Julio Gonzalez
On the Role of the Intelligence Community and The Intelligence Cycle
This post addresses the role of the Intelligence Community (IC) within prosecuting the war on terror, as well as the cycle of intelligence and its role in developing raw information into finished intelligence. In addition, this essay will offer a brief discussion on intelligence and information gathering from a Biblical perspective, and conclude with a summary of the ideas and topics discussed throughout.
The Intelligence Community
The role of the Intelligence Community (IC) within the investigation and prosecution of the war on terror is succinctly articulated in its mission statement: “to collect, analyze, and deliver foreign intelligence and counterintelligence information to America’s leaders so they can make sound decisions to protect our country” (Office of the Director of National Intelligence [ODNI], n.d.a, Mission section). However, Bury and Chertoff (2020) point out that although the role of the IC has traditionally been conceived as such—that is as that of analyzing the intent and capability of adversaries in order to maintain national security—its role and main focus since the beginning of the 21st century has been largely dominated by counterterrorism efforts and the global jihadist threat. They argue that the focus on counterterrorism and the jihadist threat has come at the cost of being unable to provide valuable strategic intelligence. They contend that the focus on the counterterrorism mission has resulted in the increased integration of the intelligence community in efforts to support US Department of Defense operations, which has led to the “‘quasi subordination of national intelligence to war fighters’” (p. 46). In fact, they call attention to the fact that the extent of this focus has been so absolute that “there is a divergence among the US intelligence community on what the…[role] of intelligence is—to support policymakers or military commanders?” (p. 42). They also cite senior CIA personnel who have argued that the IC has developed a “tactical mindset” which has limited its strategic thinking. Quoting from an internal IC survey, they point to the following statement provided by a survey respondent: “Our products have become so specific, so tactical even, that our thinking has become tactical. We’re losing our strategic edge because we’re so focused on today’s issues” (p. 46). Similarly, another analyst described the issue as follows: “About 15 years ago, I used to have 60 percent of my time available for long-term products. Now, it’s between 20 and 25 percent” (p. 46). Notwithstanding the different perceptions from intelligence observers and practitioners, it is clear that intelligence is at the forefront of the struggle against terrorism, and that the IC plays an important role in prosecuting the war on terror.
The Cycle of Intelligence
According to Shakoor (2023), the intelligence cycle “has remained the standard conceptual framework for structuring intelligence processes and still—apparently—functions inside national intelligence services [and] international organizations” (p. 2). In essence, it is the model for the production of finished intelligence. There are five, or six (depending on how the process is described) steps which are said to constitute the intelligence cycle, including planning, collection, processing, analysis, dissemination, and evaluation (ODNI, n.d.b, The Six Steps in the Intelligence Cycle section). In any case, as Shakoor points out, the cycle represents a stylistic presentation of how the process is said to function in reality (see also Hulnick, 2015). In essence, it captures the functions, more or less, that have to occur to produce intelligence and does so in a way that outsiders can relatively easily understand (Shakoor). The first step—planning and direction represents the notion that policymakers provide guidance to the IC to begin the intelligence process. The collection process is next and refers to the gathering of raw information, which is followed by the process of converting the information to a form usable by intelligence analysts, who then analyze the information. The final stages include the dissemination and evaluation steps which refer to the process of distributing the product to the intelligence consumers, and the evaluation of the finished product by policymakers.
A Biblical Perspective
Through God’s words Christians are given to understand that He values those who seek out information, knowledge, and wisdom. For example, The Holy Bible explains that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction” (English Standard Bible, 2001/2023, Proverbs 1:7). And that “An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge” (English Standard Bible, 2001/2023, Proverbs 18:15). It follows then that the Lord grants knowledge to those who have a relationship with him, value knowledge, and seek the path to gaining it.
Conclusion
This post addressed the role of the Intelligence Community (IC) within prosecuting the war on terror, as well as the cycle of intelligence and its role in developing raw information into finished intelligence. It was mentioned that the role of the Intelligence Community (IC) within the investigation and prosecution of the war on terror is succinctly articulated in its mission statement but that although the role of the IC has traditionally been conceived as such, since the beginning of the 21st century, its role has been largely dominated by counterterrorism efforts and the global jihadist threat. It was said that the cycle of intelligence represents the model for the production of finished intelligence and that there are five, or six steps which are said to constitute the cycle, including planning, collection, processing, analysis, dissemination, and evaluation. In addition, this essay offered a brief discussion on intelligence and information gathering from a Biblical perspective.