During the Cold War and events of 1991-2003 in Iraq the problem of gaining sound intelligence on chemical weapons was encountered over and over again.
In the wake of the recent revelation of a National Ground Intelligence Center (NGIC) report about the discovery in Iraq of some 500 chemical weapons, the House Armed Services Committee took testimony from military intelligence and civilian experts about the threat posed - both before and after Iraq's liberation - by these and other weapons of mass destruction (WMD) amassed by the regime of Saddam Hussein.
CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Gaffney gives 'just the facts' on Iraqi WMD
This week, a senior Israeli military intelligence official said Assad used chemical weapons last month.
As it happens, U.S. chemical companies are an especially lucrative target for commercial intelligence collection since they are world leaders in their industry.
U.S. President Barack Obama and other American officials have said in recent days there was no intelligence to substantiate reports that rebels used chemical weapons against government troops.
Senior Israeli officials and Republicans in Washington, as well as British and French intelligence officials, have argued forcefully that the regime used chemical weapons.
President Obama said "intelligence assessments alone are not sufficient" in guiding its assessments on chemical weapon use in Syria.
Last week, the United States said its intelligence analysts had concluded "with varying degrees of confidence" that chemical weapons had been used in Syria and that the Assad regime was the likely culprit.
Regarding the chain of command, the French intelligence assessment said the section of the Syrian military responsible for filling munitions with chemical agents and for security at storage sites - "Branch 450" of the CERS - was staffed only by members of the president's minority Alawite sect and was "distinguished by a high level of loyalty to the regime".
And a U.S. military official directly familiar with preliminary intelligence analysis of the attack told CNN there were "strong indications" that no chemical weapon was used.
In 2011, the US director of national intelligence concluded that Syria remained "dependent on foreign sources for key elements" of its chemical weapons programme, including precursor chemicals, which are generally dual-use chemicals that can be combined to produce blister or nerve agents.
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