View source for Human intelligence (intelligence gathering)

{{short description|Intelligence gathered by means interpersonal contact}}
{{for|the intellectual capability of humans|Human intelligence}}{{Intelligence}}[[File:Defense.gov News Photo 060303-M-0374B-005.jpg|thumb|A [[United States Marine Corps|U.S. Marine]] asking a local woman about weapons in [[Fallujah]] during the [[Iraq War]]]]

'''Human intelligence''' ('''HUMINT''', pronounced {{IPAc-en|'|h|j|u:|m|ɪ|n|t}} {{respell|HEW|mint}}) is [[List of intelligence gathering disciplines|intelligence-gathering]] by means of human sources and [[interpersonal communication]]. It is distinct from more technical intelligence-gathering disciplines, such as [[signals intelligence]] (SIGINT), [[imagery intelligence]] (IMINT), and [[measurement and signature intelligence]] (MASINT).<ref name="AAP6-109" /> HUMINT can be conducted in a variety of ways, including via [[espionage]], [[reconnaissance]], [[interrogation]], [[witness]] interviews, or [[torture]]. Although associated with [[military]] and [[intelligence agencies]], HUMINT can also apply in various civilian sectors such as [[law enforcement]].<ref name="Clark-76" />

==Overview==
{{POV section|date=March 2024}}
[[NATO]] defines HUMINT as "a category of intelligence derived from information collected and provided by human sources."<ref name="AAP6-109" /> A typical HUMINT activity consists of interrogations and conversations with persons having access to information. 

As the name suggests, human intelligence is mostly collected by people and is commonly provided via espionage or some other form of [[covert surveillance]]. However, there are also overt methods of collection, such as via interrogation of subjects or simply through interviews.

The manner in which HUMINT operations are conducted is dictated by both official protocol and the nature of the source of the information. Within the context of the [[United States Armed Forces]]' [[military intelligence]], HUMINT activity may involve clandestine activities, however these operations are more closely associated with [[CIA]] projects.<ref name="DeVine"/> Both [[counterintelligence]] and HUMINT include [[clandestine human intelligence]] and [[clandestine HUMINT operational techniques|its associated operational techniques]].

== Sources of HUMINT ==
Typically, sources of HUMINT generally include:

* [[Military advisor|Advisors]] or [[foreign internal defense]] personnel working with host nation forces or populations
* [[Diplomacy|Diplomatic reporting]] by accredited [[diplomat]]s
* [[Espionage]] clandestine reporting, [[Recruitment of spies|access agents]], [[courier]]s, [[Cutout (espionage)|cutouts]]
* [[Military attaché|Military attachés]]
* [[Non-governmental organization|Non-governmental organizations]]
* [[Prisoners of war]] or [[Detention (imprisonment)|detainees]]
* [[Refugee|Refugees]]
* [[Patrolling|Routine patrolling]] ([[military police]], [[patrol]]s, etc.)
* [[Special reconnaissance]]
* [[Debriefing|Traveler debriefing]]
The first steps for recruiting HUMINT sources is spotting and assessing a target.<ref name=Steele-95/> Surveillance of targets (e.g., military or other establishments, open source or compromised reference documents) sometimes reveals people with potential access to information, but no clear means of approaching them. With this group, a secondary survey is in order. Headquarters may be able to suggest an approach, perhaps through a third party or through resources not known to the field station.<ref name="Carroll-2006" />

==Notable HUMINT examples==

* [[Oleg Penkovsky]] was a [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[GRU (Soviet Union)|GRU]] [[colonel]] who served as a source to the United Kingdom and the United States by informing them of the precise knowledge necessary to address rapidly developing military tensions with the Soviet Union.

==See also==

*[[Document Exploitation]]
* [[Intelligence collection management]]
* {{annotated link|Social engineering (security)}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em|refs=
<!-- AAP -->
<ref name="AAP6-109">AAP-6 (2013) pg. 109</ref>  
<!-- Steele -->
<ref name=Steele-95>Steele (2010) pg. 95</ref>
<!-- Clark -->
<ref name=Clark-76>Clark (2013) pg. 76</ref>
<!-- Misc -->
<ref name="DeVine">DeVine (2019)</ref>
<ref name="Carroll-2006">Carroll (2006)</ref>
}}

===Bibliography===
* {{Cite web |date=2013 |id=AAP-6 |title=NATO glossary of terms and definitions (English and French)|url=https://www.jcs.mil/Portals/36/Documents/Doctrine/Other_Pubs/aap6.pdf }}
* {{Cite journal|last=DeVine|first=Michael E.|date=June 14, 2019|title=Covert Action and Clandestine Activities of the Intelligence Community: Selected Definitions in Brief|journal=Congressional Research Service}}
* {{citation|author=Thomas Patrick Carroll|url=http://www.csus.edu/indiv/c/carrollt/Site/Welcome_files/Gov't%20139G%20class%20notes%20Fall%202006%20-%2024%20Oct.pdf|publisher=California State University Sacramento|title=Government 139 (Class Notes) Syllabus Section 1 — Human Intelligence: From Sleepers to Walk-ins}}
* {{Cite book |last=Steele |first=Robert David |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FnI_Qk3h9goC |title=Human Intelligence: All Humans, All Minds, All the Time |date=2010 |publisher=Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College |isbn=978-1-58487-439-3 |language=en}}
* {{Cite book |last=Clark |first=Robert M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xWIXBAAAQBAJ |title=Intelligence Collection |date=2013-09-13 |publisher=CQ Press |isbn=978-1-4833-2437-1 |language=en}}

{{Espionage}}
{{Intelligence cycle management}}

[[Category:Intelligence gathering disciplines]]
[[Category:Human intelligence (information gathering)|*]]