HLSS3

What is Intelligence?

The office of the Director of Intelligence for the Federal Bureau of Inves�ga�on (FBI) defines intelligence as “. . . informa�on that has been analyzed and refined so that it is useful to policymakers in making decisions—specifically, decisions about poten�al threats to our na�onal security” (FBI, n.d.).

The military defines intelligence a bit differently saying that intelligence is “The product resul�ng from the collec�on, processing, integra�on, evalua�on, analysis, and interpreta�on of available informa�on concerning foreign na�ons, hos�le or poten�ally hos�le forces or elements, or areas of actual or poten�al opera�ons. The term is also applied to the ac�vity which results in the product and to the organiza�ons engaged in such ac�vity” (U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, 2010, p. 158).

Within the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), there is a similar discussion on the defini�on of intelligence. Michael Warner (2002), a CIA historian, wrote an ar�cle that discussed the defining of intelligence in which he gives an overview of the history of how the term has been defined both in legisla�on and in the private literature. Reviewing all the literature, Warner defined the term sta�ng, “Intelligence is secret, state ac�vity to understand or influence foreign en��es” (Walker, 2002, p. 4). Here we begin to see the issue of intelligence being an understanding of informa�on and that intelligence is intended to influence foreign en��es. The focus is on the use of intelligence for security, but even more so to focus on threats of acts of violence against the U.S. and its interests. In reality, intelligence is used for much more. It is used to support all the instruments of na�onal power; diploma�c, informa�onal, military and economic.

The FBI is the primary agency responsible for counterintelligence on American soil, preven�on of a foreign government's and/or terrorist group’s illicit acquisi�on of our secrets. The Bureau notes that counterintelligence is its second highest priority, and its importance is derived from protec�ng the American public from a�acks. Opera�onally, what we want to do with counterintelligence is to prevent terrorists and sympathe�c governments to terrorists from obtaining informa�on about our counterterrorism ac�vi�es and poten�al targets.

While a lot of �me and effort goes into gathering and analyzing informa�on to be�er ensure against a�acks against the na�on and its people, there is also a tremendous amount of �me and effort to develop intelligence that allows us to be�er nego�ate trea�es, to recognize poten�al hot-spots around the world, and to understand how we can bring those elements of our na�onal power to bear on events around the world in such a way as to gain the most

advantage for the na�on. This breadth of u�lity for intelligence is seen in the four strategic goals set forth in the Na�onal Intelligence Strategy:

1) Execute our mission smartly and iden�fy ways to be�er leverage the substan�ve work of our partners and poten�al partners; (2) Con�nue to integrate, transform, and strengthen the IC’s support to na�onal security; (3) Protect privacy and civil liber�es and adhere to the Principles of Professional Ethics for the IC; and (4) Adapt to changing needs and resources and innovate to provide unique an�cipatory and strategic intelligence (Director of Na�onal Intelligence, 2014, p. forward).