Precision Important to Intelligence Analysis, Pace Says

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

Feb. 14, 2007 – The difference between facts that can be proven and ideas that can be deduced through logic must be clear to users of military intelligence, Marine Gen. Peter Pace said today. Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke with reporters traveling through the U.S. Pacific Command theater with him about Iranian complicity in killing American servicemembers in Iraq.

He said it is important "to be very precise about what you do know for sure and what you do not know for sure."

"What we do know for sure is Iranian made weapons are killing our guys," the chairman said. "What we do know for sure is that in raids to disrupt those (bomb-making) networks inside of Iraq, we have found Iranians. And we know for sure that the Iranian government knows for sure that we found Iranians."

These are facts, Pace said. These are things the military can prove.

"What we do not have intelligence on is who precisely and what level in the Iranian government knows and is giving orders or not giving orders" he said.

"Do I believe the Iranian government is involved? Yes. Do I have a smoking gun that proves that? No. And that is why I want to be very precise," the chairman said. "Iran should get involved in stopping Iranian weapons and Iranian people inside Iraq."

When the military analysts transition from definable, undisputed fact and take it to a logical conclusion, "we should be careful to point out where what we can prove ends and what we believe begins," he said.

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