Executive Summary
This article examines the Los Angeles Terrorism Early Warning (LA TEW) Group as a pioneering model for intelligence fusion in preventing and countering violent extremism. It details the LA TEW's development of analytical tools and processes, including an adaptation of military intelligence methodologies, to address complex threats. The model emphasizes collaborative, all-source intelligence sharing across jurisdictional boundaries to enhance early warning and response capabilities.
Why It Matters
This document is crucial for defense and intelligence analysts as it details a foundational model for intelligence fusion and early warning against terrorism and violent extremism, including adaptations of military intelligence processes for civil applications. It offers insights into effective interagency and international collaboration for national security threats.
Key Takeaways
- The LA TEW model pioneered domestic intelligence fusion and the "co-production of intelligence" across global and national partners, bridging jurisdictional and disciplinary divides.
Source evidence · PDF page 2
The TEW model pioneered the development of domestic intelligence fusion, the “co-production of intelligence” among networked global and national partners, across jurisdictional and disciplinary boundaries.
- The LA TEW adapted military Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield (IPB) into Intelligence Preparation for Operations (IPO) for civil settings, providing a structured analytical process for threat assessment.
Source evidence · PDF page 6
The new tools (or approaches) pioneered by the LA TEW include Intelligence Preparation for Operations (IPO), an adaptation of the military Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield (IPB) methodology for the civil setting;
- The TEW model developed novel analytical tools and processes to address emerging and novel threats, supporting counterterrorism, public order events, and transnational criminal investigations.
Source evidence · PDF page 10
The LA TEW’s experience included adapting existing analytical practices developing novel analytic tools to address both emerging and novel threats. These concepts and processes as described in this paper were also used to support public order events, such as riots and disturbances, and support a range of criminal investigations including those involving transnational criminal enterprises.
Strategic Relevance
The LA TEW model's pioneering approach to intelligence fusion and early warning has strategic relevance for national security by demonstrating effective methods for countering terrorism, violent extremism, and transnational crime through collaborative, all-source intelligence. Its adaptation of military intelligence processes for civil applications provides a template for enhancing situational awareness and response capabilities against complex, networked threats.