Re: Military Interrogation [OT]

Just a couple thoughts on interrogation and stuff. Having been through
High Risk SERE (survival Evasion Resistance and Escape) school and the
infamous "RTL" (Resistance Training Laboratory), I thought I'd mention a
few things on the subject.

When you are dealing with front line units (grunts etc.)., these guys
invariably have little pertinent (mission breaking) vital information to
cough up.  Whatever they know will be stale normally within 72 hours. Of
course capturing masses of prisoners is important for you to fill in the
important holes in you IPB (Intelligence Prep of the Battlefield) such
as enemy units, capability TOE, strength, composition and other
anecdotal evidence. Or special knowledge f key equipment like how crypto
works or aviators etc. etc. You usually are not going to find people
roaming around the front that have war winning intel (i.e. Gen. so and
so personally planned Operation Harbinger and knows all the details of
The invasion of Rot Hafen but he was caught in a fighter orbiting the
planet!). Those that are usually fall under the heading of High risk and
I'll talk about them later. It's not expected for soldiers are going to
hold out under proper interrogation. That's why they're not given vital
intel. If someone important or something important (i.e. crypto being
the most important intel), falls into enemy hands. As soon as it's
known, whatever he knew is changed per SOP. i.e. if an SOI (Signal
Operating Instructions) comes up missing then a whole new alternate
extract is issued out.

It's not expected that these guys hold out nor are they given access to
vital information. That's why most armies only give little training in
this regard, mostly concerning how prisoners are handled at the front,
(The 5 S)  the Laws of War, and a little about what to expect.

For operations orders, at least in the US army a vital part of the order
which comes right after the mission statement is the Commander's intent.
It is important to understand WHY you are conducting a certain mission.
I don't mean why as in to free the oppressed or some such bullshit but
why as in: "The reason you are taking Hill 219 is so we can interdict
enemy movements on high speed avenue of approach ALPHA on 1 km to the
east."

This way when the company commander sees that Hill 219 does not for
whatever reason provide good fields of fire to AA Alpha, he can take the
initiative and move his unit so that he can accomplish that task.
Without the why, then commander (USSR is famous for this in WW2), would
just sit their and let the enemy escape because "Hey I was ordered to
take this hill and I ain't moving until someone tells me too!"

Now For the High risk individuals, (SF, certain pilots, intel people
whatever) it is understood that them falling into enemy hands can have
an adverse effect. This is why their knowledge is compartmentalized on a
strict need to know basis. I might have the highest security clearance
in the Army, but when we are preparing for an operation, I will not know
anything about what other teams or company's are doing. In fact during
our isolation planning phase, we are locked up under armed guard hence
"isolation". This was learned the hard way in Vietnam after a number of
teams vanished without a trace after insertion across the border. As
soon as they started isolating them the number dropped drastically.

Now in High Risk SERE. You learn about developing the time tested
tactic-(used forever)a of  number of plausible cover stories. The
principle was illustrated very well in Bravo 20. Their top cover story
wa that they were a platoon of draftees dropped off in the desert
without their NCOs and officers to do a recon mission. That's why they
didn't know anything. Their deep cover story wa that they were	a
regular Army long range recon patrol. They could even have had a deeper
cover. once the enemy finds out you are SF it truly is all over for you.
These stories are coordinated , practiced and planned for in isolation
so everyone is on the same sheet of music. Let's say they capture four
of you. You might each have two top covers and a deep cover. This way
eventually the interrogators get to the deep cover, compare notes and
say "Hey I think we got it." All this is meant to keep whatever you know
under for about 72 hours.. By then you would probably have failed your
routine contact and your emergency contact and then HQ would send up the
alarm that the team is compromised and change look up what you know and
then make appropriate changes.

You learn this stuff in the training as well as all the latest
interrogation tactics, tap codes, and resistance methods. All you are
trying to do is buy time. It's the only school in the army where you can
be physically beaten (I lost a tooth). It's especially funny because
only a few of the guys going through this are SF the rest are pilots
whom, shall we say are seldom endured to hardship. I've seem some break
down into a crying quivering mass the minute someone laid a hand on you.
And they do try all the stuff like singling out favorites, concocting
stories of traitors, having female interrogators comment on the size of
your shriveled genitalia, etc. etc. It only takes about ten minutes
until you realize that you really are in a prison camp.  All of the
instructors undergo a huge amount of training, monitoring and psycho
profiling. You spend around three days in the clink (after a week long
survival and escape exercise). And the day you get out is the happiest
day of your life.

I learned one thing...

Don't get captured.

Los