NCJ Number
225149
Date Published
2007
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This paper compares the role of intelligence in counterterrorism activities in the United States and Turkey.
Abstract
Both the United States and Turkey are apparently making significant progress in their respective wars on terrorism waged within their own national territories. Turkey’s centralized system consists primarily of police officers who are trained and equipped to perform intelligence work at the local level. There is only one National Intelligence Agency, which coordinates the reports that arrive from local intelligence and counterterrorism units. The major problem with which the Turkish intelligence system has been coping is the activities of the PKK-KONGRA GEL, which conducts terrorist activities within the country in the name of Kurdish separatism. In the United States, foreign and domestic intelligence collection and analysis have traditionally been separate; however, cooperation has increased since September 11. Foreign intelligence has focused on the development of intelligence sharing among nations, since American resources and citizens abroad may become targets of terrorists in other countries. U.S. intelligence is more centralized compared with the Turkish intelligence system, and it is not composed entirely of police officers. Intelligence officers are selected from candidates with skills, qualifications, and professional backgrounds specifically suited for intelligence work. Both countries recognize that intelligence gathering to combat terrorism must be an international effort, given the cross-border activities, mobility, and international communication technologies used by terrorist groups. There must also be a greater effort to penetrate terrorist groups in order to obtain first-hand information. This will require the recruitment of people with the language skills, knowledge of terrorist recruitment techniques, and adaptability required to be credible terrorist recruits. 2 figures and 45 references