Clandestine operation

Aclandestine operation(op) is anintelligenceormilitary operationcarried out in such a way that the operation goes unnoticed by the general population or specific enemy forces.

Until the 1970s, clandestine operations were primarily political in nature, generally aimed at assisting groups or nations favored by the sponsor. Examples includeU.S. intelligence involvement with German and Japanese war criminals after World War IIor the botchedBay of Pigs Invasionin 1961. Today these operations are numerous and include technology-related clandestine operations.

The bulk of clandestine operations are related to thegathering of intelligence,typically by both people (clandestine human intelligence) and by hiddensensors.Placement of underwater or land-based communications cabletaps,cameras,microphones,traffic sensors, monitors such assniffers,and similar systems require that the mission go undetected and unsuspected. Clandestine sensors may also be onunmanned underwater vehicles,reconnaissance (spy) satellites(such asMisty), low-observabilityunmanned aerial vehicles(UAV), orunmanned detectors(as inOperation Igloo Whiteand its successors), orhand-placedby clandestine human operations.

TheUnited States Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms(Joint Publication JP 1-02, dated 8 November 2010, Amended Through 15 February 2016) defines "clandestine", "clandestine intelligence collection", and "clandestine operation" as^[1]

clandestine— Any activity or operation sponsored or conducted by governmental departments or agencies with the intent to assure secrecy and concealment. (JP 2-01.2)
clandestine intelligence collection— The acquisition of protected intelligence information in a way designed to conceal the nature of the operation and protect the source. (JP 2-01.2)

clandestine operation— An operation sponsored or conducted by governmental departments or agencies in such a way as to assure secrecy or concealment. See alsocovert operation; overt operation.(JP 3-05)

The DOD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms (January 2021) defines "clandestine" and "clandestine operation" the same way.^[2]

The termsclandestineandcovertare not synonymous. As noted in the definition (which has been used by theUnited StatesandNATOsinceWorld War II) in acovert operationthe identity of the sponsor is concealed, while in a clandestine operation the operation itself is concealed. Put differently,clandestinemeans "hidden", where the aim is for the operation to not be noticed at all.Covertmeans "deniable", such that if the operation is noticed, it is not attributed to a group. The termstealthrefers both to a broad set oftacticsaimed at providing and preserving the element of surprise and reducing enemy resistance. It can also be used to describe a set oftechnologies(stealth technology) to aid in those tactics. While secrecy and stealthiness are often desired in clandestine and covert operations, the termssecretandstealthyare not used to formally describe types of missions. Some operations may have both clandestine and covert aspects, such as the use of concealed remote sensors or human observers to directartilleryattacks andairstrikes.The attack is obviously overt (coming under attack alerts the target that he has been located by the enemy), but the targeting component (the exact method that was used to locate targets) can remain clandestine.

InWorld War II,targets found throughcryptanalysisofradiocommunication were attacked only if there had been aerial reconnaissance in the area, or, in the case of theshootdownofAdmiral Isoroku Yamamoto,where the sighting could be attributed to theCoastwatchers.During theVietnam War,trucks attacked on theHo Chi Minh trailwere completely unaware of some sensors, such as the airborneBlack Crowdevice that sensed their ignition. They could also have been spotted by a clandestine human patrol. Harassing and interdiction (H&I) orfree-fire zonerules can also cause a target to be hit for purely random reasons.

References

^"JP 1-02, Department of Defencse Dictionary of Military And Associated Terms, 8 November 2010 (As Amended Through 15 February 2016)"(PDF).8 November 2010: 33.{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal=(help)
^"DOD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms, January 2021"(PDF):34, 35. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2021-10-17.Retrieved2021-04-09.{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal=(help)

External links

[1] "JP 1-02, Department of Defencse Dictionary of Military And Associated Terms, 8 November 2010 (As Amended Through 15 February 2016)"(PDF).8 November 2010: 33.{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal=(help)

[2] "DOD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms, January 2021"(PDF):34, 35. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2021-10-17.Retrieved2021-04-09.{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal=(help)

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