Assignment:
Priority Information Requirements
Priority Information Requirements (PIRs) are the primary method by which an intelligence question from a customer, commander, policy-maker, or warfighter is broken down into its constituent parts. It is necessary to do this because general intelligence questions often require well more than a dozen pieces of specific information in order for the analyst to make sense of the subject of study. PIRs are specific to the military and military doctrinal thinking. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Energy, Coast Guard, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and others do not use this terminology. However, they have the same conceptual process: The analyst disassembles the intelligence question into its pieces, describing all the pieces of information needed in order to provide a high-quality answer to the intelligence question. Following is a brief overview of what is contained in Priority Information Requirements:
Provide the basis for collection
Require more information in stability and support
Include non-military information
Details of key threat personnel
Details on areas frequented by threat personnel
Details on areas, communities, and organizations believed to be supporting the threat
Details on past threat activity
Information on the population
Military Targets
Military electronic order of battle
Military units and order of battle
Communications
Senior military leadership
Political fractures in the military
Geographic Information
Terrain features
Topography
Soil
Weather
Assigning geospatial attributes to many of the pieces of information collected (military, infrastructure, etc.)
Infrastructural Targets
Roads
Power plants
Telephones
Internet
Banking
Economic Targets
Primary industries
Imports and exports
National budgets and debt
Political Leadership
National command authorities
Resistance or opposition leadership
Propaganda and information
Substate/transnational groups
Leadership
Propaganda and information
Recruiting and indoctrination
Human Terrain
Family relationships
Ideology
Cultural norms
Languages
Targets of Collection
The next step in collection planning is to creatively and imaginatively create a list of places where the information you need exists. For example, if the PIR is identifying all scientists working on the Iranian Nuclear program and profile them for skills and knowledge, you may find that transcripts of coursework from universities inside and outside Iran may be helpful. As would scientific journal publications that might include them as authors, or maybe their Ph.D. mentor's publications. The search could be global in nature. If you are trying to get a list of phone numbers for a specific suspected facility, a target of collection might be the telephone network itself (what numbers and extensions are physically located where inside a building). The phone company, the building contractor, etc., would be targets. Humans who have phone directories are also sources. Hardline and cell phone towers are also targets. And given that telephone calls are often routed outside the country, even for domestic calls, telecommunications hubs are solid targets.
These examples are provided to help you understand the immense potential of creative thinking. If you wanted a list of phone numbers, you might, without giving it much thought, consider paying off someone to get you a list. But you would take far less risk by pursuing more subtle and creative means.
Attachment:- Case-The Star Archipelago.rar