The Federation of American Scientists has obtained a copy of U.S. Army Regulation 381-10 (U.S. Army Intelligence Activities) dated 22 November 2005 under the Freedom of Information Act. Included in a list of “Commonly Reported Questionable Intelligence Activities” at section 15-4, para. d.3, is the following:
Coaching a source or subject of an investigation prior to an intelligence polygraph examination in an effort to help the individual pass the polygraph.
Perhaps such coaching is commonplace because U.S. Army intelligence personnel increasingly understand that polygraph testing is a pseudoscientific sham, and that continued reliance on it is detrimental to national security. Indeed, it is polygraphy itself that should be considered a “questionable intelligence activity.”
For more on Army Regulation 381-10, see Army Defines Legitimate and Questionable Intel Activities on the Secrecy News blog. For information on how to pass the polygraph, see AntiPolygraph.org’s free e-book, The Lie Behind the Lie Detector.