Trends and Challenges in Intelligence Education and Training
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International Conference KNOWLEDGE-BASED ORGANIZATION Vol. XXII No 1 2016 TRENDS AND CHALLENGES IN INTELLIGENCE EDUCATION AND TRAINING Iulian MARTIN, Antonio DAN-ŞUTEU National Defense University „Carol I”, Bucharest, Romania [email protected] Abstract: The education and lifelong learning of the intelligence analysts will provide the right ingredients to evolve into incredible and increasingly operational environment characterized by uncertainty and complex challenges. Based on diagnosis of the current ways of education and training in the field of intelligence analysis, there seems to be only a few higher education programs that focuses exclusively on law enforcement intelligence community. Most education and training programs are based on intelligence courses that incorporate multidisciplinary topics and a broad theoretical approach to intelligence issues. An efficient program should not only educate students by enabling them to learn how to perform an intellectual process for having analytical products, but it should also train them by teaching them the structures, techniques, and procedures associated with the intelligence process. Keywords: education, training, intelligence, analysis, process 1. Introduction University in 2002. This was followed by Major events in the wake of the the establishment of the College of new millennium have cast serious doubts Analytical Studies by the Federal Bureau over the ability of the intelligence of Investigation (FBI), as well as of the community to effectively address the National Intelligence University by the challenges posed by an increasingly Office of the Director of National globalized and rapidly changing world. Intelligence (ODNI). The latter was The failure to prevent the 9/11 terrorist designed as a ‘virtual’ institution attacks, as well as to accurately assess Iraq’s responsible for improving coordination Weapons of Mass Destruction program have between the training programs of different highlighted the need for significant intelligence agencies. improvements in the way in which Alongside organizational entities, intelligence agencies around the world are teaching methods also started being revised structured and operate. Within such context, by members of the intelligence the training of analysts was identified as an community. According to Marrin, the important area to reform [1]. traditional paradigm for doing analysis, One of the first steps taken in this which largely depended on the analyst's direction, especially in the United States, own expertise on a specific topic, was was the introduction of a series of recognized as increasingly obsolete. As a organisms aimed at enhancing the training result, a growing amount of resources were process for intelligence analysts. After allocated to training analysts to use opening the Sherman Kent School for structured analytical techniques such as Intelligence Analysis in 2000, the Central brainstorming, devil’s advocacy, red team Intelligence Agency set up the CIA analysis, team A-Team B, Analysis of DOI: 10.1515/kbo-2016-0015 © 2015. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License. 78 Competing Hypotheses, key assumptions introducing students to a similar context, check and alternative futures. The rationale the course was explicitly aimed at creating behind this approach is effectively "that sense of being part of a single UK summarized by Heuer’s claim according to intelligence community, and of belonging which “analysts should be self-conscious to the virtual profession of analysts" about their reasoning process. They should (Goodman & Omand, 2008) [3]. think about how they make judgments and Despite this, the intelligence reach conclusions, not just about the community still lacks a common basic judgments and conclusions themselves” [2]. training programme. Training is still A further trend related to the largely considered a prerogative of single training of analysts emerged out of the agencies, which in the majority of cases realization that the intelligence profession instruct new analysts based on their still lacked the formalized doctrine and set specific mission and needs. Such an of practices that are typical of other approach makes it particularly difficult for occupations such as journalism and analysts to communicate and interact with medicine. This was assumed to prevent the colleagues working in different areas or full consolidation of intelligence as a organizations [4]. As shown in the study profession and, therefore, to hinder the conducted by Johnston, analysts tend to be improvement of the entire system of reluctant in seeking resources from other intelligence analysis. The result was a agencies, either because their experience progressive convergence between the has been shaped by a rigid agency-centric spheres of training and education as well as focus or because they lack the necessary between those of government and contacts. For example, one of the survey academia. Both in the US and in Europe, respondents explained that the reason why governments began to put considerable he hardly ever tried to reach beyond his efforts into the advancement of intelligence organization was that “it only really works as an academic field. More specifically, if you trust the person on the other end on they started funding a number of the phone [and] that’s hard to do if you programmes directed at providing don’t know them” [5]. university graduates with the specific Another factor undermining the knowledge and skills needed within the effectiveness of the training process has to intelligence community. do with the relationship between the skills An interesting case is the academic needed by analysts and the type of training course in intelligence introduced by the they receive. A needs assessment of War Studies Department at King’s College intelligence training carried out in 2004 London in the mid 2000s. The programme revealed low levels of training quality looked at the field of intelligence from a across all parameters, with intelligence range of different angles, combining a analysts and managers being considered as functional, a historical/biographical, a the figures which most suffered from structural and a political approach. The inadequate training. When asked to opportunity to engage with the discipline identify the main cause, the majority of within the world of academia was respondents pointed out the insufficient considered a major added value for present funding, the lack of skilled trainers and the and future analysts, as it exposed them to excessive costs of traveling and aspects of the subject such as the key accommodation [6]. literature, related academic fields as well The problem of inadequate training as different and often contrasting concerns a wide range of intelligence viewpoints, which are much more difficult organizations and is not limited to the US. to convey in the relatively closed According to a 2011 study environment of governments. By (Intelligenceanalysis.net, 2011) the UK 79 still lacks training courses capable to 2. Education and Training Methods in properly teach intelligence analysis. Based Intelligence Analysis: seven case studies on an examination of five different training The following sub-section will look providers, the study showed that training with greater depth into the nature of programs tended: training offered by various intelligence- a) To interpret the role of related agencies and organizations. Seven intelligence analysts more as statisticians case studies will be analyzed in order to than as investigators (e.g., out of the two highlight the most significant features intelligence analysis courses offered by characterizing each course, including one provider, both had a predominantly duration, curricula, and skills provided and statistical character but lacked any teaching methods. The aim is to provide a reference to the investigative dimension of comprehensive account of currently the job); existing training programs as well as to b) Not to consider analysts as expose the reader to the most significant fully-fledged investigators (e.g., one course similarities and differences between them. relegated analysts to the function of mere “advisors” in the context of major Case Study 1: The NSA’s course incidents); on critical thinking and structured c) To attribute managers a analysis control function over the process of One of the most important skills in analysis (e.g., by tying the work of analysts the field of intelligence analysis is the to “'requirements', 'techniques', 'objectives' ability to think critically. This can be and ‘parameters'" to be preliminarily defined as "a deliberate meta-cognitive agreed or negotiated with the clients). (thinking about thinking) and cognitive Sloman looked at the same problem (thinking) act whereby a person reflects on in a military context [7]. In his view, the the quality of the reasoning process complexity of the skills currently required simultaneously while reasoning to a by the job - a mixture of experience, data conclusion. The thinker has two equally manipulation and critical thinking - important goals: coming to a solution and demands a change in the process of improving the way she or he reasons” [9]. selection and training of analysts as well as Despite its centrality within the in the opportunities they are offered. He work of intelligence analysts (as well as in notes that the position of the analyst is our everyday life), critical thinking has often considered