Protection of Civilians Military Reference Guide
b . Particularly within multinational forces , units will be challenged in prioritizing intelligence requirements and efficiently collecting and routing information through appropriate channels . Units must pay particular attention to the protection of sources and the methods of acquisition , as well protecting the information itself . They must also consider their own operations security and counter-intelligence efforts against adversaries who are no doubt attempting to collect information on them , possibly by using covert agents or civilians whom the force is attempting to protect . Dispersed units , or those that have brief presence in an area , may find it difficult to make the population feel secure enough to provide useful intelligence . Political and resource constraints may also limit a unit ’ s ability to obtain and exploit good intelligence .
Task 7 : Manage Multi-Source Information
Task Description
To support a comprehensive situational understanding in complex environments , military forces will have to supplement its intelligence activities with information obtained from a variety of nonmilitary sources . Additionally , to obtain information from various sources , units will occasionally have to share information with other actors to achieve a common appreciation of the PoC situation .
Task Relevance to PoC
Nonmilitary actors will often have critical information regarding civilian vulnerabilities and threats as well as valuable recommendations to address PoC issues . As mentioned earlier , effective PoC makes the population feel secure and will expand the military ’ s ability to gain additional information . Units will also have to provide relevant information to facilitate a common situational understanding and influence other actors to enhance PoC .
How the Task is Accomplished
a . Information will be obtained via the military ’ s official channels , but other sources can be even more valuable , including civilian agencies , NGOs , the media , and the local population . Many human rights organizations monitor conflict situations , and their reports are often readily available . These can be particularly useful for analyzing trends and to gain familiarity with a situation at the outset of an operation . Military leaders must carefully handle information they receive from NGO representatives in the field , as it could jeopardize their status as neutral actors . Normally , they should not attribute information to the NGOs , and in some cases it may be advisable to delay any use of the information obtained from these sources .
b . Many organizations will be reluctant to cooperate with the military and possibly jeopardize their neutrality . It may be more effective to interact with them through civilian intermediaries , and in any event units should generally treat them as protected sources and refrain from attributing information to them . Local leaders and members of the population can be excellent sources of information , particularly when they believe that their well-being and that of their families will be preserved . Operations that enhance PoC will make the population more forthcoming with information , which in turn will improve the effectiveness of future operations . However , units
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