PINEVILLE, La. – Twenty-three Human Intelligence, or HUMINT, Collector teams from the United States, Australia and Canada competed in the fifth annual Tranquil Storm interrogation competition at the Louisiana National Guard’s Camp Beauregard, April 26-30.
The event focused on improving the proficiency of human intelligence collectors operating in a contingency environment.
The competition tested teams on their ability to research, analyze and interrogate detainees while producing accurate intelligence reporting.
“This year, we had a record 23 teams, with international partners from Australia and Canada participating,” said Col. Kevin James, Louisiana National Guard director of intelligence and security. “We also had two partner nations observing this year, Japan and Finland. Australia was the first international partner to compete two consecutive years.”
Participating teams represented the U.S. Army Forces Command, or FORSCOM; U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command, or INSCOM; U.S. Army Reserve; Army National Guard; Australian Army; and Canadian Army units.
Each team consisted of four HUMINT collectors – one team leader and three team members – along with an evaluator and role player. Teams received orientation briefings before the competition began.
The competition opened with teams conducting point-of-capture operations. Given a HUMINT collection mission, teams worked with maneuver elements to conduct mass screenings and interrogations of enemy prisoners of war at a detainee collection point. One screening was conducted in a foreign language.
During the second event, teams supported a division holding area containing an unknown number of enemy prisoners of war. Teams identified detainees capable of answering intelligence collection requirements and completed intelligence reports within two hours of the exercise.
On the final day, teams supported a joint interrogation and debriefing center. Teams were given four hours to coordinate, plan and conduct interrogations before submitting intelligence reports through the Counterintelligence/Human Intelligence, or CI/HUMINT, System within two hours of mission completion.
The competition highlighted the expectations placed on intelligence teams and HUMINT Soldiers during future contingency operations.
The event concluded with an awards ceremony recognizing the top-performing teams.
“This training opportunity expands further than just HUMINT training,” said Sgt. Maj. Jose Melendez, sergeant major for the Headquarters Department of the Army Deputy Chief of Staff, G-2 (Intelligence). “We learned about staff management. We allowed the MPs [Military Police] to utilize METL [Mission Essential Task List] tasks and drills, engineers to build things and the staff to manage personnel.”
Melendez also praised the Louisiana National Guard for the event's growth.
“You built this event from a small competition with just a few teams at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to this codified large cross-component and multi-echelon event with a record 23 teams and international partners,” he said.
The first-place team was the 73rd (General Support) Military Intelligence Company, Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, New York. The second-place finisher was the 250th Expeditionary Military Intelligence Battalion, 100th Troop Command, California Army National Guard. The Australian Army team placed third.
Members of the top three teams received commemorative crawfish paddles, and each unit received a display paddle for its headquarters.