United States Army Counterintelligence

United States Army Counterintelligence
United States Army Counterintelligence
Abbreviation	CI
	U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command Seal
	Counterintelligence Special Agent Badge
Motto	Courage, Integrity, Perseverance
Agency overview
Formed	October 1st, 1977
Preceding agencies	U.S. Army Intelligence Agency; U.S. Army Counter Intelligence Corps (CIC); Corps of Intelligence Police;
Employees	Classified
Annual budget	Classified
Legal personality	Governmental: Government agency
Jurisdictional structure
Federal agency; (Operations jurisdiction)	United States
Legal jurisdiction	National Security Crimes
Governing body	Department of the Army
General nature	Federal law enforcement; Military provost;
Operational structure
Headquarters	Intelligence and Security Command, Fort Belvoir, VA
Parent agency	Department of the Army
Website
	[1]

United States Army Counterintelligence is the component of United States Army Intelligence which conducts counterintelligence activities to detect, identify, assess, counter, exploit and/or neutralize adversarial, foreign intelligence services, international terrorist organizations, and insider threats to the United States Army and U.S. Department of Defense.^[1]

Overview[]

Military and civilian personnel trained and appointed to conduct counterintelligence investigations and operations are credentialed and titled as Counterintelligence Special Agents (occasionally referred to simply as "CI" or "Army Intelligence Agents"), and carry badge and credentials identifying their status as federal agents (federal law enforcement officers). Within the Army, these agents have apprehension powers and jurisdiction in the investigation of national security crimes such as treason, spying, espionage, sedition, subversion, sabotage with intent to damage national defense, and support to international terrorism, while other criminal matters are investigated by United States Army Criminal Investigation Command.^[2]^[3] In other branches of the U.S. military, the counterintelligence mission is performed by the Office of Special Investigations for the Air Force, and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service for the Navy and Marine Corps, which also conduct general criminal investigations for their respective services. The Army continues to keep these two investigative channels separate via Army CI and Army CID, even though parallel investigations do happen periodically.

Most operational U.S. Army Counterintelligence Special Agents today operate under the auspices of the United States Army Intelligence and Security Command, with the 902nd Military Intelligence Group responsible for counterintelligence activities and operating field offices within the continental United States. Historically, the United States Army Counterintelligence mission was performed by the Corps of Intelligence Police during World War I, the Counter Intelligence Corps (CIC) during World War II & Cold War, and later by the now defunct U.S. Army Intelligence Agency.

Special Agent duties[]

Counterintelligence Special Agents are the operational/investigative personnel within United States Army Counterintelligence who actually conduct the various Counterintelligence activities. Duties may include the investigation of national security crimes using special investigative procedures; conducting counterintelligence operations; processing intelligence evidence; participating in technology protection activities; preparing and distributing reports; conducting source operations; debriefing personnel for counterintelligence collections; and supporting counter-terrorism operations.

Senior counterintelligence personnel provide guidance to junior Special Agents and supervise their training; conduct liaison and operational coordination with foreign and U.S. Law Enforcement, Security, and Intelligence Agencies; plan and conduct counterintelligence operations/activities related to national security; conduct high-profile counterintelligence collection activities and source operations ranging from overt to clandestine collection; conduct surveillance operations; providing support for counterintelligence analytical products, to include preparing counterintelligence reports, estimates, and vulnerability assessments; and with additional training, may conduct technical surveillance countermeasures (TSCM), credibility assessment examinations, or exploit cyber threats.

Senior Counterintelligence Special Agents are also often assigned to U.S. Army Special Forces groups to assist with Source Operations and intelligence investigations as required; while also working closely with HUMINT Collectors. These "Special Operations" CI Agents are granted the Special Qualification Identifier (SQI) "S" after successfully completing Airborne training, and after they have spent two years with a Special Forces unit; which may also require Agents complete additional unit level training and/or Ranger School.

While conducting operations in tactical environments, ACI Agents often work in small teams and historically partnered with Human Intelligence (HUMINT) Collectors in what were called Tactical Human Intelligence Teams (THTs), later referred to as Human Intelligence Collection Teams (HCTs). (Note: the US Marine Corps equivalent is referred to as Human Intelligence Exploitation Teams or HETs.) THTs were designed to not only collect and report HUMINT but to also exploit that intelligence information by acting on it. This is extremely dangerous work and requires highly trained, tactically and technically proficient personnel. THTs also conducted CI activities designed to deny, detect, and deceive the enemy's ability to target friendly forces. However, while the THT concept is no longer used, ACI Agents will still often work with HUMINT Collectors on specific tactical or operational missions.

Special Agent designations[]

If military, Counterintelligence Special Agents are designated by enlisted military occupational specialty 35L Counterintelligence Special Agent, warrant officer area of concentration 351L Counterintelligence Technician, or commissioned officer area of concentration 35E Counterintelligence Officer; if civilian, the 0132 series. On 1 October 2007, the former enlisted specialty 97B, Counterintelligence Agent, was redesignated as 35L, Counterintelligence Special Agent, to group all Military Intelligence specialties in the 35 series. In addition, the rank requirement was returned to a minimum of Sergeant/E-5, matching that of other special agents throughout the US Armed Forces.

Selection and training[]

The position of Counterintelligence Special Agent is not an entry level Army position, and applicants are usually drawn from the existing ranks. Department of the Army Pamphlet 611-21 requires applicants be able to:

Obtain a Top Secret security clearance with Sensitive Compartmented Information eligibility.
A physical profile (PULHES) of 222111 or better.
Be a minimum age of 21 after training for accreditation as a Special Agent.
Be a minimum rank of E5/Sergeant after training for accreditation as a Special Agent.
Possess an occupational specialty with a physical demands rating of medium.
Have normal color vision.
Have a minimum score of 105 in aptitude area ST on ASVAB tests administered on or after 1 July 2004;
Be a high school graduate or equivalent.
Possess good voice quality and be able to speak English without an objectionable accent or impediment.
Never been a member of the U.S. Peace Corps.
No adverse information in military personnel, Provost Marshal, intelligence, or medical records which would prevent receiving a security clearance under AR 380-67 including no record of conviction by court-martial, or by a civilian court for any offense other than minor traffic violations.
Must be interviewed per DA Pam 600-8, procedure 3-33 by a qualified Counterintelligence Special Agent.
Must be a U.S. citizen.
Must receive a command level recommendation for initial appointment.
Must not have immediate family members or immediate family members of the Soldier's spouse who reside in a country within whose boundaries physical or mental coercion is known to be common practice.
Have neither commercial nor vested interest in a country within whose boundaries physical or mental coercion is known to be a common practice against persons acting in the interest of the U.S.
Must receive a waiver for any immediate family members who are not U.S. citizens.

Becoming a credentialed Counterintelligence Special Agent requires successful completion of the Counterintelligence Special Agent Course (CISAC) at either Fort Huachuca, Arizona, Camp Williams, Utah, or Fort Devens, Massachusetts. Newly trained special agents are placed on a probationary status for the first year after graduation for active duty agents, and for the first two years after graduation for reserve/national guard agents. This allows for the removal of the Counterintelligence Special Agent MOS if the probationary Agent is deemed unfit for duty as a Special Agent.^[1]

Uniform and firearms[]

Counterintelligence Special Agents on assignment within the United States usually dress in professional business attire. Assignment type will dictate what clothing is appropriate, which can include civilian attire local to the area. When deployed to combat environments, agents may wear the Army Combat Uniform for security purposes, but with rank insignia replaced with Department of the Army Civilian "U.S." insignia. Although agents may be issued other weapons on special assignments, they are typically issued a standard M9 or M11 pistol. For combat environments, special agents are also issued the M4 carbine.

U.S. Army Counterintelligence in the media[]

In 2021, The Team House podcast, “Episode 78”, interviewed Adam White about working as an Army Counterintelligence Agent doing tactical human intelligence in Baghdad, Iraq targeting the infamous Al-Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. The interview provides behind-the-scenes details about Task Force 145 and the human intelligence which ultimately led to the demise of Zarqawi.
In 2020, the History Channel TV show, "History's Greatest Mysteries", did a three part special (episodes 5-7), on the alleged UFO crash near Roswell, New Mexico in 1947. The show conveys the story which had been previously highlighted on other shows and movies (including Unsolved Mysteries, and the 1994 movie Roswell) regarding a CIC Special Agent assigned to the Roswell Army Airfield named Sheridan Cavitt who was allegedly one of the first people who went to the crash site.
The 1988 movie Hotel Terminus, is a documentary which chronicles the life of former German SS Officer Klaus Barbie, and partially depicts his time working for CIC after World War II.
In the popular 1986-87 comic book series Watchmen and its later film adaptation, a character named Forbes is an Agent of U.S. Army Intelligence.
In the 1981 George Lucas and Steven Spielberg movie Raiders of the Lost Ark starring Harrison Ford, Indiana Jones and his friend Marcus are briefed and sent on a mission by two CIP Special Agents to locate and recover the lost Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis can find it.
In the 1975 movie The Imposter, an ex-Army intelligence agent is hired to impersonate a rich builder who has been marked for assassination.
From 1973 to 1979, the television show MASH featured a recurring character named Colonel Samuel Flagg, who was likely a current or former CIC Agent.
The 1972 TV movie Fireball Forward featured Ben Gazzara as a general placed in command of a "bad luck" division. He quickly determines there is a spy in the unit, giving the Germans the division plans just before each battle, resulting in defeat after defeat. The general contacts CIC major L.Q. Jones, who assigns CIC undercover agent Morgan Paull. The agent eventually finds the spy. This movie was a pilot for a series that was never made.
In a 1965 episode of the television show The Lucy Show, starring Lucille Ball, titled, Lucy and the Undercover Agent, Lucy becomes convinced a mysterious person at a restaurant is an enemy spy when, in fact, he is an Army CI Agent who thinks Lucy is a spy.

References[]

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 United States Army Regulation 381-20, The Army Counterintelligence Program, 25 May 2010
↑ United States Army Field Manual 2-22.2, Counterintelligence, page 2-3, Counterintelligence Investigative Jurisdiction
↑ United States Army Regulation 195-2, Criminal Investigation Activities, 15 May 2009

External links[]

This military article is regarding a United States Army Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) designation.
All articles in this category can be viewed at Category:United States Army Military Occupational Specialty

All or a portion of this article consists of text from Wikipedia, and is therefore Creative Commons Licensed under GFDL.
The original article can be found at United States Army Counterintelligence and the edit history here.

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[381-20-1] 1.0 ^1.1 United States Army Regulation 381-20, The Army Counterintelligence Program, 25 May 2010

[2] United States Army Field Manual 2-22.2, Counterintelligence, page 2-3, Counterintelligence Investigative Jurisdiction

[3] United States Army Regulation 195-2, Criminal Investigation Activities, 15 May 2009

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