Professional Reflection 1

Professional Reflection Essay

Abigail L Tassa
POL 695A Professional Portfolio
University of Arizona
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PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND IN INTELLIGENCE

The field of international security is a deeply personal subject. In my

capacity as a Military Intelligence Officer, one of the most important traits I need to bring

to my position is the ability to give accurate, timely and synchronized intelligence

support. This is important not only to provide commanders at the operational and

strategic-level the information they need to support rapid decision making but to provide

holistic and collaborative intelligence support to the entire intelligence and security

community at large. It was during my deployment to Iraq, Operation New Dawn 2010-

2011, when I fully realized my responsibility to hone my skill-set as an intelligence

professional by learning all I could about politics and international affairs. My section

was responsible for advising our commander on intricacies of the political actors,

emergent technologies, terrorists, and international influences that effected our mission.

We had a theater wide mission that comprised all engineer support from bridging and

road assets, power supplies, route clearance, building construction, terrain mapping and

which also included advising and helping Iraqi Soldiers. Often it was my section's

advice that preceded major decisions and impacted the Soldiers who carried out these

missions. My unit felt it was important that an intelligence officer gain first hand

knowledge of the local area so I had multiple opportunities to ride along with engineer

and infantry Soldiers as they conducted missions. I saw first hand, how intelligence

support, and sometimes the lack of it, effected Soldiers on the ground.

One particular trip with Blackfoot 2-1 from COB Adder to Joint Air Base

Balad stands out in my memory. I was a Captain in my early thirties and familiar with

every hot spot on the route we were about to take. I knew that at some point we were
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going to ride through the “widow-maker,” an area known for it's deadly explosively

formed penetrators (EFP), along Main Supply Route Tampa. As we prepared for the trip

the Convoy Commander, a young Sergeant in his early twenties, and most senior

person other than me, briefed us on the route. I noticed a barely legible map marked

with red enemy diamonds in his hands and before I climbed into the Light Medium

Tactical Vehicle (LMTV) I took a minute to ask him if he understood his map. He did not.

I felt blind during every minute of what ended up being a terribly long 15 hour trip. It was

difficult to think under the weight of backbreaking body armour but even so, it sunk in

that the level of support given by the intelligence community from the tactical to the

strategic-level could be vastly improved. I felt that having a broader knowledge of

international security would enable me to make faster, better informed decisions and

that would enhance the success of our mission and perhaps help save lives.

HOW THE COURSEWORK AUGMENTED ME PROFESSIONALLY

I signed up for the University of Arizona School of Government and Public Policy

International Security Studies (ISS) program about six months after my Iraq

deployment. During my time in the ISS Program I have been given multiple

opportunities to collaborate with student and faculty experts in a flexible, well structured,

online learning environment. I was grateful to be able to meet with my online faculty to

develop an educational plan and goals for my time spent in the program. This nested

well with my professional career path and I found that it augmented my military vocation

nicely. The design of the program allowed me to explore different aspects of security

while remaining deliberate and rigorous. My early courses reemphasized the scientific

method and need for stringent design and execution of social science research which is
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a principal I used throughout. I also adopted and utilized the same techniques in my

professional counterintelligence role conducting research analysis to defend sensitive

emergent technologies while stationed at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD. For example,

from the 2012-2014 time frame, my detachment worked on how to better protect US

intellectual property and using these demanding data collection techniques, we

collected a repository of historical threats which could be used to measure risk. We

used the repository to collate assessments and provided information briefs on

contemporary security issues for higher level decision makers. We then linked state and

federal resources to provide necessary protections. Many of the dangers we identified

were those discussed during the ISS courses, so in that regard the courses helped me

with rapidly identifying diverse international military and commercial threats.

The broadened perspective I gained during the ISS Program also helped

when I transitioned to Recruiting Command in 2014. There my team faced a myriad of

security challenges within the Harlem and Bronx community. I found myself working with

the Federal Bureau of Investigation and New York Police Department to counter

international and domestic dangers which related to many of the social, demographic,

and environmental, trends we had again covered in the ISS program.

HOW THE PROGRAM BENEFITS ME NOW AND MOVING FORWARD

Currently I am with a unit in Leavenworth KS, responsible for training National

Guard as part of their unit deployment cycles. We often encounter challenges posed by

both domestic and international politics and aggravated by bureaucracy and

congressional conflict. Thanks to the ISS Program I am well versed in many of the ways

that domestic politics influence our U.S. foreign policy. My current unit is continuing to
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develop strategies to overcome many of the domestic challenges in order to better train

and equip National Guard units. We design real world exercise scenarios for them that

include numerous topics, conflicts and regions covered in the ISS Program. The

scenarios are based on current threat combined with the Army's playbook (the The

Decisive Action Training Environment (DATE)) and cover terrorists (hybrid threat),

armed conflict, foreign policy, and the environment and delve into issue such as those in

Europe, the Middle East, Eurasia, Russia, and East Asia. My current responsibilities

also include overseeing the scripting for media and United States Agency for

International Development (USAID) and other role players so my coursework has been

extremely helpful in that regard as well. Having the ability to learn from, and lean on, the

experience and expertise of the ISS faculty and having my fellow students to consult in

both my professional and academic endeavors has been instrumental in all this.

I have at least five more years before I retire from active duty service.

During those years I plan to continue to contribute to my field of intelligence and security

and the protection of America's economic, political, technological and military vantages.

I believe the ISS Program has yielded me a tremendous amount of knowledge I can

leverage in that endeavor. It has certainly allowed me to foster my growth and passion

for the intelligence field. I look forward to my continued learning and partnership with the

University of Arizona and I'm certain I will continue to use these skills and knowledge in

all my future ventures.