Medical Assessment's Value to the Intelligence Community

1772 Words4 Pages

Thought this paper we will attempt to shed some light into how the Intelligence community can and does use medical assets, personnel, equipment, and data bases to their advantage. We will look at how knowledge of an adversary’s medical capabilities and limitations can become their center of gravity and hence its Achilles heel. Closing with an opinion base inference as to where the intelligence community can continue to push the limits and uses of the medical community. “An Army marches on its stomach”(1) is a famous saying that over the years has been attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte. It’s meaning quite simple and readily applied to many factions of the military and other government agencies. It is important to recognize that Bonaparte may have been on to a very fundamental and crucial aspect that could truly enhance the Intelligence communities’ ability to look at its growing number of situations and assess them in a way so as to capitalize as much as possible. Bonaparte has been understood to mean that without proper alimentation, food, clothing, and medical support the only real expectation of any army is failure. The proper body of medical knowledge can not only be of detriment to your enemy but can also be of enormous help to you and your allies. An interesting case as such is that of our first president and one of America’s greatest spymasters George Washington’s deaths. Notice that I used the plural form of death, only because of the conflicting views as to Washington’s final days and hours. Let’s dive into what a large majority of historians believe. The larger majority of historians believe that the first president succumbed to an untreated upper respiratory infection maybe even strep throat, turned pneumonia which o... ... middle of paper ... ...nts symptoms. Medical intelligence can be a very useful tool in the right hands, or a very devastating force in the wrong ones. Works Cited (1) "An army marches on its stomach." The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2005. 14 Feb. 2011. . (2,3) Vadakan, M.D., Vibul V. (Winter/Spring 2005). "A Physician Looks At The Death of Washington". Early America Review. Archiving Early America. http://www.earlyamerica.com/review/2005_winter_spring/washingtons_death.htm. Retrieved February 17, 2008 and September 14, 2010. McDermott, Rose(2007) 'The use and abuse of medical intelligence', Intelligence and National Security,22: 4, 491 — 520 DOI: 10.1080/02684520701640472 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02684520701640472

More about Medical Assessment's Value to the Intelligence Community

Open Document