Approved For Release ogy be ks fe) kexbrss-00789R002100130001-4 SUN STREAK OPERATIONAL READINESS April 1985 SUMMARY (S/NOFORN/WNINTEL) Individual readiness, which is the foundation for unit/organizational readiness, has at its core individual training in structured perception and accurate, reliable reporting. Modifying this training aspect are the elements of practice, personal motivation, and physical/mental conditioning. Training is most important, but because remote viewers function as "equipment and operator" fused in one, the impact of other factors and personal inclemencies must be dealt with as well. (S/NOFORN/WNINTEL) Since individual readiness is the lowest common denominator of unit readiness, it is evident that a lack of individual readiness coupled with a lower-than-acceptable manning level would significantly decrease the unit's capability. In an intelligence collection activity where operative personnel are the fundamental means of collection (SUN STREAK), a basic organizational "critical mass"’ must be maintained to mitigate the effects of incomplete training, personal inclemency, etc., and provide aie viable viewer/interviewer mix to allow a satisfactory complement of both discrete and joint collection operations. Sufficient operational manning is necessary, further, to provide for independent verification and corroboration of remote viewing accuracy in highly volatile or nebulous collection situations. Ultimately, the proposed 12-person organization is the minimum acceptable to insure reliable and uninterrupted operational readiness and timely, accurate intelligence production. Classified by: DIA/DT Declass: OADR WARNING NOTICE: SE NSITIVE Approved For Release 2 BES FepRopes- ooreeRanzsenecoers , METHODS } nad TATE VAT TORT TON NAS eh nye mares ag
Approved For Release HG CaP beropac-corearoo.1 00130001 -4 SUN STREAK OPERATIONAL READINESS April 1985 (S/NOFORN/WNINTEL) Though application of the aspect of psychoenergetics known as remote viewing (RV) as an intelligence collection tool poses unique challenges that have no analogues in other intelligence disciplines, many elements of the field can be illumined by comparison with other, longer established programs. The matter of operational readiness is one such topic. But, as with other concerns in the various applications of RV, guidelines, judgmental and evaluation criteria, and effectiveness standards must be determined in order to define the parameters of what readiness is. Before these can be established, however, certain understandings must be arrived at concerning the nature of RV operations and how they do and do not differ from standard collection disciplines. (S/NOFORN/WNINTEL) Regarding the above, two areas must be considered: individual operational readiness of remote viewers and unit operational readiness. These two areas are interdependent but are also significantly different one from another. Since the readiness of any unit or organization follows directly from the readiness of the individuals who make it up, individual readiness will he the first topic discussed below. Individual Readiness (S/NOFORN/WNINTEL) In any collection operation training of individual operatives is extremely important. SIGINT personnel must be trained in any of a number of skills and concepts, such as language, radio propagation, equipment operation, equipment repair, analysis, pattern recognition, etc. HUMINT personnel have their training requirements as well, i.e., agent-handling, language, tradecraft, clandestine communications, tech-services, recruitment, etc. Personnel involved in IMINT require training in optics, photography, shape and pattern recognition, OB, etc. In the intelligence discipline which has informally been designated PSIINT, PE operatives and analysts must variously be trained in geo-orientation, signal recognition, noise suppression, structure execution, interview techniques, session analysis, alternative target acquisition, etc. Many of ‘these trained skills overlap with those of other disciplines. For example, PE intelligence analysis involves principles identical to analysis in SIGINT, HUMINT, and IMINT; signal recognition and noise suppression are very similar in principle to those involved in radio propagation; and much of the interviewing and Approved For Release 2000/08/08 : CIA-RDPS6e- R02100130001- ‘w) ah ©) pest 4
Approved For Release i Hes ie Topac-o0789R002100130001-4 reporting techniques rely heavily on similar skills used in HUMINT. One major difference exists, however. Unlike other fields where the collector exists separate from his means of collection (for example, a radio intercept operator uses a radio receiver and other equipment to accomplish his mission), a remote viewer is both the operator and the equipment. Therefore, defining individual operational readiness in this situation must involve criteria modified to take into account aspects both of personnel and equipment preparedness. Specific categories that have direct bearing on individual readiness are as follows: a. Proper training b. Self discipline Factors that effect the "equipment" ,aspects of readiness are: a. Geomagnetism b. Extremely low frequency (FLF) electromagnetic radiation c. Solar fluctuations d. Physical/health concerns (sickness, injury convalescence, metabolism, “biorhythmn") e. Mental preparation (attitude, degree of distraction, over-training/over-tasking) cr. Outside pressures (family, financial, professional, social) Several of these categories are inter-related. Self discipline may, for example, have direct bearing on how well one copes with outside pressures and pbysical/health concerns; proper training can have major impact on mental preparation and self discipline. (S/NOFORN/WNINTEL) The single most important factor in developing the highest possible level of individual readiness is, of course, proper training. PE training provides development in both the "personnel" and “equipment” aspects of the discipline. Properly executed, the training program presently in use is designed not only to acquire the site and develop information of intelligence interest from it, but to significantly increase the accuracy and reliability of this information by raising the threshold of distraction and providing a means to channel extraneous noise, confusion, and the negative effects of personal inclemency out of the "system." (S/NOFORN/WNINTEL) The first component of individual 2 Approved For Release “SEGRE.
CIA “App96-o0789R0021 00130001 -4 Approved For Release frybndiod readiness, then, is successful completion of the training program. However, as in many other fields, an individual actually has limited ability or effectiveness some time before any given training program is completed. A linguist, for example, often is able to communicate at least rudimentarily in his target language long before conclusion of the training. So it is with the remote viewing component of PSIINT. Site-relevant information with potential intelligence value begins to be acquired long before actual completion of the training protocol. Nevertheless, as with any other acquired "hard" skill, continued practice and further training can only enhance the quality of remote viewing. Experience over the past decade has shown that the more practice a given individual has in remote viewing, the more precise and controlled is the information he produces. However, Limited readiness is achieved at some point before final matriculation from the formal portion of the training program. (S/NOFORN/WNINTEL) As mentioned above, training is not the only factor impinging on individual readiness. Since we must consider the individual operative in this situation to be funetioning somewhat as a "biological machine," we must remember that factors effecting the emotions, mentality, or physical status quo of the individual must be taken into account in evaluating that individual's readiness posture, much as one would evaluate the physical/electronic condition of a MLQ-24 or AN/TSQ-112 ("Trailblazer") emitter locator to determine readiness of a tactical SIGINT system. As noted, appropriate training can serve to mitigate individual systemic factors, allowing normal RV functioning to take place in spite of various personal inclemencies. When such problems are either severe or complicated by a combination of factors, accuracy may be affected and satisfactory functioning may be degraded or altogether precluded. In effect, the human collector's "system' is "down," and the session must be terminated at the discretion of either the interviewer or the viewer himself. UNIT READINESS (S/NOFORN/WNINTEL) At this point it becomes appropriate to discuss unit readiness criteria. As with any other intelligence organization, readiness of a PSIINT collection unit must ultimately be based on the readiness of the individuals assigned. Obviously, though readiness of the collectors is highly important, all the other individuals that contribute to the unit mission must be ready as well. In a SIGINT unit the intercept operators are central to making the unit mission capable. But traffic and OB analysts, transcribers, and command, control, logistics and repair personnel must all be prepared as well or the unit readiness can be severely degraded or even altogether destroyed, 3 Approved For Release oj (od Oh 4 an naeamaeaaieamianaacandans