Georgios Tsichritzis
(Postgraduate Student, Intelligence and Security Studies,Brunel University, UK)
Copyright: Research Institute for European and American Studies (www.rieas.gr) Publication Date: 23 March 2015
This article examines in what degree, the conduct of intelligence by paramilitary groups resemble or differ from national intelligence. Paramilitary is a militarised force whose function, is similar to a professional military but is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces. Specifically, this essay will focus on terrorist intelligence. It will trace different terrorist groups, examining the basic rational and doctrine that precedes its operational actions. The article will prove that the level of sophistication and meticulously planning of operations of a lot of sub-state groups can be compared with this of their state counterparts. While some "hostile reconnaissance" is amateurish, and easily detected, a significant amount is professional and very difficult to detect. It seems that a lot of sub state actors have learned that in order for an operation to be successful, good intelligence plays a vital role. The article will analyse and explore the doctrine, intentions and organization of well-known terrorist and paramilitary groups: Al-Qaeda, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), (Irish Republican Army) IRA, and Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC)...Read more