Dheeraj P C
Indian intelligence agencies needs to include linguistic communication skills if they wishing to better their effectiveness. Fans of the James Bond serial are good aware that the fictional MI6 graphic symbol spoke German, French, Japanese together with Danish. One may wonder: does the existent world of espionage together with intelligence agencies inwards the West genuinely take away hold such various linguistic expertise? The respond is both aye together with no! That begs a deeper inquiry: what has been their sense so far with employing people with linguistic skills inwards collecting together with analysing intelligence on unusual threats? It has been a flush of severe catastrophe, followed yesteryear noteworthy remedial actions. The delineate of piece of work concern of unusual intelligence requires a high flat of linguistic communication proficiency, which is sometimes hard to come upwards by, together with at times, unable to seat to work effectively. This is explored inwards non bad especial inwards the sections below.
With an ticker to assist better Indian external intelligence, are at that spot whatever lessons that tin flame live on learnt from the Western experiences? I believe that the Western sense with linguists, every bit illustrated below, is self-explanatory on the significance of linguists for intelligence activity. Further, the way together with methods that the Western agencies take away hold developed to tackle the linguistic deficiency are rife with lessons for Bharat to emulate. What are these? We shall encounter inwards the in conclusion section.
Hunters or Gatherers: One Must Know the Language of the Jungle
In simplistic terms, intelligence collection is analogous with a hunter mimicking the dissonance of the prey to lure it. By implication, for an intelligence officeholder to obtain information or recruit an agent inwards a unusual land, linguistic fluency of the host territory becomes inevitable. Without these skills, the mighty US intelligence failed to develop human intelligence (HUMINT) on Kremlin together with al-Qaeda.
Whether you lot take away to collect intelligence from opened upwards sources or covert operations, linguistic skills are crucial. Robert David Steele, a veteran intelligence officeholder together with an advocate of increased opened upwards source intelligence programmes, wrote inwards 2008 that “every unmarried President, Secretary together with Director of Central Intelligence had seen lucifer to ignore the deficiencies inwards unusual languages”. The argue was to a greater extent than focus was set on collecting hugger-mugger intelligence. But, did they fare good at to the lowest degree inwards hugger-mugger operations? Nay!
During the slow 90s, an number was raised over the “English only” mentality with officers of the Directorate of Operations (DO)/ National Clandestine Service (NCS). Patrick Riley, a one-time DO officer, defended this organisational trait yesteryear asserting that linguistic shortcomings tin flame live on overlooked because what was to a greater extent than of import was the “talent for recruitment together with treatment of agents”. However, inwards the confront of important downfalls the agency went through, Joseph Wippl, around other officeholder clarified that officers who lack fluency inwards unusual linguistic communication invariably hunt for “potential agents who are English linguistic communication speakers”. Riley may live on right inwards arguing that agent treatment is an of import science demanded of a DO officer, but Wippl’s disceptation alone sharpens the tradecraft.
As international safety observers, readers volition also live on aware of the increasing penchant for special operations these days every bit armed forces interventions are becoming costlier. Does this hateful anything for linguists inwards intelligence roles? Certainly, yes! The do of recruiting candidates with linguistic together with cultural noesis of the enemy together with so grooming them with fighting skills was witnessed inwards the Brandenburgers, WWII German linguistic communication special forces. The British together with American special forces, on the contrary, focused on technological superiority together with air power. This operational civilization has come upwards to haunt them inwards the modern twenty-four hr menses when they are involved inwards unknown locations similar Republic of Iraq together with Afghanistan.
Human Terrain Systems (HTS) had to live on created composing of ethno-linguistic experts, intelligence officials together with special operatives to bargain with this problem. The ethno-linguistic experts were responsible for Ethnographic Intelligence— information close indigenous forms of association, local way of organisation, together with traditional methods of mobilisation. Without this, the special operatives constitute that most of their operations were either a failure or counterproductive. In future, every bit the number of counterinsurgency (CI) together with counterterrorist (CT) operations increase, strategic together with operational intelligence evolution volition require in-depth noesis of the region, which tin flame live on derived through linguistic together with cultural expertise.
Besides CI together with CT campaigns, demand for linguists inwards intelligence collection was witnessed fifty-fifty inwards the “war on drugs” campaign. Intelligence officials constitute it impossible to penetrate drug trafficking networks that were connected through a way of linguistic homogeneity. Nigerian together with Chinese drug trafficking networks, for example, operated within their ethnic communities together with used languages together with dialects unfamiliar to the intelligence together with constabulary enforcement personnel. Such vacuum inwards generating intelligence tin flame alone live on filled yesteryear employing linguists inwards critical roles inwards intelligence gathering together with constabulary enforcement.
It’s Gibberish: Linguists inwards Intelligence Analysis
If the chore of an intelligence analyst is the observe a slice of information together with construct sense of it, isn’t it alone logical that a goodness flat of linguistic fluency is expected? Yet, the West had to larn it nether severe duress during WWII. “This is Devil’s language”, “It’s gibberish”, “This doesn’t construct whatever sense”, were around of the expressions used yesteryear American translators together with interpreters during WWII. Although U.S. Naval Officers had visited Nihon during the interwar menses to study Japanese language, they were constitute incapable of decoding the intercepted Japanese communication. Why did this happen? It is because, the characters together with phonetics were non easily fathomable. Japanese linguistic communication was also hard to live on understood with limited proficiency. This realisation paved way for the evolution of an fantabulous puddle of linguists together with analysts at Bletchley Park, which became the footing for modern twenty-four hr menses National Security Agency (NSA) together with Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ).
Even later on such bitter learning experiences the failure of U.S. intelligence community inwards dealing effectively with the Kremlin job or the al-Qaeda prior to 9/11 was attributed to linguistic handicap. So, what precisely is the variety of linguistic expertise that is sought for intelligence analysis work? Why can’t someone with a working noesis of the linguistic communication live on expected to do the job? The argue is because intelligence analysis is close deciphering enemy intentions together with capabilities. This information is non just inwards a unusual language, but also concealed inwards a coded carve upwards that needs to live on broken down.
For instance, consider a scenario inwards which a subordinate is reporting to a dictator similar Hitler with non bad flair together with confidence. An average translator may live on able to interpret this content into English, but an analyst with total proficiency together with cultural insights would live on able to recognise the nuances inwards vox modulation together with content delivery to recognise fact from fiction together with exaggeration inwards the subordinate’s report. In intelligence studies nosotros telephone band it competency-based model for evaluating intelligence. Accordingly, a goodness analysis is born out of a triangulation of abilities, skills together with knowledge, of which linguistic communication is an integral component.
Now, consider around other example, this fourth dimension a slice of coded information on the Germans is intercepted that needs to live on deciphered—a physical care for called “cryptanalysis”. It requires high grade of fluency. For one, the cryptanalyst has to live on fluent with the statistical information on the give-and-take together with missive of the alphabet frequency for code breaking. In layman terms, the analyst must know the usually recurring words—like is, are, and, for, the inwards English linguistic communication language—in the German linguistic communication language. Other essentials include the noesis of judgement construction inwards dissimilar dialects. This is something most Indians would take away hold experienced patch watching a native linguistic communication motion-picture exhibit with English linguistic communication subtitles. The subtitles seldom ship the important of the sentences inwards the truthful sense. They are either literal word-to-word translation or simply providing the gist, devoid of whatever flavour. In intelligence, this would live on regarded every bit absolute travesty.
In instance the intercepted message is inwards sound format, so the linguist volition require excellence inwards “acoustic phonetics”. By definition, acoustic phonetics is the study of the acoustic belongings of sounds, which are determined yesteryear criterion pitch, loudness together with quality. Simply put, a linguist should live on able to seat the nuances inwards the tone of the speaker to gauge the dialect together with the veracity of the content. For example, a linguist is the alone privileged private capable of identifying differing sound patterns to create upwards one's hear the root of the speaker. Such song diversities within 1 spoken linguistic communication tin flame live on constitute inwards several Indian languages. For an illustration, 1 may consider traveling from S to northward Karnataka together with observe how the sounds inwards Kannada linguistic communication change.
Apart from these, around other of import expanse of analysis that requires the expertise of linguists is inwards identifying disinformation, biases together with imitation news. One may think that intelligence officers alive a Bond lifestyle together with intelligence gathering is a cocky delineate of piece of work concern of penetrating behind enemy lines together with stealing information. Unfortunately, this aspect of intelligence is minuscule. Most intelligence officials, similar us, acquire most of the information from opened upwards source material, which they take away hold to carefully consume, lest they acquire victims of propaganda.
“It is hither that the linguist has an of import purpose to play inwards mapping out the potential for bias inwards the news, since it is the really footing of linguistic expertise to empathize how linguistic communication is organised”, says Annabelle Lukin. Other studies betoken that linguists are best suited to let out imitation intelligence through methods such every bit information representation, deep syntax together with semantic analysis. In fact, the success charge per unit of measurement inwards detecting imitation intelligence through the semantic analysis method during experimentation had been every bit high every bit 91 percent.
We Have a Mole inwards the Circus: Challenges to Effective Employment of Linguists
We know that a linguist is an indispensable part of the intelligence process,so what is the job inwards employing to a greater extent than number of them? The primary obstruction comes from the basic civilization of intelligence which operates heavily on suspicion together with secrecy.
In the intelligence parlance, a mole is a term used to announce an enemy spy operating within one’s the intelligence agency, popularised yesteryear one-time British intelligence officeholder John le Carre inwards his novel Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy when the protagonist is told, “We take away hold a mole. Right at the top of the circus”. Uncovering a mole is hard because the target is good immersed inwards the host’s civilization together with noticeable alter inwards characteristics acquire few together with far between.
Former CIA officer, Joseph Wippl recalls people at Langley taunting his Europe appointment yesteryear asking, “Has the scheme non made a mistake? You genuinely beak their language!” This is a tricky number to take away hold together with is best captured in the words of Hillary Footitt, “The translation zone is a problematic expanse for both clients of translation together with those who are translators; together with is especially so inwards the times of state of war together with conflict, where issues of accuracy, safety together with loyalty are of major concerns”.
Such safety concerns take away hold given ascension to other practices similar “stovepiping” that disseminate raw intelligence alone on a need-to-know basis. This has been observed every bit a serious impediment inwards conducting effective intelligence analysis together with perceived every bit the disconnect betwixt intelligence civilization together with translation practice. Senior intelligence managers have, therefore, been compelled to interfere together with avert such worries together with concerns from impeding effective analysis.
The indirect affect of such organisational civilization is that self-respecting linguists get down to appear elsewhere for greater chore opportunities that offering higher pay packages. This was precisely what happened during the 90s inwards agencies similar the NSA. Apart from budget cuts next the collapse of Soviet Union, the deteriorating intelligence civilization alone motivated the linguists to take away hold wages of the economical nail yesteryear working for private firms. Thus, inwards a cost-benefit analysis the benefits of employing linguists top the organisational together with safety costs perceived yesteryear around inwards the intelligence agencies.
For Indian Foreign Intelligence: Lessons from the Western Experience
From the narrative offered higher upwards it is clear that the work of linguistic skills inwards intelligence is inescapable. The larger query is who does it together with how is it done? From WWII till date, the Western agencies take away hold experimented several methods for recruiting linguists and/or grooming intelligence personnel inwards linguistic skills. These methods attain from opened upwards advertisements to deliberate picking of talented minds from the universities. The latter was to a greater extent than prominent inwards times of state of war when the urgency was acute. However, with limited wars together with perennial conflict, intelligence agencies inwards the West take away hold realised that a steady puddle of linguists is necessary to go on upwards with the changing threat environment, but talent hunting has been replaced yesteryear career advertisements for volunteer services. Agencies similar the CIA, FBI, NSA, GCHQ, MI6, MI5 together with the RAF, to call a few, take away hold online advertisements together with applications are available for interested citizens to apply. The selection procedures, grooming courses, eligibility together with requirements together with career prospects are good spelt out inwards these advertisements that offering clarity to the citizens together with also designed to lure them into considering these chore opportunities.
For example, the British GCHQ clearly states the purpose of a linguist inwards SIGINT, which includes filtering, processing, decryption, transcription, translation together with analysis, together with also states the challenges for linguists similar jargons, slangs, dialects, swearing, obscenities together with boasting, implying that along with linguistic communication skills it is also imperative to take away hold a cultural understanding. Such explicit expressions of the graphic symbol of the chore offers a sense of clarity to the applicant who is otherwise caught inwards the dilemma of working for an intelligence agency, which yesteryear pop notion is supposed to live on secretive together with mysterious. The Royal Air Force (RAF) goes a footstep farther to acquaint an allure of transferable skills that tin flame live on employed elsewhere, inwards places similar media, civil service, informational applied scientific discipline together with others to enable swift promotions upwards the organisational hierarchies.
In the US, around other unique together with effective method of advertising involves carrying employee testimonies to bring a sense of pride together with accolade to prospective applicants. For example, inwards the FBI linguists are actively involved with plain agents at trials, suspect interviews, occasionally on searches together with arrests, together with every bit interpreters inwards grooming sessions. Atef, an intelligence analyst, says the best part of his chore is “when my operate is submitted every bit bear witness at trials together with when I contribute to disrupting the plans of terrorists.” Another linguist Juan expressed pride over the fact that he “contributed to investigations yesteryear translating together with transcribing hundreds of telephone calls (that) led to the dismantling of Chicago-area drug organizations together with gangs.”
The want to live on part of operations together with contribute to national safety is seen every bit 1 of the strongest determinants of career selection inwards the U.S. together with the intelligence regime arts and crafts their advertisements appropriately. Similarly the CIA has also posted testimonies from its personnel working inwards foreign linguistic communication division which include expressions of move enthusiasm, adventurism together with protecting the nation. In add-on to all these perks, all the agencies stated higher upwards advert the pay scales that attain inwards several one one thousand pounds or dollars per annum.
In India, the intelligence civilization notwithstanding retains the colonial do of maintaining elitism inwards intelligence recruitment. There is notwithstanding no forthwith entry for aspirants to gain work inwards India’s unusual intelligence agency, Research together with Analysis Wing (R&AW). As slow every bit 2014, media reports indicated that the job of the dearth of linguists had hitting the R&AW, which it sought to remedy yesteryear grooming intelligence officers inwards linguistic skills. This shows that the repeated calls for recruitment from opened upwards marketplace seat take away hold fallen on deaf ears. Therefore, it is prophylactic to assume that the problems faced yesteryear Western agencies are truthful of fifty-fifty the Indian agencies. However, the remedial measures undertaken yesteryear the West is far to a greater extent than robust than the Indian counterparts. Thus, the bottom-line for offsetting the linguist challenge to Indian agencies is through a cardinal alter inwards the intelligence culture, embracing talent from the opened upwards marketplace seat together with non relying on the archaic civil service way of recruitment.
Once the conclusion to expand the linguist puddle has been made, the agencies volition take away hold to adopt both the modern twenty-four hr menses promotion methods employed yesteryear the West every bit good every bit the WWII era induction method of pooling talents from universities. There are several Indian universities offering degrees inwards linguistics that make brilliant talented youth whose services are inadequately utilised. In my ain experience, during the 2 years I spent inwards Jawaharlal Nehru University, I had come upwards across several enthusiastic youth fluent inwards languages similar Persian, Urdu together with Mandarin, which are of forthwith relevance inwards the R&AW’s operational sphere. But what stops them? It’s the lack of forthwith recruitment opportunities inwards the R&AW. Some enthusiasts of intelligence operate take away hold refuge inwards applying for the Intelligence Bureau (IB), which has an entrance exam for the post of Assistant Central Intelligence Officer (ACIO). But, the difficulty inwards clearing the examine ensures greater drop-out ratios. They are, yesteryear then, employed inwards the private sector every bit translators or interpreters. It should live on remembered that most of these students hail from humble backgrounds together with do non take away hold the luxury of chasing their dream jobs for years.
What makes it hard for these linguists to crevice the IB entrance? The respond is that the query papers examine the logical reasoning together with job solving abilities of the contestants. Ironically, the marks-oriented Indian instruction curriculum has done petty to adequately inculcate such analytical skills inwards students. Hence, the onus lies on the intelligence agencies to recruit linguistic talents together with educate them inwards reasoning together with analytical skills, similar to the electrical flow scheme of grooming intelligence officers inwards linguistic skills.
This leads us to the critical question: how to develop an ideal intelligence professional person from these recruits? Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 similar query was pursued inwards America late yesteryear a scholar named Nicholas Dujmovic, which tin flame live on applied to the Indian case. Two one-time American intelligence officials, Randy (a recruiter for CIA’s Directorate of Operations) together with Jeff (a hiring adviser for the Department of Analysis) were interviewed. According to the two, the essential qualities that they sought inwards novel recruits were writing together with presentation skills, substantive, situational together with historic noesis of the ship of intelligence activities. While the one-time is expected, the latter is virtually impossible to appear from an Indian with limited access to archival material, lack of intelligence studies courses together with restrictions on intelligence personnel from sharing their experiences with the public. Jeff categorically mentions that “participation inwards a study-abroad programme is a ‘real plus’, patch lack of a unusual linguistic communication is a handicap”.
Jeff’s dot offers Bharat ample chance to bargain with the dearth of unusual intelligence analysts. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 two-pronged recruitment together with grooming strategy tin flame live on effectively devised. The get-go method is a replica of the German linguistic communication Brandenburgers- adoption of individuals with inherent cultural together with linguistic familiarities together with so grooming them with operational skills. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 network of agents inwards universities, similar the professors of Cambridge together with other universities who provided recruits to operate inwards Bletchley Park, must operate to recognise together with select talent. Also, opened upwards advertisements must live on made inviting linguists to volunteer their services.
The minute method would involve selecting talented students with an international relations together with area-studies degree. These students, yesteryear virtue of their academic requirements, would take away hold a basic flat to advanced flat proficiency inwards languages, making them worthy of work inwards analytical positions. Indian students studying abroad are also a potential source of recruitment every bit they are candidates with noesis of the linguistic communication every bit good every bit cultural nuances of the region. In gild to encourage these talented minds to consider a career inwards intelligence every bit an analyst or a linguist, effective marketing strategies are required. However, every bit stated earlier, all this is possible alone with a alter inwards India’s intelligence civilization which operates on stiff pattern of recruitment.
As Bharat aspires to acquire a non bad ability together with gain global presence, the populace together with safety personnel demand to inquire for such qualitative reforms inwards intelligence. It’s fourth dimension the political leadership said to the intelligence bureaucracy, “Do it. I want it done yesterday!” Without this, nosotros volition notwithstanding live on a dinghy trying to navigate the non bad seas.
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