OPERATIONAL READINESS OF THE SUN STREAK PROTOTYPE OPERATIONAL GROUP

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: STARGATE
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP96-00789R002100130001-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: November 4, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 14, 1998
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: April 8, 1985
• Content Type: MEMO

Approved For Release 2000 IA- 96-00789R002100130001-4
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
memorandum
DATE: 8 April 1985
fl6PLV' TO
.ATM OF.
Operational Readiness of the SUN STREAK Prototype
Operational Group (C)
TO: DT
SG1J
SG1J
1. (S/NOFORN/WNINTEL) The recommended strength of 12 personnel
for the DIA SUN STREAK Project (DSSP) Prototype Operational
Group as contained in the FY 86 CBJB (identified as DRAGOON
ABSORB) is the minimum strength necessary to collect quality
intelligence information using psychoenergetics (Remote
Viewing). This figure is the-result of a review of INSCOM's
psychoenergetic activity (CENTER LANE) operational experiences
since 1979 and lengthy discussions on individual and unit
operational readiness. SG1J
2. (S/NOFORN/WNINTEL) and I have discussed the
concept of operational readiness several times over the past
nine months. Those discussions, along with the need to provide
written rationale for the number of spaces re uested rompted
me to formalize earlier thought processes. and
manning level of the DSSP Prototype Operational Group (encl 1.).
3. (S/NOFORN/WNINTEL) The concept paper is not intended to be
an operational. plan, but will serve as the basis for that
section of the operational plan which will discuss
capabilities. This paper also provides rationale for acceptance
of limited tasking in response to intelligence
requirements/problems.
readiness and provides rationale- for the recommended minimum
1 Encl BRIAN BUZBY
Concept Paper LTC, USA
CF:
SG1J DT-5A
CLASSIFIED BY: DIA/DT
DECLAS: OADR
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OPERATIONAL READINESS
April 1985
SUMMARY
(S/NOFOR.N/WNINTEL) Individual readiness, which is the
foundation for unit/organizational readiness, has at its core
individual training in structured perception and accurate,
reliable reporting. Modifying this training aspect are the
elements of practice, personal motivation, and physical/mental
conditioning. Training is most important, but because remote
viewers function as "equipment and operator" fused in one, the
impact of other factors and personal inclemencies must be dealt
with as well.
(S/NOFORN/WNINTEL) Since individual readiness is the lowest
common denominator of unit readiness, it is evident that a lack
of individual readiness coupled with a lower--than-acceptable
manning level. would significantly decrease the unit's
capability. In an intelligence collection activity where
operative personnel are the fundamental means of collection (SUN
STREAK), a basic organizational "critical mass" must be
maintained to mitigate the effects of incomplete training,
personal inclemency, etc., and provide a viable
viewer/interviewer mix to allow a satisfactory complement of
both discrete and joint collection operations. Sufficient
operational manning is necessary, further, to provide for
independent verification and corroboration of remote viewing
accuracy in highly volatile or nebulous collection situations.
Ultimately, the proposed 12--person organization is the minimum
acceptable to insure reliable and uninterrupted operational
readiness and timely, accurate intelligence production.
Classified by: DIA/DT
Declass: OADR
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OPERATIONAL READINESS
April 1985
(S/NOT'ORN/WNINTEL) Though application of the aspect of
psychoenergetics known as remote viewing (RV) as an intelligence
collection tool.. poses unique challenges that have no analogues
in other intelligence disciplines, many elements of the field
can be illumined by comparison with other, longer established
programs. The matter of operational readiness is one such
topic. But, as with other concerns in the various applications
of RV, guidelines, judgmental and evaluation criteria, and
effectiveness standards must be determined in order to define
the parameters of what readiness is. Before these can be
established, however, certain understandings must be arrived at
concerning the nature of RV operations and how they do and do
not differ from standard collection disciplines.
(S/NOFORN/WNINTEL) Regarding the above, two areas must be
considered: individual operational readiness of remote viewers
and unit operational readiness. These two areas are
interdependent but are also significantly different one from
another. Since the readiness of any unit or organization
follows directly from the readiness of the individuals who make
it up, individual readiness will he the first topic discussed
below.
Individual Readiness
(S/NOFORN/WNINTEI,) In any collection operation training of
individual operatives is extremely important. SIGINT personnel
must be trained in any of a number of skills and concepts, such
as language, radio propagation, equipment operation, equipment
repair, analysis, pattern recognition, etc. HUMINNT personnel
have their training requirements as well., i.e., agent-handling,
language, tradecraft, clandestine communications, tech-services,
recruitment, etc. Personnel involved in IMINT require training
in optics, photography, shape and pattern recognition, OB, etc.
In the intelligence discipline which has informally been
designated PSIINT, PE operatives and analysts must variously be
trained in geo-orientation, signal. recognition, noise
suppression, structure execution, interview techniques, session
analysis, alternative target acquisition, etc. Many of -these
trained skills overlap with those of other disciplines. For
example, PE intelligence analysis involves principles identical
to analysis in SIGINT, HUMINT, and IMINT; signal recognition and
noise suppression are very similar in principle to those
involved in radio propagation; and much of the interviewing and
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reporting techniques rely heavily on similar skills used in
HUMINT. One major difference exists, however. Unlike other,
fields where the collector exists separate from his means of
collection (for example, a radio intercept operator uses a radio
receiver and other equipment to accomplish his mission), a
remote viewer is both the operator and the equipment.
'T'herefore, defining individual operational readiness in this
situation must involve criteria modified to take into account
aspects both of personnel and equipment preparedness. Specific.
categories that have direct bearing on individual readiness are
as follows:
a. Proper training
b. Self discipline
Factors that effect the "equipment" aspects of readiness are:
a. Geomagnetism
h. Extremely low frequency (FLF) electromagnetic -radiation
c. Solar fluctuations
d. Physical/health concerns (sickness, injury
convalescence, metabolism, "biorhythm")
e. Mental preparation (attitude, degree of distraction,
over-training/over.--tasking)
F. Outside pressures (family, financial, professional,
social)
Several of these categories are inter -re]ated. Self discipline
may, for example, have direct bearing on how well one copes with
outside pressures and physical/health concerns; proper training
can have major impact on mental preparation and self discipline.
(S/NOFORN/WNINTEIL) The single Most important factor in
developing the highest possible level. of individual readiness
is, of course, proper training. IE training provides
development in both the "personnel" and "equipment" aspects of
the discipline. Properly executed, the training program
presently in use is designed not only to acquire the site and
develop information of intelligence interest from it, but to
significantly increase the accuracy and reliability of this
information by raising the threshold of distraction and
providing a means to channel extraneous noise, confusion, and
the negative effects of personal inclemency out of the "system."
(S/N0FORN/WNINTEL) The first component of individual
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readiness, then, is successful. completion of the training
program. However, as in many other fields, an individual
actually has limited ability or effectiveness some time before
any given training program is completed. A linguist, for
example, often is able to communicate at least rudimentarily in
his target language long before conclusion of the training. So
it is with the remote viewing component of PSIINT.
Site-relevant information with potential intelligence value
begins to be acquired long before actual completion of the
training protocol. Nevertheless, as with any other acquired
"hard" skill, continued practice and further training can only
enhance the quality of remote viewing. Experience over the past
decade has shown that the more practice a given individual has
in remote viewing, the more precise and controlled is the
information he produces. However, limited readiness is achieved
at some point before final matriculation from the formal portion
of the training program.
(S/NOFORN/WNINTEL) As mentioned above, training is not the
only factor impinging on individual readiness. Since we must
consider the individual operative in this situation to be
functioning somewhat as a "biological machine," we must remember
that factors effecting the emotions, mentality, or physical
status quo of the individual must be taken into account in
evaluating that individual's readiness posture, much as one
would evaluate the physical/electronic condition of a MLQ-24 or
AN/TSQ-112 ("Trailblazer") emitter locator to determine
readiness of a tactical. SIGINT system. As noted, appropriate
training can serve to mitigate individual systemic factors,
allowing normal RV functioning to take place in spite of various
personal inclemencies. When such problems are either severe or
complicated by a combination of factors, accuracy may be
affected and satisfactory functioning may be degraded or
altogether precluded. In effect:, the human collector's "system"
fs "down," and the session must be terminated at the discretion
of either the interviewer or the viewer himself.
(S/NOFORN/WNINTEL) At this point it becomes appropriate to
discuss unit readiness criteria. As with any other intelligence
organization, readiness of a PSIINT collection unit must
ultimately be based on the readiness of the individuals
assigned. Obviously, though readiness of the collectors is
highly important, all the other individuals that contribute to
the unit mission must be ready as well.. In a SIGINT unit the
intercept operators are central to making the unit mission
capable. But traffic and OB analysts, transcribers, and
command, control, logistics and repair personnel must all be
prepared as well or the unit readiness can be severely degraded
or even altogether destroyed.
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(S/NOFORN/WNINTEL) In PSIIYr, the remote viewer functions
of course as the collector. But there must exist as well a
supporting Infrastructure to provide command and control, a
logistical. base, and tasking, evaluation, formulation and
dissemination of the data received. In the DIA SUN STREAK
Project (DSSP), this has taken the form of a proposed 12-person
organization which can he subdivided into. two elements:
managerial and operational. Directing the administrative
element is the group commander/manager, whose duties differ very
little from those in any other intelligence organization at the
same echelon. Supporting the commander is the admin specialist,
who provides essential secretarial and administrative expertise
and assistance. Finally, the technical assistant/admin
specialist provides filing, transcription, data base management,
and other support for training and operations.
(S/NOFORN/WNINTEL) Core of the operational element are
three three-person collection and analysis teams, consisting of
two remote viewers and one interviewer/anal.yst (who also directs
in-house training for his viewers) per team. Successful
execution of a remote viewing session requires a two-person
effort. In the nature of remote viewing, the viewer necessarily
must suppress as much as possible the linear, analytic
functionings of the "left brain," and rely almost exclusively on
the global., gestaltic processes associated with right-brain
activity. The task of the interviewer/analyst is to provide
targeting data as required by the viewer, assist the viewer in
assuring session structure integrity, and provide necessary
analytic direction in determining session flow. Experience has
shown that one monitor/ interviewer is able to optimally support
two to three viewers. The three-team concept and current
physical plant allow up to three two-person sessions to be
conducted simultaneously. These sessions may be conducted as a
,joint effort on a critical large-scale collection project, or
they may be conducted independently to satisfy individual
collection tasks. Additionally, a six-viewer, three-interviewer
pool.. allows intelligence collection operations to continue at an
acceptable level even in the face of illness, annual "leave,
family emergency, or other personal inclemency, as well as TDY
for advanced training for either viewer or interviewer. In the
event of an intense or extended collection operation, it also
allows an interviewer to alternate between viewers to allow for
viewer recuperation/recovery time.
(S/NOFORN/WNINTEL) The three-team concept is further
important operationally For several. reasons. First, it allows
verification and cross-checking of viewer accuracy. In, those
collection efforts in which little directive feedback is
available (a large percentage of all taskings), several..
independent sessions must be run to provide independent
confirmation of the accuracy and dependability of session
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results. A second advantage of this organizational approach is
that, .:just as traditional HIJMINT collectors have long
recognized, different observers have a natural tendency to
report on different aspects of a target site or event, i.e.
witnesses each give a different version according to their
perspective. Each perspective may be correct, but it is
necessary to correlate information to form a clear and complete
picture of the site or event. Thirdly, as with HUMINT sources,
PSIINT operatives have differing talents and abilities; one
viewer may have affinity for a particular style of targeting
methodology or is perhaps especially accurate in collecting
against certain types of intelligence, i.e. complex technology,
structural layout, spatial and/or temporal location ("search"
mode), et-c.; a second viewer may be strong in other areas than
those of the first::, while a third may be proficient in areas
that are difficult for either of the first two to deal with, and
so forth. In the concept of "all-source intelligence,"
traditional intelligence disciplines are used together to
complement each other and cover each others' weaknesses. In
remote viewing the same idea exists, if presently on a smaller
scale.
(S/NOFORN/WNINTE.L) Ultimately, unit readiness would be
significantly degraded by either a smaller organization or lower
manning levels. Though on-hand personnel are presently
approaching operational. effectiveness in their training program,
even when they are fully trained the project could expect
:intermittent interruptions in operational capability. Simply
because the six-viewer/three- interviewer threshold has not yet
been achieved periods will inevitably occur when either no
viewers or no interviewers are available. When all factors are
considered, it is apparent that the proposed 12-person
organization is the minimum acceptable in insuring effective,
uninterrupted operational readiness for a PSIINT collection
project. For the sake of dependable, quality operational
capability it is recommended that the organization be approved
at this minimum acceptable level. In the interim, DSSP will
continue to function as an intelligence collection effort: using
available resources.
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