Why did the NDP urge better “human intelligence” (HUMINT) without specifying funding or organizational requirements?
The NDP stresses the importance of “revitalizing human intelligence (HUMINT) to include the need for military personnel with extensive regional knowledge and language skills.”8 Although this recommendation is superficially attractive, it says nothing about the financial wherewithal or organizational enhancements necessary to strengthen the Defense Department’s intelligence program. The NDP’s pro forma recommendation for improving HUMINT capabilities-like a football coach who gives a pep talk to his team but does not provide a playbook-virtually guarantees its advice will be ignored by defense planners. 7. How will creation of a joint experimentation force promote military innovation at a reasonable cost? The NDP proposes the creation of a Joint Forces Command and Joint Battle Lab.9 This recommendation accounts for a sizable chunk of the NDP’s proposed “annual budget wedge of $5 to 10 billion…to support a true transformation [strategy].”10 Exactly where the money for joint experimentati
