research, and the Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) of the Central Intelligence Agency has been responsible for monitoring foreign print media as well as radio and television broadcasts, the task force concluded that a focal point would be helpful to the DCI. According to DCID 2/12, "The COSPO is responsible for the definition and defense of the Open Source Program in the planning cycle, and for providing guidance and oversight to the program in the execution cycle. The Office, with Community departmental open source program managers, develops an optimum allocation of resources across the Community in the execution year, subject to ratification by the Open Source Steering Committee.... the objectives of COSPO are to: a. Oversee a process for coordinating responsive actions to satisfy user needs. b. Provide advocacy and defense of departmental development and operational efforts. c. Ensure funds for critical open source activities. 92

2 d. Oversee a process for identifying and prioritizing open source substantive requirements." COSPO functions include strategic planning, program formulation and representation, initiative and innovation sponsorship, operational services of common concern, systems architecture, development of services of common concern, and open source advocacy and representation. Speaking publicly to the annual international conference on open source intelligence, in 1995 Dr. Joseph Markowitz, the Director of COSPO, stated that roughly 40% of the allsource product funded within the National Foreign Intelligence Program comes from open sources, at a cost to the program of only 1 % of the total budget. Experts generally agree that the percentage of the open source contribution will vary from zero to 100 percent depending on the problem, and than an average of 40-60% is readily certifiable. Somewhat unexpectedly, open source receives great credit against terrorism and proliferation, and is said to account for as much as 80% of the all source product in those two reporting areas Open Source Information System The Open Source Information System (OSIS) is the principal means by which COSPO is seeking to enhance analyst access to open sources. However, as it is limited at this time to information available in electronic form, it must be regarded as a very positive but only partial solution. OSIS is an electronic network which provides both access to and sharing of unclassified U.S. Government and other open source information about Intelligence Community (IC) agencies and selected other organizations with similar information requirements. OSIS is being installed at the various Joint Intelligence Centers, and should one day be accessible to any Marine Corps intelligence professional afloat or ashore. Examples of the information available in OSIS include: -- Jane's Electronic Library of 24 titles providing up-to-date information on military equipment, weapon systems, and defense products worldwide -- IC ROSE, a database service providing fulltext articles from hundreds of periodicals on a wide range of subjects -- FBIS products online, including the Daily Reports, S&T Perspectives, Trends, and Pacific Rim Economic Review -- Oxford Analytica Regional Daily Reports (Strategic Political and Economic Intelligence) 93

3 -- DTED, the Defense Mapping Agency's online Digital Terrain Elevation Data map collection providing worldwide coverage -- CIRC, a database of over ten million titles on scientific and technical topics, including patents, standards, military equipment, and systems -- a Conference Database of upcoming symposia, congresses, conventions, etcetera, in the areas of science, technology, engineering, politics, and economics -- Unclassified library holdings of several OSIS member agencies including DIA OSIS also offers specialized tools, such as the National Air Intelligence Center's SYSTRAN machine translation capabilities to support real time translations of non-english language information located on World Wide Web sites Defense Intelligence Agency Open Source Program The Program Manager for Open Source Intelligence within the Defense Intelligence Agency is Ms. Alice Cranor, whose contact information is provided here. She serves as the DIA representative to the Open Source Council, which is the advisory body formed to support the Community Open Source Program Office (COSPO). Each agency and service has a single representative to the Council. In addition to an agency-level focal point, every branch within DIA has an OSINT focal point. Ms. Cranor, whose office code is P01-3, can be reached by voice at (202) , via facsimile at (202) , or via at <AFcraat@dia.osis.gov>. MAGTF OSINT requirements should be discussed with the appropriate DIA Branch OSINT focal point to ensure that existing DIA capabilities for accessing OSINT on that topic are not overlooked Defense Intelligence Agency Open Source Intelligence Center As of August 1996, a new initiative is under discussion, to create a DIA OSINT Center funded at $10 million a year, and consisting of an EAGLE VISION ground station (to receive commercial imagery directly from commercial satellites), close to $3 million a year to buy commercial imagery not obtainable through Defense Mapping Agency funding, and $4 million a year to fund roughly 4,000 man-days of individual international expert support for the entire defense intelligence community. Although not yet approved, this initiative has been favorably discussed by the Director of DIA with Congressional staff, and funding is anticipated. MAGTFs should be developing their open source requirements and submitting them through appropriate channels to ensure that a fair share of these resources are devoted to expeditionary intelligence requirements. 94

4 7006. Marine Corps Intelligence Activity The Marine Corps Intelligence Activity (MCIA) has from its inception understood and valued open source intelligence. Today the primary expression of Marine Corps emphasis on the value of open source is the Expeditionary Factors Study, discussed below. In addition, MCIA has a Mapping, Charting, & Geodesy section which is able to acquire and exploit commercial imagery in support of MAGTF requirements, and all analysts are aware of the value of open sources for fulfilling expeditionary intelligence requirements. The MCIA Librarian, Ms. Barbara Necoba, is the focal point for Marine Corps OSINT requirements Expeditionary Factors Study In 1988, when the Marine Corps Intelligence Activity (MCIA) was first established, the first Director (a Colonel) and his civilian Special Assistant/Deputy Director discovered that much of what was needed by the Warfighting Center, the acquisition program managers, and senior staff at Headquarters Marine Corps, was not available through classified databases and classified intelligence products. In close consultation with the Fleet Marine Force, MCIA established an agreed upon list of 67 countries and two island groups against which to develop encyclopedic intelligence. Working closely with the Warfighting Center, a wide variety of mission area factors were agreed upon, and defined by the operators in terms of five levels of difficulty. Under the supervision of the Special Assistant/Deputy Director, a contractor was hired to prepare Overview of Planning and Programming Factors for Expeditionary Operations in the Third World. This three-volume product was approved by the Commanding General of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command for dissemination in March 1991, and represents the Marine Corps' ground breaking effort to create a useful intelligence product using only open sources. Subsequently Marine Corps flag officers were consulted and agreed on a new list of 80 countries, and the study was repeated, now titled Expeditionary Force Mission Factor Intelligence Analysis Requirements Study (ExFac Study), and this new expanded study was published 15 September 1994 in both hard-copy and as a CD-ROM database. There are over 100 copies of this unique resources available throughout the Marine Corps, with one set in the library of the Navy Marine Corps Intelligence Training Center. The following mission area factors are covered for each of 80 countries (Appendix H contains a list of the countries): Drug Threat Terrorism Gray Arms & Technology Transfer Nuclear, Biological, & Chemical U.S. Equities Ground Order of Battle Air Order of Battle Naval Order of Battle Ongoing Conflicts Culture 95

5 Weather Coastal Characteristics Mapping, Charting, & Geodesy Airfields Ports Noncombatant Evacuation Logistics Highways/Railways General Geographic Conditions -- Cross-Country Mobility -- Intervisibility -- Operational Elevation Key Installations Communication Infrastructure Medical Operations Examining the results contained in this study leads some very useful "strategic generalizations" which can help planners better prepare for expeditionary operations. For instance, the Marine Corps aviation day is hot, over 80 degrees on average, with relatively high humidity. Fewer than 50% of the ports in the this Marine Corps environment are suitable for pierside offload, requiring instream offload even when unopposed. Intervisibility (line of sight) distance in much of the Marine Corps world is heavily constrained, and crosscountry mobility is almost non-existent. It should be stressed that this unclassified intelligence product is for orientation and ready reference purposes, it should not be used as the basis for planning and conducting military operations--it provides context and is intended to aid in requirements analysis and collection management of the traditional disciplines. Every MAGTF should have at least one copy of this study, available in both hardcopy (three volumes) and CD-ROM. To obtain a copy, communicate with Mr. Steve Foster, Deputy Director, MCIA, at (703) Marine Corps Reserve The Marine Corps Reserve represents a very significant source of open source expertise. Many Marine Corps Reserve personnel have achieved considerable stature as civilian experts in various regional and subject matter areas. Many have worked overseas as civilians, and acquired foreign language and foreign culture expertise which may not be a matter of record but which qualify them as "virtual" Foreign Area Officers. MAGTFs should consider initiatives to identify specific Marine Corps Reserve personnel competent in languages and countries of direct interest to the MAGTF, so as to hold these Reservists as "hip pocket" augmentation unit for specific contingencies. As a general rule, the reservists who are most talented and most competent will not be available for "make work" active duty assignments or Individual Mobilization Augmentee billets, but would be available for assignments in their country of interest. Such reservists can be requested and funded apart from the normal Marine Corps Reserve funding process, by requesting General Defense Intelligence Program (GDIP) Reserve Augmentation funding from HQMC. When requesting orders for such reservists, ensure that the request specifies that a) liberal civilian grooming and attire authorized; b) nonreporting orders; and c) special conveyance authorized. The first permits the Reservists to blend in as civilians as they "walk the ground" legally; the second avoids any unnecessary 96

6 contact with the U.S. Embassy and precludes the Reservists from being co-opted for administrative duties by the local defense attache; and the third permits them to take incountry tours with guides, as well as hire canoes, donkeys, and other conveyances requiring an indigenous driver Additional Open Source Training Opportunities There is only one significant private sector source of open source intelligence training expertise, and that is OPEN SOURCE SOLUTIONS, Inc., the non-profit educational corporation dedicated to studying and teaching open source intelligence. This organization offers three significant additional open source training opportunities: a) Annual Conference. Each year in mid-september, OSS, Inc. offers a 3.5 day conference on open sources, systems, and services. This conference, the only one of its kind, attracts between international representatives (although 50% of the audience is from the U.S. government), and includes the Open Source Coordinators for all of the major European nations as well as many Asian and African nations. For information about the conference send electronic mail to <OSS96@oss.net> (change year as appropriate); send a facsimile request to (703) , or call (703) and leave a complete mailing address. b) Newsletter. OSS NOTICES is the only newsletter in the world dedicated exclusively to open source intelligence, and it draws on a substantial range of other publications to report each month, in pages without advertising, on open sources, systems, and methods. Each month's issue has a theme, including six regional themes a year. To review past issues, visit < <oss@oss.net> with a request for a sample copy, or fax (703) with a request and complete mailing address. c) References. OSS, Inc., which is now entering its fifth year as the leading advocate and student of open source practices, publishes a two volume Proceedings from each of its annual conferences, and these are available for purchase. Especially recommended is the set from 1995, which consists of Open Source Intelligence: Selected Readings (Volume I) and OSS '95: The Conference (Volume II). The Community Open Source Program Office has in August 1995 released a Request for Proposal for a series of training lessons oriented toward the Open Source Information System, and these will be available no earlier than 1998 and perhaps later. Any questions? Mr. Robert D. Steele, President of OPEN SOURCE SOLUTIONS, Inc., and a former Marine, is prepared to support any MAGTF in any clime and place. Communicate with him at <ceo@oss.net>, voice: (703) , or fax: (703)

7 Open Source Intelligence: HANDBOOK Proceedings, 1997 Volume I, 6th International Conference & Exhibit Global Security & Global Co - Link Page Previous Chapter 6. Open Sources and Operational Security--The Dark Side Next Index of Appendices Return to Electronic Index Page