ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill. – At U.S. Army Sustainment Command the need for top-of-the-line intelligence capabilities is vital as the command has a worldwide mission to provide global logistics and materiel readiness for combatant commanders.
One of the people providing information for ASC and its subordinate units, is Capt. Ariel Ayala. He is a production manager for the command’s G2 (Intelligence and Security) Intelligence Support Element. Ayala has been working here since July 2023.
Ayala’s work is vitally important to both the command’s success and the United States’ ability to project and maintain power throughout the world. This power is maintained through diplomatic, information, military and economic frameworks.
Ayala and the ASC G2 supports this in several ways. One is by monitoring and analyzing international relations by providing insights into foreign policy developments and their potential impacts on military operations. They also support information operations and countering misinformation and by providing intelligence on military movements, capabilities and potential threats to commanders, thus aiding in their operational planning and the decision-making process. Last the G2 assess economic conditions, trade activities and sanctions which can impact military logistics and sustainment operations.
One thing that the G2 does not do is use their intelligence capabilities to monitor or collect information on individual American citizens. However, the G2 does monitor what is happening inside the U.S. and how it might affect operations.
“We mainly look at impacts to ongoing operations, such as inclement weather effecting (U.S.) locations, diseases that could spread across the U.S. and threats (terrorist, cyber- attacks or near-peer threats) from foreign entities to ASC operations,” said Ayala.
As production manager, Ayala manages the command’s daily, weekly and monthly intelligence products. “If we produce it and push it out, I make sure it meets the standards of requirements to address the concerns of the command,” said Ayala.
These products focus on threats to global sustainment or threats to ASC’s mission.
Ayala is responsible for ensuring all intelligence production requirements are reviewed, disseminated and briefed to update the command on the changing threat environment.
One of the ways he does this is by using open-source intelligence, or OSINT, to provide intelligence information so ASC can effectively support commanders in conducting military and humanitarian operations.
“Captain Ayala took over the OSINT production at ASC and hit the ground running, and did what I thought would take 12 to 18 months in six,” said
Ayala’s supervisor, Joe Ryan, chief of intelligence for the ASC G2. “He ensured that we were compliant to the new and ever-changing open-source intelligence collection standards. Through his hard work and effective networking, he has greatly enhanced the ASC G2’s ability to provide open-source intelligence products.”
While the military has used OSINT since World War II to gather information, it has become more common in the 21st Century because the internet and other technologies make it easier to acquire and disseminate than ever before.
Ayala and his team utilize managed attribution, which allows OSINT users to remain anonymous while searching the internet for intelligence on threats to U.S. interests or looking for real-time updates on operational impacts such as maritime traffic, port delays and rail information. OSINT is gathered by using publicly available information such as the internet, civilian media and professional and academic publications to create intelligence information.
Ayala grew up outside of what is now Fort Liberty, North Carolina. Like many Soldiers, he came from a family who served. “My dad was in the military,” said Ayala. “So were both my uncles and my grandfather.”
After graduating from high school, Ayala joined the Army as a horizontal construction engineer, which is the Army’s version of a construction worker, in December 2009.
“I initially wanted to be a combat engineer,” said Ayala. “My recruiter said a horizontal engineer was better because it transitioned easier to the civilian side.”
In 2012, while deployed to Afghanistan, Ayala decided to apply to become a commissioned officer. He said his motivation was rooted in his desire to provide the type of leadership to Soldiers that he always wanted.
One of the requirements to receive a commission is the candidate must have a bachelor’s degree or higher. Ayala did not have this. However, the Army does have the Green to Gold program. This is designed for active duty enlisted Soldiers to attend college and enroll in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. Upon graduating from college and fulfilling the ROTC requirements, the Soldier commissions as a second lieutenant.
After being accepted into the program, Ayala enrolled at Campbell University in Buies Creek, North Carolina. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology and commissioned as an intelligence officer in 2016. “Intel is cool because everything I learned in psychology I can use as an intelligence officer,” he said.
The ability of ASC to conduct its mission is crucial for ensuring that the Army remains agile, adaptable and capable of sustaining its force wherever and whenever it is needed. Without the hard work and dedication of Soldiers like Ayala this would not be possible.
Social Sharing