UAV's Impact on Surveillance Tradecraft (Tearline)
Video Transcript:
Video Transcript:
Several countries are now using unmanned aerial vehicle technology – sometimes called UAVs or drones -- to increase their surveillance capabilities. While this surveillance is useful in uncovering militant networks and other hostile activities, it can also be used to uncover intelligence operations. In this week's Above the Tearline, we'll examine the tradecraft problems that intelligence officers face because of these surveillance platforms.
On June 13, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, speaking during his re-election campaign, announced that his country has begun manufacturing surveillance UAVs intended to monitor the country's pipelines, dams and other infrastructure. The announcement follows reports that the U.S. and Mexican governments are also using surveillance drones to monitor drug trafficking and other criminal activity along the border. As countries increase their use of drones for surveillance purposes and drones become more available on global arms markets, there are serious tradecraft ramifications for intelligence officers.
UAVs -- combined with more commonly used street surveillance camera programs -- can be used to surveil intelligence officers for counterintelligence purposes. The added coverage can also assist in uncovering the identity of anyone the intelligence officer is meeting with. For example, intelligence officers routinely conduct a surveillance detection route -- known as an SDR in the trade -- before meeting any human informant. The purpose of the SDR is to look for -- or to smoke out -- hostile surveillance being conducted by either the host government or a third country surveillance team.
The SDR is well thought out and crafted to go through a series of stair steps, street crossings, channels or funnels in an effort to determine whether or not you are being followed. The intelligence officer is looking for the same person, car, bike or motorcycle over a period of time and distance.
With the surge in UAVs, coupled with the use of street cameras and traditional surveillance, the life of an intelligence officer is made much more complex. Now, the IO must think about eyes in the sky, while also worrying about the eyes on the ground. In a country with UAVs and great street surveillance cameras, the host government intelligence or security service can leverage the technology and reduce the number of "feet" or cars in surveillance operations, diminishing the likelihood of getting burned. The IO is then lulled into a trap of believing he isn’t being watched, even though he's secretly been watched for blocks, potentially compromising the mission and exposing his human source to hostile intelligence services.
What's the Above the Tearline aspect of this video?
When doing surveillance or looking for surveillance, you learn that very few people ever look up, so hostile intelligence services are known to use rooftops to surveil IO's walking their SDR's. With the use of UAVs, even watching above you may not be enough to ensure you're not being surveilled since many UAVs fly too high to be detected by the human eye. The marriage of UAVs and street cameras make that concept even more efficient and silent. Intelligence officers must think about more novel ways to meet their sources and conduct surveillance detection so they don't get caught.
