Books by Kenneth Lasoen
Lannoo, 2020
History of the Belgian intelligence services form the foundation of the Belgian Security Service ... more History of the Belgian intelligence services form the foundation of the Belgian Security Service in 1830 to the present day.
Papers by Kenneth Lasoen
International Journal of Intelligence and CountIntelligence, 2019
This study allows a look at the conduct of the more intrusive aspects of intelligence collection ... more This study allows a look at the conduct of the more intrusive aspects of intelligence collection by the relatively small but strictly regulated services of a parliamentary democracy. The research looks in detail at the signals intelligence and surveillance operations of Belgian intelligence for the period 2010-2016, as regulated by the so-called BIM-law, and the sigint conducted by military intelligence. Preceded by a historical background that sketches the genesis of the law allowing Belgium’s two intelligence services to use intrusive intelligence methods, an overview is provided of the amount of intrusive intelligence techniques applied, and placed before the threats at which they are directed, based on numbers by the parliamentary watchdog Standing Commmittee I. The accountability mechanisms governing the use of these methods is considered, along with legal and practical challenges that come with them, and the question of the results this type of intelligence collection yield.
This essay uses the official reports as well as sources from the intelligence services to provide... more This essay uses the official reports as well as sources from the intelligence services to provide a clearer picture of the working circumstances of the Belgian intelligence and security services and the pressure they were under to deal with the challenges posed by violent radicalisation and terrorist plots since the emergence of the foreign fighters phenomenon. It will be shown how mounting pressure from the rapidly expanding threat exacerbated the gradual exhaustion of the security services by structural issues of unaddressed organisational difficulties, and budget restrictions faced with increasing workloads. Due to the high number of foreign fighters, belated initiatives taken to assess the threat were impeded by barriers to information exchange, unclear guidance, and data overload. The failure of Belgian intelligence to detect the attack plans was more a symptom of policy failure than the underachievement of the services. A concluding section will reflect upon the inadequacy and lateness of policy responses because of a Belgian tendency to understate security. πάντῃ δὲ κακὸν κακῷ ἐστήρικτο 1 In the (Western) world, Belgium is a moderately well-known country. Not exactly famous in its own right, it is home to a number of famous things: mainly food and drink such as fries, chocolate, and beer, but also Brussels, headquarters of NATO, as well as the seat of the European Union. In 2015, Belgium became famous for something else. The country made headlines after it turned out the Brussels municipality of Molenbeek was the centre of gravity and base of operations for the attacks that struck Paris on the night of November 13, 2015. The manhunt for the terrorists who got away and the rest of the network culminated in attacks on Brussels on March 22, 2016, a few days after key arrests by Belgian police. The severe criticisms of Belgium's system of government and security services after both attacks may have been the effusions of surprise and lack of understanding, rather than the result of judgement and background knowledge. It was hard to understand what had happened in any case, but the period of ignorance may have lapsed when in June 2017 the Belgian parliament presented its report of the inquiry into the circumstances that led to the attacks. 2 This article will make use of this official report as well as reports from the parliamentary intelligence services watchdog and sources from inside the security services
Comparative Strategy, 2018
This article looks at two ancient intelligence postmortems, one pertaining to intelligence failur... more This article looks at two ancient intelligence postmortems, one pertaining to intelligence failure in the Second Anglo-Dutch War in 1666, the other from Napoleon's invasion of Egypt in 1798. Both documents deal with wartime naval intelligence, and allow to put the practice of intelligence failure into historical perspective, study the nature of intelligence in these times, and to see that not only were the difficulties of intelligence analysis similar to those encountered today, but that the investigation of what went wrong also bears some resemblance to present-day official inquests. O hateful Error, Melancholy's child, Why dost thou show to the apt thoughts of men The things that are not? O Error, soon conveiv'd, Thou never com'st unto a happy birth, But kill'st the mother that engendered thee! 1 When intelligence failure occurs, its dire consequences merit an inquest into how it happened. Some would have it the reasoning behind such an inquest is to lay the blame somewhere (usually with the intelligence community), for others it is to add to an array of 'lessons learned' and draw conclusions for the prevention of future mistakes. 2 The inevitability of intelligence failure, 3 however, has seen substantial growth in literature on postmortems. Inquiries are more frequent in the US 4 than the UK, with the investigations on the attacks of 9/11, 7/7, and the assessments on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction the most recent, and the most discussed, examples. 5 But intelligence failure, apart from being inevitable, is also as old as the second oldest profession itself. Whereas the postmortem is established practice nowadays, the antecedents of inquiries into what went wrong go as far back as biblical times. 6 Rarely, however, one gets to see actual documentary evidence of the postmortem itself. Two such ancient reports are compared below. In what might be the earliest surviving intelligence postmortem, in 1667, the House of Commons launched an investigation into how the English Navy, acting on bad intelligence, had divided itself and was defeated by the Dutch fleet. 7 Among the papers of Henry Dundas, Roger Knight discovered a document relating to the intelligence on the 1798 French invasion of Egypt. 8 While there might be more such documents, these two can be compared because they both relate to naval intelligence in the Royal Navy. From the background of the conflict, critical analysis will consider the political and bureaucratic context in which the documents were drafted and why, followed by a commentary. 9 Both documents allow to put the practice of intelligence failure introspection into historical perspective, study the nature of intelligence in these times, and see that not only were the difficulties of intelligence analysis similar to those encountered today, but that the investigation of what went wrong also bears some resemblance to present-day official inquests.
The terror threat emanating from Daesh-inspired violent radicalization has made the vulnerability... more The terror threat emanating from Daesh-inspired violent radicalization has made the vulnerability of soft targets and the means to defend them a pressing security challenge. Belgium responded to the threat by deploying the army to help protect the public space against terrorist attacks. This article explores the Belgian case of a counterterrorism mission by the military on home soil, but also looks at the wider security challenges posed by an asymmetric threat to the most vulnerable aspects of daily life, exploiting the openness and mobility of society. The study will also examine alternative ways to employ the necessary military skills and expertise to counter the threat to soft targets, from a re-examination of deterrence theory and by the utility of force, and introducing the concept of " marketing for counterterrorism " as a corollary to cognitive defense. It concludes with what tactical opportunities and policy prescriptions are presented for homeland security.
The terrorist attacks in France and Belgium of 2015–2016 that occurred while these countries were... more The terrorist attacks in France and Belgium of 2015–2016 that occurred while these countries were in a heightened state of alert raise questions about indications and warning methodology as well as effectiveness of the blanket-protection deployment of security services assisted even by the military. Response and perhaps even more anticipation may require strategic rethinking in light of the predatory attacks that target the most vulnerable spots of the public space. This study looks at threat analysis in Belgium as conducted through her intelligence fusion centre Coordination Unit for Threat Analysis (CUTA) since its inception in 2006. With a special focus on what is known, at the time of writing, about the terrorist attacks in Paris and Brussels, this study hopes to put into context how the system (mal) functions and will also consider the preventive measures that respond to the threat, and the international aspects which have implications far beyond Belgian borders. Therefore, a case is made for not just a Belgian homeland security framework, but one that fits into an EU-wide security concept. KEYWORDS Belgium; terrorist attacks and counterterrorism; indications and warning; intelligence and threat analysis; homeland security strategy
Infused with Shakespeare in tribute to William Friedman’s study of his work, Lasoen's reflection ... more Infused with Shakespeare in tribute to William Friedman’s study of his work, Lasoen's reflection poses some statements to provoke debate about intelligence failure and intelligence studies. The controversial proposition is that the field is dominated by the same subjects while others have not been given the attention they deserve. While some good reasons for this are recognized and it is acknowledged there is always something new to be found even in well-studied cases, a trumpet call is sounded for stimulating innovative research and increasing the usefulness of the field for the practice of intelligence.
Since the installation of a standing review committee to oversee Belgium’s two intelligence servi... more Since the installation of a standing review committee to oversee Belgium’s two intelligence services, one of the most important aspects of intelligence work the committee was to watch over has been the coordination of and cooperation between the services. This article offers an historical perspective of cooperation in the field of security and intelligence, with a focus on the modalities by which coordination and cooperation have been governed under the review committee’s oversight. It assesses the general performance of the services in working with each other and other partners in various fields of national security. Drawing conclusions from these 20 years of trial and error interaction, some reflections are made upon the terrorist attacks in France and Belgium of 2015 and 2016, to conclude with considerations about national security policy.
One of the oldest domestic intelligence agencies in continuous existence is Belgium’s civil secur... more One of the oldest domestic intelligence agencies in continuous existence is Belgium’s civil security service, the Veiligheid van de Staat or Surêté de l’Etat (VSSE). On the occasion of its 185th anniversary, this article will investigate how Belgium’s history has shaped the development of this agency (and vice versa) and explore the issues it had to deal with when the country’s capital, Brussels, became the seat of the European Union and headquarters of NATO. It will be argued that because of disruptive events in the 1980s, both internal and external for the domestic intelligence service, Belgium started becoming a ‘protective state’ since the early nineties and is still working on its improvement.
Classified. 1915-2015: Het verhaal van de Belgische militaire inlichtingen- en veiligheidsdienst , Nov 6, 2015
On the centenary of the Belgian military intelligence service ADIV/SGRS, this article considers t... more On the centenary of the Belgian military intelligence service ADIV/SGRS, this article considers the antecedents of military intelligence before its foundation. Without having an organized intelligence service, the Belgian army naturally performed intelligence tasks from its earliest days in the campaign against the Netherlands. The Ministry of War had a bureau to study other armed forces, based upon open and diplomatic sources. In line with defending Belgium’s neutrality, special attention would go towards the intentions of neighbouring countries. Yet the same concern for neutrality saw policymakers very apprehensive at engaging in anything resembling foreign espionage. At times of heightened threat, such as an attempted revolution in 1848 and the war between France and Prussia in 1870, the War Ministry would rely on the intelligence capacity of the civil security service. Political wrangling about the army and conscription throughout the nineteenth century left little time for giving much thought to intelligence, while the army staff itself would base defence plans upon general assumptions, being concerned more with the actions of the Belgian Army than those of the potential invaders. At the turn of the twentieth century an organization for the surveillance of the frontiers was active. Most foreign intelligence gathering was done by the diplomatic service. As it was becoming increasingly clear that either France or Germany or both would pass through Belgium in their next war, attempts at improving security were still blocked by political opposition. Finally, a reform of the army saw the birth of an intelligence section of the general staff in 1910. Too embryonic and handicapped by internal bickering, the Agadir crisis still provided a baptism of fire. Increased vigilance came too late even if the German invasion was no surprise. The ease with which Belgium was overtaken and the need for intelligence and security at the front, gave rise to the establishment of the service still in existence today, undergoing a rapid learning process for the duration until the necessity of a military intelligence service was an acknowledged fact. In conclusion, the article considers historical parallels with Belgian complacency regarding security then and today.
BISC Journal of Intelligence Studies 4 (2014), 101-106
Hoc illud est praecipue in cognitione rerum salubre ac frugiferum, omnis te exempli documenta in ... more Hoc illud est praecipue in cognitione rerum salubre ac frugiferum, omnis te exempli documenta in inlustri posita monumento intueri; inde tibi tuaeque rei publicae quod imitere capias, inde foedum inceptu, foedum exitu, quod vites.
From early on, the Roman tribunes of the plebs directly intervened in military and foreign affair... more From early on, the Roman tribunes of the plebs directly intervened in military and foreign affairs by legislation, usually but not always at the behest of the senate. The tribunes had no constitutional authority to intervene in public affairs, except by proxy of their sacrosanctitas, which guaranteed their protection and was most likely the basis of a power of veto. The office evolved however towards having a recognized place in the body politic, with the tribunes regulating a whole range of political, military and economical matters. This research attempts to increase the understanding of the workings of the Roman state by investigating the share of the tribunes of the plebs and the concilium plebis they chaired in matters of war and diplomacy, long before the most prominent manifestation of this aspect of the tribunicia potestas by Tiberius Gracchus in 133 BC. This paper, coinciding with its twin “Tribunes of the Plebs and Economic Policy”, investigates the various reports in the historical record of interventions by the plebeian tribunes in foreign affairs in Rome. The question is what their impact was and how this had come about, given that the tribunate is supposed to have revolutionary origins and was a magistracy that operated outside the state framework.
In 494 BC, the common people of Ancient Rome staged a secessio, refusal of military service, reso... more In 494 BC, the common people of Ancient Rome staged a secessio, refusal of military service, resolved by the establishment of the plebeian tribunate, an office by plebeians, for plebeians, to protect the plebs against the abuse of power by the curule magistrates. Despite the ostentatiously political reasons for this event, modern research has found economical reasons to have been contributory to the crisis. The fifth century knew a significant economic downturn with famine and debts as a result. From early on, the tribunes of the plebs presented the distribution of public lands, the ager publicus, as a means to alleviate the debt problems of the poorer plebeians and sought to attain this by legislation.
The tribunes had no constitutional authority to intervene in public affairs, except by proxy of their sacrosanctitas, which guaranteed their protection and gave them the power of the mob. The office evolved however towards having a recognized place in the body politic, with the tribunes regulating a whole range of political, military and economical matters. This paper investigates the various reports in the historical record of interventions by the plebeian tribunes in economic affairs in Rome. Land transactions are presented by the sources as the centerpiece of their efforts from the beginning, many times resulting into violent conflict with the landowners. Research will attempt to show a gradual evolution in the authority on economic policies assumed by the tribunes and the concilium plebis they chaired, by defining which precedents they established by regulating debts, interests, establishment of colonies, trade, war booty, accumulation of wealth, fraud, and land transactions with the Lex Licinia Sextia of 367, the Lex Flaminia of 232 and the Gracchan land legislation of 133 and 122 BC as highlights. The historicity of the often suspect accounts of the earliest proposals will be taken into consideration as well as the practical applications of the eventual land divisions. These questions are investigated by the available literary and non-literary evidence that is often clouded by the fragmentary sources and the at times fabricated evidence they contain.
Conference Presentations by Kenneth Lasoen
Security is (or should be) an immune system: it neutralises toxic and infectious organisms. Count... more Security is (or should be) an immune system: it neutralises toxic and infectious organisms. Counterintelligence techniques comprise an important part of hardening that immunity. This contribution will build upon theorised patterns of lone actor radicalisation to inform ways of detecting employees potentially becoming or having been radicalised through behavioural and psychological traits, and what practical use counterintelligence principles are in establishing that kind of situational awareness as well as preventing an insider from causing harm. There will also be attention to the ethical dilemmas and HR implications posed by monitoring employees for possible suspicious behaviour in this way.
Nederland en België hebben een bijzonder hechte relatie. Zeker op het vlak van defensie en nation... more Nederland en België hebben een bijzonder hechte relatie. Zeker op het vlak van defensie en nationale veiligheid, al zijn er zowel gelijkenissen als verschillen zoals in andere domeinen. In deze presentatie worden ontwikkelingen op vlak van inlichtingen en veiligheid in de twee landen door Belgische bril vergeleken. Een historisch perspectief overloopt de groeiende toenadering, na een moeilijk uit elkaar gaan, van twee kleine staten in een precaire positie tussen de oorlogvoerende Fransen en Duitsers (1870, 1914, 1940), maar ook geconfronteerd met andere gemeenschappelijke dreigingen zoals het internationale terrorisme (vanaf het einde van de 19 de eeuw), hoe dat invloed heeft gehad op de benadering van beide over veiligheid en inlichtingen, en uiteindelijk de hechte naoorlogse alliantie. Ook de verschillen en gelijkenissen inzake de hedendaagse veiligheidsuitdagingen en – maatregelen komen aan bod (relaties met de politiek, verband tussen de diensten onderling, het wettelijk kader, werkingsmiddelen, en de publiekswerking) om te zien of sterktes en zwaktes van veiligheidsdiensten typisch zijn aan de landen die ze beschermen of meer gemeenschappelijk zijn dan gedacht, en of daar ook 'veiligheidsculturele' verschillen aan verbonden zijn. Uit deze comparatieve benadering worden dan implicaties geëxtrapoleerd voor wat van elkaar geleerd kan worden en wat toekomstige internationale samenwerking betreft.
About Operation VIGILANT GUARDIAN, the homeland security deployment of the military in Belgium to... more About Operation VIGILANT GUARDIAN, the homeland security deployment of the military in Belgium to guard sensitive points and soft targets
Belgium has a long intelligence history, having in fact the oldest security service in continuous... more Belgium has a long intelligence history, having in fact the oldest security service in continuous existence. Since the installation of a standing review committee to oversee Belgium’s two intelligence services, one of the most important aspects of intelligence work the committee was to watch over has been the coordination of and cooperation between the services. This talk offers historical insight in the development of the Belgian intelligence services and will look at how coordination and cooperation have been governed, in addition to the general performance of the services in working with each other and other partners in various fields of national security. Drawing conclusions from these 20 years of trial and error interaction, some suggestions are made towards ensuring higher degrees of coordination and effectiveness within the fold of the new National Security Council that was installed in 2015, by providing for a leadership function.
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Books by Kenneth Lasoen
Papers by Kenneth Lasoen
The tribunes had no constitutional authority to intervene in public affairs, except by proxy of their sacrosanctitas, which guaranteed their protection and gave them the power of the mob. The office evolved however towards having a recognized place in the body politic, with the tribunes regulating a whole range of political, military and economical matters. This paper investigates the various reports in the historical record of interventions by the plebeian tribunes in economic affairs in Rome. Land transactions are presented by the sources as the centerpiece of their efforts from the beginning, many times resulting into violent conflict with the landowners. Research will attempt to show a gradual evolution in the authority on economic policies assumed by the tribunes and the concilium plebis they chaired, by defining which precedents they established by regulating debts, interests, establishment of colonies, trade, war booty, accumulation of wealth, fraud, and land transactions with the Lex Licinia Sextia of 367, the Lex Flaminia of 232 and the Gracchan land legislation of 133 and 122 BC as highlights. The historicity of the often suspect accounts of the earliest proposals will be taken into consideration as well as the practical applications of the eventual land divisions. These questions are investigated by the available literary and non-literary evidence that is often clouded by the fragmentary sources and the at times fabricated evidence they contain.
Conference Presentations by Kenneth Lasoen
The tribunes had no constitutional authority to intervene in public affairs, except by proxy of their sacrosanctitas, which guaranteed their protection and gave them the power of the mob. The office evolved however towards having a recognized place in the body politic, with the tribunes regulating a whole range of political, military and economical matters. This paper investigates the various reports in the historical record of interventions by the plebeian tribunes in economic affairs in Rome. Land transactions are presented by the sources as the centerpiece of their efforts from the beginning, many times resulting into violent conflict with the landowners. Research will attempt to show a gradual evolution in the authority on economic policies assumed by the tribunes and the concilium plebis they chaired, by defining which precedents they established by regulating debts, interests, establishment of colonies, trade, war booty, accumulation of wealth, fraud, and land transactions with the Lex Licinia Sextia of 367, the Lex Flaminia of 232 and the Gracchan land legislation of 133 and 122 BC as highlights. The historicity of the often suspect accounts of the earliest proposals will be taken into consideration as well as the practical applications of the eventual land divisions. These questions are investigated by the available literary and non-literary evidence that is often clouded by the fragmentary sources and the at times fabricated evidence they contain.
This paper investigates the power struggles that led to the establishment of the tribunate from the perspective of that office and attempts to trace any antecedents to the Roman plebeian tribunate. What was it that the plebeians were lacking since the installment of the Republic that they had during the reign of the kings and demanded again at their secessio and how did they come by it in the first place? Why was the election of a number of tribunes who had no constitutional authority to intervene in public affairs, except by proxy of their sacrosanctitas – which guaranteed their protection and gave them the power of the mob – deemed sufficient a concession to end the secessio? Which actors were the driving force behind the resistance, the wealthy but non-aristocratic plebeians seeking a share in power or the lower classes suffering from the economic problems of the beginning of the fifth century BC? How is it that these economic problems were given a solely political solution? Did these groups form their own identity which allowed them to act as one? What was the reaction of the patricians to the later developments, i.e. the actions of the tribunes and their activities in the concilium plebis they chaired? These questions are investigated by the available literary and non-literary evidence of a period in early Roman history that is clouded by the fragmentary sources and the at times fabricated evidence that they contain. The focus will then lie on the main narrative sources such as Livy’s Ab urbe condita, Dio’s Roman History, Dionysius of Halicarnassus’ Roman Antiquities, Diodorus of Sicily, and some of Plutarch’s Lives, next to many other authors such as Cicero, Valerius Maximus, Aulus Gellius, and Tacitus who did not write about the archaic times in great volume, but sometimes add details which either corroborate or contradict the other writers. This literary evidence will be put to the test where appropriate, by comparing archaeological evidence of archaic Rome with the tradition. Therefore research will also take into account the criticism of the literary sources and review the claims that the extant authors have resorted to telling false stories and that very little of the ancient tradition is to be given credence."