Pentagon Investigation Finds ‘Weaknesses And Flaws’ In ISIS Intelligence Gathering

http://dailycaller.com/2017/02/01/pentagon-investigation-finds-weaknesses-and-flaws-in-isis-intelligence-gathering/?utm_campaign=atdailycaller&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=Social

Pentagon Investigation Finds ‘Weaknesses And Flaws’ In ISIS Intelligence Gathering

A Department of Defense Inspector General report has found several “weaknesses and flaws” in the military’s intelligence reporting on the Middle East, specifically the Islamic State.

Iraqi Special Operations Forces (ISOF) carry weapons during clashes with Islamic State militants in frontline near university of Mosul, Iraq, January 13, 2017. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2017/02/01/pentagon-investigation-finds-weaknesses-and-flaws-in-isis-intelligence-gathering/#ixzz4Xkoqf3iC

The Pentagon released an unclassified version of its investigation into U.S. Central Command’s intelligence processes Wednesday. The investigation was a response to internal accusations which claimed senior leaders within the command where distorting intelligence reports to portray the Obama administration’s fight against ISIS in a more positive light.

Investigators confirmed that numerous problems existed within the command and that there was an understandable “widespread perception that CCJ2 senior intelligence leaders were distorting intelligence to present a more positive view of the success of the ISF (Iraqi Security Forces) and a more negative view of the success of ISIL (ISIS).” CCJ2 is the acronym which refers to a combat command’s intelligence division.
During the investigation, the IG discovered “several specific weaknesses and flaws in the CCJ2 management processes for creating intelligence products.” Officials believe these problems contributed to the perceptions. Investigators identified “ineffective communication and guidance, lack of adequate feedback, ambiguity and uncertainty” about policies and the “ambiguous status of DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency) analysts assigned to USCENTCOM” impaired effectiveness, efficiency and morale within the analyst community.

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2017/02/01/pentagon-investigation-finds-weaknesses-and-flaws-in-isis-intelligence-gathering/#ixzz4Xko7GcgX

http://www.dodig.mil/pubs/documents/DODIG-2017-049.pdf

Republicans and Democrats Agree: CENTCOM Cooked ISIS War Intel
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/08/11/republicans-and-democrats-agree-centcom-cooked-isis-war-intel.html

Senior officials at U.S. Central Command manipulated intelligence reports, press statements, and congressional testimony to present a more positive outlook on the war against the so-called Islamic State, a House Republican task force concluded in a damning report released Thursday.

The report, written by the members of the House Armed Services and Intelligence committees and the Defense Appropriations subcommittee, confirmed more than a year of reporting by The Daily Beast about problems with CENTCOM analysis of the war against ISIS.
House Democrats, who conducted their own separate investigation, reached a similar conclusion as their Republican colleagues, finding that CENTCOM “insufficiently accommodated dissenting views,” Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said in a statement.

The altering of intelligence reports, which included information that made its way into briefings to President Obama, was systematic, lawmakers found.

Read more here.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/08/11/republicans-and-democrats-agree-centcom-cooked-isis-war-intel.html

Congressional Task Force on CENTCOM Releases Initial Report
http://wenstrup.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=399373
A Congressional joint task force (JTF) investigating allegations of intelligence manipulation at U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) released an initial report today detailing persistent problems in 2014 and 2015 with CENTCOM analysis of U.S. efforts to train the Iraqi Security Forces and combat the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

The JTF found that intelligence products approved by senior CENTCOM leaders typically provided a more positive depiction of U.S. anti-terrorism efforts than was warranted by facts on the ground and were consistently more positive than analysis produced by other elements of the Intelligence Community. It further determined that numerous process changes implemented at CENCTOM as well as leadership deficiencies resulted in widespread dissatisfaction among CENTCOM analysts who felt their superiors were distorting their products.
Created in response to a whistleblower allegation, the JTF was established by the Chairmen of the House Armed Services Committee, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and the Subcommittee on Defense of the House Appropriations Committee. It is led by Reps. Ken Calvert, Mike Pompeo, and Brad Wenstrup.
Rep. Calvert said, “The leadership failures at CENTCOM reach to the very top of the organization. I hope that the new CENTCOM commander and the new Director of Intelligence can turn things around quickly. As for the task force, it is critical that we follow up on the deficiencies highlighted in this initial report. What happened at CENTCOM is unacceptable – our warfighters suffer when bad analysis is presented to senior policymakers. We must continue our efforts until we fix it.”

Read Full Report here.
http://intelligence.house.gov/uploadedfiles/house_jtf_on_centcom_intelligence_initial_report.pdf