George Washington, America's first director of military intelligence
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Authors
Prather, Michael S.
Subjects
Advisors
Date of Issue
2002-06
Date
Publisher
Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School
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Abstract
Thesis: George Washington, as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army led this nation to victory and independence in the American War for Independence. Victory was facilitated by his direct and effective use of intelligence sources and methods. Discussion: During the American War for Independence, intelligence information regarding location, movement, and disposition of British forces allowed the Continental Army to fight on its own terms and stymie British efforts to quell the revolution. General George Washington, as Commanding General of the Continental Army, was aware of the value of intelligence in the proper conduct of military operations. Washington literally became America's first director of military intelligence. He directed the intelligence operations that were conducted, and performed his own analysis. The Continental Army's effectiveness in intelligence includes examples of the proper use of espionage, counterintelligence, communications security, codebreaking, deception, operational security, surveillance, reconnaissance, reporting and analysis. Time after time, the Americans were properly prepared with good intelligence ultimately resulting in independence from the British. These intelligence successes can be directly attributed to the direction of General George Washington and the actions of his operatives.
Type
Thesis
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Organization
USMC Command and Staff College
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NPS Report Number
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Format
54 p. ;
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This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.