ABSTRACT
Open source acquisition involves procuring verbal, written, or electronically transmitted material that can be obtained legally. A former director of National Intelligence Open Source Center has noted that YouTube "carries some unique and honest-to-goodness intelligence". During the Cold War, the prime focus of United States open source collection was the Soviet Union. The introduction of glasnost in 1985 and the Soviet Union's subsequent dissolution into the Russian Federation dramatically increased the availability of open source intelligence. Important intelligence can also be obtained from document and media exploitation—that is, exploitation of documents, videotapes, audiotapes, and digital video discs not intended for public release that are seized during or after military operations. Particularly valuable intelligence also comes from the acquisition of new or used foreign materiel, including weapons systems, communications equipment, and other devices of military significance. The materiel acquisition effort spans the spectrum from small pieces of equipment to missiles and tanks.
