A valuable Romanian contribution to HUMINT at NATO

Romania seized in 2009 the opportunity to become the HUMINT Centre of Excellence (HCOE) framework nation, thereby providing NATO the operational/strategic expertise for HUMINT development and develop into the Allied HUMINT hub of expertise. That moment was visionary.

The ever growing number of Allies joining this initiative (currently 9 nations) and the high-paced dynamics of the domain are living proof of its success. Within the NATO establishment, the division on Emerging Security Challenges, together with NATO’s Military Authorities, are keen supporters of this contribution, convinced as we are of its relevance in the current threat landscape. The establishment of the HCOE was strongly supported by NATO’s Military Intelligence Committee, chaired by the Military Intelligence Division at NATO HQ. This support was equally the acknowledgement of Romania’s capacity to deliver this discipline in military intelligence, as proved in the NATO-led operations in the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan.

I have been a witness to the evolution of the NATO HUMINT Centre of Excellence hosted by Romania in Oradea and have seen it establish a strong reputation within the NATO COE network and beyond. The Emerging Security Challenges Division works with nearly half of NATO’s COEs; so from this perspective I can recognize the centre as a very valuable resource for NATO. My own division at NATO HQ directly benefits from the centre’s excellent work and I am fully aware of the strong relationship it has with both NATO Strategic Commands, in particular the Intelligence Division at SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe or Allied Command Operations). The HCOE has become the critical enabler for the entire NATO HUMINT enterprise. The expertise it brings to my division and to the Alliance is invaluable, including for the pioneering work conducted under NATO’s Defence against Terrorism Programme of Work.

The HCOE has become the critical enabler for the entire NATO HUMINT enterprise

NATO recognizes the significant contribution the centre has made to the broader intelligence architecture of the Alliance; the role the HCOE plays in training and education; the importance of its work from an operational stand-point, in mitigating deficiencies associated with HUMINT deployability for NATO’s Response Force and the Readiness Action Plan.

NATO HCOE – a driver for interoperability

NATO Centres of Excellence are a critical asset, particularly at a time when the Alliance places a premium on education and training.  NATO is drawing lessons from two decades of high intensity operations. We must preserve our accumulated skills and expertise in an institutionalized form for the operations of the future.  HCOE, through its outstanding facilities and expertise, has already established an excellent tradition in hosting and effectively underpinning NATO’s only HUMINT exercise, Steadfast Indicator, under the leadership of Allied Command Operations/ Intelligence Division. In 2015, the 10^th iteration was a particular success.  It was the largest NATO HUMINT Exercise executed to date. Its aim is to evaluate the mission readiness, responsiveness and interoperability of the NATO Response Force HUMINT elements. This is a strong indicator of the integration the COE has achieved in supporting the NATO mission and level of ambition, which demonstrates that HCOE is one of the top performers among the COE family.

The HCOE has an invaluable role in pioneering work, such as the concept development, trials and experimentation the centre conducts to help the NATO machinery better orient its work. I offer the example of projects within the framework of NATO’s Defence against Terrorism Programme of Work, managed by Deputy Assistant Secretary General/ Emerging Security Challenges, Dr Jamie Shea, the coordinator of the programme – particularly the work on “Human Aspects of the Operational Environment” and the development of the “NATO HUMINT Operational Toolset”.

The first project was highly relevant not only to the counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan but also for future theatres of operation, in that it aimed to share knowledge and current understanding of human aspects of operational environments in order to support the implementation of NATO’s Comprehensive Approach. Further on, involving the military alongside academia and international organizations, this multidisciplinary research assessed the main drivers of human action, as a contribution to understanding the human environment, the complexity of cross-cultural communication and the dynamic of the local situation. The aim was for this analysis to produce recommendations in transforming NATO capabilities and adapt them to the human environments where soldiers operate.

The latter project mitigates deficiencies associated with HUMINT deployability, to enhance the NATO Response Force. This COE-led ground-breaking work is transforming the NATO HUMINT Community and mitigating allied deficiencies. Additionally, the centre also brings its niche expertise to prioritized Allied efforts in countering Improvized Explosive Devices (IEDs) and in developing Human Network Analysis.

HCOE operational contribution

The HCOE’s role is ever more critical as NATO transitions from operations to a readiness posture.  It enhances NATO’s ability to defend against hybrid warfare and other growing threats, including through developing a “HCOE Countering Hybrid Threats Capstone Concept”. With its innate flexibility, it can cooperate and collaborate on multiple fronts, being outside the NATO Command Structure. Its specialized work helps NATO forces to evolve and adapt, contributing to NATO’s transformation. The Centre also helps the Alliance deliver on summit promises – most recently in the form of support to the Readiness Action Plan and the new Very High Joint Readiness Task Force. Romania’s further contribution includes the specific training range in Oradea offered to NATO, which presents emerging opportunities for common training.

In just over 5 years since its establishment, the HCOE has become a critical enabler for HUMINT in the NATO-wide Intelligence enterprise.  As an embodiment of Romania’s concrete contribution to the alliance’s adaptation endeavour to an ever more complex international security environment, it will continue its efforts to facilitate the anticipating and shaping of the future that lays ahead of us and of the Alliance.