Signals Intelligence Support to U.S. Military Commanders: Past and Present

Signals intelligence SIGINT should be an integral part of U.S. military commanders planning and execution at all levels of the conflict continuum. In order to facilitate a greater understanding of SIGINT support to U.S. military commanders and their operations, this two-part study was produced. Part One is a case study of SIGINT support to U.S. military commanders, particularly during World War II. Although not a complete historical compendium of SIGINT support, these selective vignettes represent a reasonably balanced appraisal of the strengths and weaknesses of that support and some of the lessons learned about intelligence support during SIGINTs infancy. Part two represents some of the systemic improvements made, as a result of the lessons learned from World II experiences, to expedite the flow of SIGINT to military commanders in satisfaction of their requirements. Due to the unclassified text, the paper focuses primarily on the process as opposed to specific results and improvements in tasking, collection, processing, analysis, and reporting within the United States SIGINT System USSS.