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by Lori S. Stewart, USAICoE Command Historian
On September 20, 1994, an advanced party of the 525th Military Intelligence (MI) Brigade (BDE), XVIII Airborne Corps, arrived at Port-au-Prince, Haiti, to support Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF)-180. Human intelligence (HUMINT) was critical during the first twenty-seven days of Operation Uphold Democracy.
In September 1991, a military coup led by Lt. Gen. Raoul Cedras overthrew Jean-Bertrand Aristides, the first elected president in Haitian history. Widespread human rights violations by Cedras’ forces over the next three years forced the United Nations Security Council to issue Resolution 940 authorizing the “application of all necessary means to restore democracy in Haiti.” While American combat forces prepared for a forcible entry of Haiti on September 17, 1994, Cedras agreed to capitulate and allow American forces an unopposed landing. Combat troops returned to the United States and, instead, on September 19, elements of the 10th Mountain Division arrived in Port-au-Prince to maintain law and order and restore the legitimately elected government of Haiti. By October 13, Cedras and his chief of staff had fled the country and, two days later, President Aristides returned.
In that twenty-seven-day span, intelligence support helped identify and counter opposition groups, subversives, criminal enterprises, and other threats to American forces. Principle intelligence support to CJTF-180 was provided by the 525th MI BDE (ABN), XVIII Airborne Corps. While the intelligence effort in Operation Uphold Democracy was firmly all source, the primary source was HUMINT.
The 525th’s advanced party of fifteen counterintelligence (CI), interrogation, and linguist personnel of its 519th MI Battalion (BN) (Tactical Exploitation) set up their tactical operations center and Joint Detainee Facility (JDF) in an industrial complex near the capital’s airfield. Eventually, the battalion’s nine CI and eight interrogation teams deployed but, to meet the demand, they were reorganized daily into as many as twenty-four CI/Interrogator/ Linguist teams. Additional HUMINT capability came from the 110th MI BN, 10th Mountain Division, and the MI detachment of the 3d Special Forces Group. Also, operating on the concept that every soldier is a collector, non-MI civil affairs, psychological operations, and military police units, as well as the 10th Mountain’s 1st and 2d Brigade Combat Teams, and the Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force provided critical HUMINT information from throughout the country.
Teams from these entities conducted daily information-gathering patrols, submitting size, activity, location, unit, time, and enemy (SALUTE) reports to satisfy priority intelligence requirements. Collating and analyzing information provided by the patrols and that obtained from detainees passing through the JDF, 519th personnel compiled Intelligence Summaries that were submitted to CJTF-180 twice daily. Nightly meetings were held with liaison officers of various units to discuss the day’s HUMINT collection operations, plot incidents on maps, issue the next day’s collection plans, and manage logistical and personnel support for each mission. In this manner, the 519th essentially coordinated the HUMINT efforts for the entire area of operations.
In just twenty-seven days, the robust HUMINT capability for Operation Uphold Democracy supported thirty-eight strike operations that netted weapons, drugs and counterfeit currency; debriefed more than one hundred detainees; located headquarters of opposition groups and potential incidents of violence; assessed the attitude of both Haitian military forces and Haitian civilians to inform ongoing psychological operations; and identified and assisted in the apprehension of individuals working against the CJTF mission. HUMINT continued to support operations in Haiti through March 31, 1995, when the American-led multinational force handed its responsibilities to the newly established United Nations Mission in Haiti.
| Date Taken: | 09.19.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 09.19.2022 17:55 |
| Story ID: | 429657 |
| Location: | FORT HUACHUCA, ARIZONA, US |
| Web Views: | 205 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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