Tactical Questioning: Soldier’s Handbook

• 56 pages
• For Official Use Only
• November 2003

This handbook is a compilation of tools to help all soldiers collect information through tactical questioning and EPW/detainee and document handling in Offensive, Defensive, Stability, and Support operations. However, most of the handbook was developed specific to small unit patrols, traffic control points (TCPs)/ roadblocks, and other interaction with the local population in the Middle East.

This handbook is not intended to train soldiers as Human Intelligence collectors or even make the soldier an expert on tactical questioning. It is only designed to introduce the basics of questioning and to provide some tools. The proponent of this handbook is the US Army Intelligence Center. This handbook was quickly developed to try to immediately fill a gap in existing documentation on tactical questioning. It was developed based on the agreement that the US Army Intelligence Center will follow this handbook with the development of a Special Text publication on this subject. This handbook does not reflect authoritative US Army doctrine or tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs).

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Every soldier, as a part of a small unit, is a potential information collector and an essential component to help reach situational understanding. Every soldier develops a special level of situational awareness simply due to exposure to events occurring in the area of operations (AO) and has the opportunity to collect information by observation and interaction with the population. This task is critical because the environment we operate in is characterized by violence, uncertainty, complexity, and asymmetric methods by the threat. The increased situational awareness that soldiers develop through personal contact and observation is a critical element of the Brigade’s and Battalion’s ability to more fully understand the operational environment. The concept that every soldier is an information collector cannot be overstated.

However, you are not an Intelligence Collector. This handbook is not meant to turn you into a Human Intelligence (HUMINT) Collector and will not make you an expert on tactical questioning. It is only designed to provide guidance for how to deal with and handle the local population you may come in contact with and to introduce the basics of tactical questioning.

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