Small teams of special operations troops will be stationed at United States embassies to gather intelligence and assist in counter-terrorism operations, moving into a domain traditionally occupied by the CIA.
The expanded role for special operations personnel at a dozen US embassies in Africa and south-east Asia, where al-Qaeda is believed to be operating, and in Latin America, was envisaged by the Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, to give the military a larger role in intelligence gathering and military targeting.
The new Pentagon espionage arm, reported by the New York Times, was designed by Rumsfeld to cut the military’s dependence on the CIA for human intelligence.
”These small teams help gain situational awareness for geographic combatant commanders, and assist in their planning and preparation in support of the global war on terror,” a Pentagon official said on Wednesday.
The official said the Military Liaison Elements (MLEs) would be based with the knowledge of the local US ambassador and the authorities in their host country. They would also help to train local forces in counter-terrorism. ”MLEs are not deployed as forward elements of pending operations,” the official said.
Defence analysts said Rumsfeld had been pushing for an expanded role for the military since the September 11 attacks, and in 2002 he gave the Special Operations Command (Socom) authority to help arm and train foreign troops.
”With the military activities in Afghanistan and Iraq, it comes as no surprise that you would have additional assets in play to help with the collection of intelligence for the purpose of military targeting,” said Fred Burton of intelligence consultants Stratfor. He said such teams would probably be used in the Horn of Africa, the Philippines, Indonesia and, in a limited way, Malaysia, as well as the border areas of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Colombia and Mexico, where the US has increasing concerns about the spill over of drug activities across its borders.
Most US embassies traditionally include defence attachés and other military personnel who report to the Pentagon’s Defence Intelligence Agency.
The new teams would include army Green Berets and rangers, as well as Navy Seals, and specialised marine and air force units, and would have a more direct military role, the New York Times said.
The Pentagon’s move into what is traditional CIA terrain has caused some bureaucratic concern. Critics fear it could deepen the mistrust between rival agencies.
”There are real turf problems, and there is still going to be an insistence by the CIA that their chief of station is the authority, and has the lead for all the intelligence activities in the country,” said Melissa Mahle, a former CIA officer.
”Socom does not nicely and neatly fit into a box. I expect there will be some tension in lines of authority.” – Guardian Unlimited Â