About Association of Geo-Strategic Analysis (AGSA)

Association of Geo-Strategic Analysis, AGSA arose in the aftermath of the 1991 Operation Desert Storm, lessons from the Vietnam War, recognizing the critical failures of Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield (IPB), from strategic to tactical levels, the high cost of lives and materials.

Precise and relevant intelligence is more indispensable than ever. Today intelligence constitutes an essential encompasses strategic, tactical for the initiative in battle, one that can direct the air & fire support, and maneuver efforts in a multidimensional battlefield environment.

IPB is a method for defining and understanding a specific operating environment in all battlespaces, a conceptual framework to better understand how to apply your threat intelligence.

The ability IPB brings intelligence to the field and links it with operational activity, both defensive and offensive. The practical benefits of using IPB are increased situational awareness, improved decision-making, and reduced risk to personnel and resources.

Geo-Strategic Analysis is the political, military, security, economic, social events with international and geopolitics relevance to the battlefield commander combat environment. This is composed of four main pillars, 

  1. Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) is a critical component of military reconnaissance.
  2. Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) refers to electronic transmissions.
  3. Human Intelligence (HUMINT) is the collection of information from human sources.
  4. VISINT (visual intelligence)

To summarize, OSINT today refers to the laborious collecting and analysis of data from various open sources for the military, intelligence, law enforcement, and business communities. The explosion of social media, including real-time videos, blogs, chat rooms, Twitter, and Facebook, has created previously unheard-of chances to gain knowledge about subjects and individuals about whom SIGINT and HUMINT are less valuable or expensive, lowering the risk to human intelligence assets. In addition, OSINT contributes to and occasionally modifies the analysis of covert intelligence.

Thus, the fusion of OSINT, HUMINT, VISINT, and SIGINT enables a nation’s national and diplomatic security apparatus to take preventative action to thwart threats, inform allies, negotiate from a position of strength, and challenge international organizations and non-government organizations with accurate information, particularly those with hostile intent. And is aimed at providing information relevant for determining the strategic directions of the activity of other countries.

Military reconnaissance is currently perceived through the prism “information war” as a context for IPB. 

Association of Geo-Strategic Analysis founder and Chairman is Stephen E Hughes, a former US Army Scout, who spent four years patrolling the East-West German Border, Fulda Gap. His duties entailed training in counter Soviet Warfare and CBRN, Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear warfare, schooled in IPB, Intelligence Preparation for the Battlefield. Also, he was part of the 11th 11th Armored Cavalry Quick Reaction Force for the Fulda Gap. He served in the 1991 Gulf War Desert Storm with the 2/2 9th Infantry Division ORF. His duties took him over the 1991 operations areas of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Iraq. His books, ebooks, and articles links are found on the main page of this website—Association of Geo-Strategic Analysis, free ebook reports, located at academia/edu. AGSA has an international following reflected in the numerous of its ebook reports downloaded worldwide on academia/edu analytics  and Facebook page.