Military Intelligence Professional Bulletin - Federation of American ...

16
Experiences and Hints from Counterinsurgency Operations in OIF II
By Colonel William “Jerry” Tait, Jr.
Serving as the Senior Intelligence Officer (SIO) for a
warfighting commander during combat operations is
what it’s all about for a Military Intelligence (MI) Officer.
At whatever level—S2, G2, J2, C2, or C/J2—the
SIO job in wartime is the most relevant duty an MI officer
can perform. It is something I spent twenty-four
years preparing for before actually being able to perform
it in a combat zone. As C2 for the Multi-National
Corps-Iraq (MNC-I) while deployed with III Corps
for thirteen months during Operation Iraqi Freedom
II (OIF II), I got my chance. What a professionally
and personally rewarding experience it was. I want
to share my experiences as MNC-I C2 because they
represent the challenges facing SIOs at every level—
from maneuver battalion to Combatant Command J2.
The purpose of this article is to emphasize the preeminence
of the “2” job and provide some hints for doing
it in today’s environment.
Because of my experience as a G2 and Analysis
and Control Element (ACE) Chief, I have been invited
to brief at the G2/ACE Chiefs Course at Fort
Huachuca on numerous occasions. I always tell the
class that being a “deuce” is the hardest and best job
an MI officer can have. And it’s true. I have spent a
significant portion of my career in troop-leading assignments,
and rarely have they compared with SIO
work in terms of difficulty and job satisfaction. For the
most part, command was more fun. After all, leading
troops is the traditional role of an Army officer. But
the responsibility of being the SIO for a command—
providing vital analysis of the enemy situation and
orchestrating critically important intelligence operations—is
“Job One” for intelligence officers. And doing
it in combat is the pinnacle of our business.
I will do my best to avoid reinventing the wheel or
rehashing what others have said about what it takes
to be a good “2,” but will recommend two previous
publications and then add my advice. Aspiring Army
intelligence officers should read the writings of MG
Richard J. Quirk III and MG (Retired) James A. “Spider”
Marks for tips on being a “2.” MG Quirk, then
a colonel, wrote “Intelligence for the Division—A G2
Perspective” as his U.S. Army War College Military
Studies Paper in 1992 that was based on his experiences
as G2 of 24th Infantry Division in Operation
Desert Shield/Desert Storm. MG Marks, after serving
as C2 of the Coalition Forces Land Component Command
during Operation Iraqi Freedom, coauthored
“Six Things Every ‘2’ Must Do—Fundamental Lessons
From OIF” with COL Steve Peterson (MIPB,
October-December 2003). The advice of these wartime
SIOs together provides an excellent reference
for MI professionals.
Although my points are similar to some of the
things written by Generals Quirk and Marks, they
were shaped by a combat environment that they did
not experience—full-spectrum counterinsurgency
operations. The similarities therefore validate what a
“2” should do in all settings, and the differences highlight
the challenges of a new paradigm. Again, these
are hints rather than a complete guide to succeeding
as an SIO.
Be the Commander’s Alter Ego
The “deuce” should be as close, if not closer, to the
commander than any other officer on the staff. Intelligence
drives and leads operations—especially in a
counterinsurgency fight—so the commander and his
“2” have to be tight. It’s all about relationships, so
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