6.11 DOCUMENT EXPLOITATION

• Document exploitation


  Reading on and between the lines
• Document exploitation


  The process of analyzing a document for the purpose of extracting information of intelligence value
• Importance of document exploitation


  • Documents are among the major sources of vital information
  • Some are among the sources of A-1 info
  • May provide evidences for court proceedings
• Document


  Written record or material substance containing a representation of ideas or thoughts by means of conventional marks or symbols
• Types of documents


  • Based on mode of their acquisition
  • Based on their sources
  • Based on their forms
• Mode of acquisition


  • By request or purchase
  • Through capture or seizure
  • Obtained or copied through covert means
• Sources of documents


  • Official documents - document of government, military or organizational origin
  • Personal Documents - documents of private and non-governmental origin
• Examples of official documents


  • Overlays
  • Field orders
  • Maps
  • Field manuals
  • Reports
  • Sketches
  • Photographs
  • Written communication between commands
• Examples of personal documents


  • Letters
  • Personal diaries
  • Newspapers
  • Photographs
  • Books
  • Magazines
  • Union dues payment books
  • Political party dues payment books
• Importance of captured enemy documents (CEDs)


  • Provide information directly from the enemy
  • In addition to their tactical intelligence value, technical data and political indicators can be extracted from CEDs that are important to strategic and national level agencies
  • CEDs are helpful in exploiting sources
• Forms of documents


  • Books
  • Pamphlets, tracts, monographs, leaflets, handbills, posters
  • Newspapers, magazines, quarterlies, journals, and other periodicals
  • Studies, special reports, periodic reports, bulletins
  • Minutes of meetings
  • Circulars, memoranda, orders, directives
  • Personal letters, diaries, notes, records of activities, literary attempts
  • Teaching and study materials
  • Maps, graphs, charts, drawings, pictures, films, sketches, symbolical representation
  • Video sound recording and electronic files
• Handling of captured documents

  • Evacuate to the nearest intel officer
  • Evacuate with the captured enemy to the next echelon
  • Evacuate with the material concerned
  • Should be kept intact and clearly tagged
  • Date/Time of capture
  • Place of capture
  • Circumstances of capture
  • Capturing Unit
  • Handle with extreme care
  • Take away from an ENEMY PRISONERS OF WAR (EPW)
  • Confiscation
  • Impounded
  • Returned
• Document handling


  1. The accountability phase begins at the time the document is captured

  2. The capturing unit attaches a captured document tag to each document

  3. Nothing is to be written directly in the CED

  4. Captured document tag should be assigned a sequential number at the first formal exploitation point
• Information the capturing unit will report


  • Time the document was captured, recorded as date-time group (DTG)
  • Place the document was captured, including the six or eight-digit coordinate and description of the location of capture
  • Identity of the source from whom the document was taken, if applicable
  • Summary of circumstances under which the document was found
  • Identity of the capturing unit
• Accountability


  1. At each echelon, steps are taken to ensure that CED accountability is manifested during evacuation

  2. Responsible element inventories all of incoming CEDs

  3. Accomplished by everyone who captures, evacuates, processes or handles CEDs

  4. All CEDs should have updated document tags

  5. An incoming batch of documents includes a transmittal document
• Processes


  • Inventories
  • Trace actions
  • Captured document log maintenance
• Inventory


  Inventory is conducted initially by comparing the CED to the tag and transmittal. This comparison identifies any: transmittals that list missing CED, Document tags not attached to CED, CEDs not attached to document tags, CEDs not listed on the accompanying transmittal documents
• Trace actions


  Initiated in all missing CEDs, captured document tags, and in all information missing from the captured document tag
• Log


  A record of what an element knows about a CED. After trace actions are initiated, the CEDs are entered in a log
• Log entries


  • File numbers - a sequential number to identify the order of entry
  • DTG the CED was received at this element
  • Document SN of the captured document tag
  • Identification number of the transmittal document accompanying the CED
  • Full designation of the unit that forwarded the CED
  • Name and rank of individual that received the CED
  • DTG and place of capture
  • Identity of the capturing unit(s)
  • Document category
  • Description of CED
  • Destination and identification number of the outgoing transmittal
  • Remarks
• Documents requiring special handling


  • TECHNICAL DOCUMENTS (TECHDOC)
  • AIR FORCE RELATED DOCUMENTS
  • MAPS AND CHARTS OF ENEMY FORCES
  • NAVY-RELATED DOCUMENTS
  • COMMUNICATIONS AND CRYPTOGRAPHIC DOCUMENTS
• Technical documents (TECHDOC)


  Are given special handling to expedite their evaluation and evacuation, are handled as Category A CEDs until screened by technical intelligence personnel, accompanies the captured equipment until the intelligence exploitation is completed, a document that pertains to equipment of any type, should be evacuated with the equipment with which it was captured. Otherwise, a cover sheet should be attached with the word "TECHDOC"
• Air force related documents

  Documents of any category that are captured from crashes of aircraft, are related to enemy anti-aircraft defense or enemy air control and reporting systems, are transmitted to the nearest Air Force headquarters without delay
• Maps and charts of enemy forces


  Are evacuated immediately to the supporting all-source analysis center
• Navy-related documents


  Are forwarded without delay to the nearest Navy headquarters e.g. code books, call signs, frequency tables, identification symbols, etc.
• Communications and cryptographic documents


  CEDs containing commo or cryptographic info are handled as secret material and evacuated through secure channels to the technical control and analysis element (TCAE)
• Exploitation phase for intel information


  CED screening to determine potential intel value, Extracting pertinent information from the CED, Reporting the extracted information
• CED screening


  CEDs are screened for information of immediate intelligence interest, As each document is screened, it is assigned one of the four category designations, The category assigned determines the document's priority for exploitation & evacuation
• Translating


  The CED must be exploited once screened, The translator must be able to translate the document, Types of Translation: Full translation - entire document is translated, Extract translation - only a portion of the document is translated, Summary translation - only the main points are summarized
• Document categories


  • CATEGORY "A": Contain SALUTE reportable information, Time sensitive, Contain significant intelligence information, May be critical to the successful accomplishment of friendly courses of action
  • CATEGORY "B": Contains info pertaining to enemy cryptographic or communications systems, Contains SALUTE reportable information, thereby requiring immediate exploitation, Considered to be classified secret
  • CATEGORY "C": Does not contain SALUTE-reportable or time-sensitive information, Contains info that is of general intelligence value, May be of interest or of value to other agencies, It requires exploitation, regardless of the content
  • CATEGORY "D": Appear to contain only information that is of no intelligence value, Not identified as category D until after a thorough examination by document translation specialists, To be disposed of as directed by appropriate authority
• SALUTE


  An acronym that stands for Size, Activity, Location, Unit identification, Time, and Equipment. The report body should be brief, accurate, and clear
• SALUTE report elements


  • Size and/or strength of the enemy
  • Actions or activity of the enemy
  • Location of the enemy and direction of movement
  • Unit identification. The designation of the enemy unit may be derived from unit markings, uniforms worn, or thorough information provided by enemy prisoners
  • Time and date the enemy was observed
  • Equipment and weapons observed
• Planning principles
• Can we exploit this?
• Handling planted documents


  Examine the mode of acquisition, Collate the info with other intel from other sources, When in doubt, consider your findings as "tentative" subject to further verification
• Classes of questioned documents


  • Documents with questioned signatures
  • Holographic documents
  • Document involving type writings
  • Documents consisting alleged fraudulent alterations
• Planning stage


  • Human Resources: Analyst, Translators, Clerks and Admin personnel
  • Physical Resources: Processing facilities
• Organization


  Mission: Process documents for the purpose of extracting useful and timely intelligence from them, and maintain appropriate repository for said documents
• Steps of document processing

  • Sorting and Ordering
  • Evaluation
  • Content Analysis
• Principles of content analysis