The 434th Military Intelligence Detachment (Strategic), MID (S), was created in the aftermath of World War II. Organized on 21 March 1949, the Detachment was originally designated the 481st Strategic Intelligence Research and Analysis (SIRA) Team. It assumed its new name in 1966.
The 434th has been affiliated with Yale University since 1949, and is an Area Studies MID. From its inception, the nine-member Army Reserve unit has provided strategic intelligence research and analysis support for echelons above corps and has disseminated its products to all levels of the U.S. Army.
The detachment was originally formed around a nucleus of Yale University professors who conducted strategic studies on Asia. For the first 20 years of its existence, the unit focused its research efforts on the Far East, developing research products for a variety of Active Component organizations such as the Office of the Army Chief of Staff for Intelligence, the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Threat Analysis Center. From approximately 1970 to 1990, the 434th supported the Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, and produced strategic studies focusing on Asia in support of the college's academic mission.
Since 1990, following the end of the Cold War and the emergence of the multipolar world, the unit broadened its scope to global threat assessments. Working in support of the U.S. Army Intelligence Center and Fort Huachuca, Arizona, the 434th supported the production of a 26 hour block of instruction on global threat assessment. It also produced a course on predictive analysis and a highly acclaimed Professional Readings Bibliography to assist in the on-going education of Military Intelligence Officers. The unit has pioneered the use of open source intelligence (OSINT) and won a national-level award in 1994 for the production of an open source handbook.
Members of the 434th MID (S) are proud of their unit's forty five years of research and analysis. They also take pride in being productive members of the U.S. Army Reserve engaged in a real-time mission supporting the Active Component.
Composed of citizen-soldiers, the 434th MID (S) includes members of the academic, political and business communities. In recent years, unit members' civilian experience has included:
One third of the unit has had combat experience or other active duty experience at the tactical or strategic levels of warfare. Unit members have over 125 years of total Army service. Their decorations have included the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Combat Infantry Badge, Airborne Badge and the Vietnam Civilian Service Medal.
The 434th MID (S) produces strategic intelligence products which have been published and distributed throughout the U.S. Army, the Department of Defense, and the U.S. Intelligence Community. Projects have covered the following topics:
An 80-page handbook was researched, designed, written and published for the U.S. Army Intelligence Center and Fort Huachuca. Responding to the need to reduce the costs of intelligence production, the handbook shows MI officers how to use unclassified databases to produce timely intelligence. The handbook received the prestigious "Golden Candle Award" at the Third International Symposium on Open Source Solutions in November 1994, and represents the first such handbook produced by any military service.
Over 3,500 books, articles and publications were reviewed in the process of preparing a bibliography of professional readings for the MI officer. Published by the Army Intelligence Center in July 1994, this bibliography has been used to enhance the ongoing education of MI officers following their departure from Fort Huachuca.
Lesson materials were prepared and presented to MI Officer Basic and Advanced classes at the U.S. Army Intelligence Center and School at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. The aim of this project was to support the school in developing course materials which familiarize intelligence officers with the concepts of strategic intelligence analysis, and to provide a framework for analyzing potential and actual threats to U.S. interests in the 1990's.
This study explored the interlocking issues of U.S. national interests, foreign threats and military obligations in East Asia in the late 1980's. Political, military and economic factors were all considered, and the published report was incorporated into the course of instruction at the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.
The changing nature of warfare caused an examination of military doctrine within the PLA of the Peoples' Republic of China (PRC) in 1985. The study discussed the evolving doctrine of "Peoples' War under modern conditions" and was prepared for the Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) of the U.S. Army War College.
Trends in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) were described. Conflicting claims by countries in the region on territory and resources were examined in this 1982 study for SSI.
An extensive annotated bibliography of unclassified material dealing with the insurgency in the Philippines was prepared in 1987. Copies were provided to all attendees at a special seminar held at the U.S. Army War College.
The small leadership group that ran the PRC made its decisions largely in secret. This study, for the SSI, explored the factions within this leadership group and attempted to understand how they interacted to form PRC policies during the late 1970's.
This classified project assessed the effectiveness of the internal security organizations in several Southeast Asian countries in 1971. The purpose of this project, which was prepared for the Defense Intelligence Agency, was to produce a handbook of use to a U.S. commander who deployed to the area and would need to rely on local intelligence organizations for support.
This unclassified study, for the U.S. Army War College, detailed the geography of the 2,600-mile long Sino-Soviet border and discussed possible Soviet attack scenarios. It was disseminated to the Far East where it received publicity in Japan and the PRC in the early 1980's.
This classified study for the Defense Intelligence Agency was based largely on imagery of South Vietnam. Its goal was to identify all fortified villages in the country. This list was then compared with the list of villages actually being funded by the U.S. Several weeks after this study was presented to the Secretary of Defense in 1964, significant changes in the program were announced which resulted in substantial savings to the U.S. Government.
Following receipt of a 434th MID (S) study titled Military Geography: Sino-Soviet Border in 1982, BG William B. Webb, the U.S. Defense Attache to the PRC, wrote the following appraisal:
"...I know of no similar study of an unclassified nature which has the strategic implications of your report. I have received many highly classified documents ... but none of them seem to have the utility of your document ... I found that in the large international community of Beijing, with the Chinese PLA, and with my own Embassy contacts, that I was frequently able to refer to your report and cite it as an authoritative document... My thanks again for your contribution to strategic thought."
In 1978, MG Robert G. Yerks, Commandant of the U.S. Army War College, recognized the unit for a special report titled The Japanese Political Process.
The 434th MID (S) was also cited by BG William M. Boice in 1990 for "outstanding support" of the Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College. Speaking in his capacity as Acting Commandant, BG Boice stated that the unit had "made significant contributions to the Army's capability to perform its mission in a dynamic international environment."
In November 1994, the 434th MID (S) received the prestigious "Golden Candle Award" at the Third International Symposium on "National Security and National Competitiveness: Open Source Solutions" held in Alexandria VA. Conference Chairman Robert D. Steele cited each member of the unit:
Recent unit members have undergraduate and graduate degrees in the fields of Accounting, Business Administration, Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering, Geology, Government, History, Latin American Studies, Law, Mathematics, Political Science, Public Administration, and Russian Studies.
Degrees have been awarded by:
Foreign language capabilities exist in German, Spanish, French, Russian, Chinese and Vietnamese. All unit members are computer literate and have the skills required to exploit the resources of research libraries, computer data bases and other information sources.
434th MID (S) members bring a multi-disciplinary array of professional experiences to every project. The flexibility and initiative required by entrepreneurial civilian professions is balanced by solid grounding in the traditional Yankee work ethic and dedication to the U.S. national defense. Accustomed to exacting work demands, the soldiers work as a team and thrive on new and challenging assignments.
The 434 MID (S) is also characterized by experience and stability. The average length of military service is fifteen years. Several members are combat veterans. Each soldier is interested in and committed to his research project. All have active professional development programs which include research on contemporary issues, studies dealing with military topics and subjects related to each member's area of expertise. The 434th MID (S)'s affiliation with Yale University allows access to one of the world's great collection of books, documents and other items of unclassified information.
Because the 434th MID (S) is an Army Reserve unit, its soldiers are less vulnerable to the institutional pressures of the Active Component. This can lead to innovative points of view and the exploration of new ideas.
Orginal Source where I found this informatmion
The 434th MID (S) is located at 200 Wintergreen Avenue in New Haven, Connecticut. It has conducted annual training tours at: