Document Exploitation

[2] DOCEX was formulated during the War on Terror, during which U.S. military personnel frequently discovered large volumes of documents in various formats and languages.

Over 6 million pages were processed, mostly from the 1980s, that resulted in numerous execution orders and other incriminating documents being made available to the court.

The DOCEX process occurs at the lowest echelons possible to ensure the information gained from the documents can be understood and used as swiftly as possible.

Proper categorization and inventory of captured enemy documents ensures strict accountability and preserves evidentiary value.

Interpreters and qualified intelligence analysts working alongside communications and information technology specialists decide the DOCEX course of action during the screening phase.

The IIR is the most widely recognized and accepted format within the Intelligence Community, and is typically generated at higher echelons, such as division, corps or theater commands.

U.S. Army 82d Airborne Division paratroopers securing documents after a raid in Afghanistan during the War in Afghanistan
An 82nd Airborne Division paratrooper examining documents found in a raid in Iraq during the Iraq War