What Is Intelligence Studies?

2018

Intelligence studies is considered a sub-sub-level of international relations, falling under the security or strategic studies. It is considered an example of realist policies in action, as intelligence is one of the activities that states undertake to protect and further their strategic interests as defined by a notion of national security. That is why most universities that deliver intelligence courses links intelligence with security in their title.

Journal of Strategic Security, 2021

Intelligence and security studies degree programs at non-government universities offer a variety of diplomas, from bachelor’s degrees, to graduate certificates, to master’s degrees. In most cases, universities market intelligence studies degree programs to two audiences: those who aspire to a job in a security-related career (intelligence, law enforcement, or homeland security); and those already in one of those careers who want to improve their qualifications for career advancement. This article proposes three additional audiences—intelligence scholars, students seeking to improve critical thinking and analytic skills, and any informed student—that would also benefit from such degree programs, with each requiring a different combination and weighting of competencies, thus necessitating a different level of emphasis in an intelligence degree program.

“Experimenting with Intelligence Education: Challenges in the Design of Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Intelligence Analysis Programs in the United States” Routledge International Handbook of Universities, Security and Intelligence Studies (Ed. Liam Gearon). Routledge. 2019. , 2019

Abstract: Designing the educational curricula for undergraduate intelligence analysis programs is inherently difficult, as they entail highly complex, interwoven degree structures that integrate liberal arts knowledge with professional skills in novel combinations. Undergraduate intelligence analysis programs, specifically, have attracted increasing attention from institutions of higher learning due to their interdisciplinary approach to education combined with the utility and marketability of their graduates. But academic studies of intelligence education programs have not yet used the educational literature to create a conceptual baseline for evaluation purposes. Accordingly, this study uses concepts from existing educational literature to develop an evaluative framework for intelligence analysis programs in the United States and then applies that framework to James Madison University’s intelligence analysis program as a case study. It finds that challenges and tensions can arise from efforts to combine liberal arts with professional education, which highlight difficulties of achieving both simultaneously due to the tradeoffs involved. In the end, while each undergraduate intelligence analysis program provides its own unique blend of knowledge and skills to its students, the quality of the program will be determined by the depth and breadth of knowledge that the students acquire along with an overlay of useful skills to help them exploit that knowledge to best effect.

IDEAL, 2024

Contemporary security realities have deepened the need to widen the space in search of intelligence education and knowledge acquisition across the world. This has opened up new horizons as non-military universities have established intelligence and security studies all over the world. However, this raises the need to examine the issues of core competencies and expertise needed to produce global future leaders in intelligence management and practice. For a developing country like Nigeria, this remains an onerous task as this work seeks to evaluate the quest for intelligence education in Nigeria by Novena University and Afe Babalola University. It has been seriously noted that part of the competencies required for effective intelligence teaching require practical experiences because some believe that no matter your academic prowess in terms of research work, publications and professional trainings in the classroom, being on ground to acquire real life experiences that cannot be over emphasised. While the aforesaid assertion remains immutable this work shows the strengths and weaknesses in delivering intelligence education as they are tailored largely towards tradecraft. This lacuna stems largely from the dearth of adequate academics in this relatively new field and suffice to say that a generalist approach as it is now holds a glorious future for intelligence education in Nigeria.

Intelligence is the product resulting from the collection, collation, evaluation, analysis, integration, and interpretation of collected information.[1] It is a specialized information product that provides the United States or an adversary with information required to further its national interests. One of the most important functions of intelligence is the reduction of the ambiguity inherent in the observation of external activities. In the most obvious case, adversary intelligence organizations may seek information concerning military capabilities or other matters that directly threaten the national security of the United States. In other cases, adversary nations, or other groups, may seek information about U.S. diplomatic negotiating positions, economic programs, or proprietary information from U.S. corporations. In each of these cases, the information sought may provide the adversary with an edge and might allow him to implement a well-developed strategy to reach his goals. In most cases, the development of an intelligence product involves collecting information from a number of different sources. In some cases, information may be disseminated immediately upon collection based upon operational necessity and potential impact on current operations. This type of raw intelligence is usually based on fragmentary information about fast-breaking events and may contain substantial inaccuracies or uncertainties that must be resolved through subsequent report and analysis. Finished intelligence products contain information that is compared, analyzed, and weighted to allow the development of conclusions. Finished intelligence is produced through analytical review in the intelligence process. The intelligence process confirms a fact or set of facts through a multiplicity of sources to reduce the chance of erroneous conclusions and susceptibility to deception. Intelligence is divided into strategic and operational intelligence. Strategic intelligence provides policy makers with the information needed to make national policy or decisions of long-lasting importance. Strategic intelligence collection often requires integrating information concerning politics, military affairs, economics, societal interactions, and technological developments. It typically evolves over a long period of time and results in the development of intelligence studies and estimates. Operational intelligence is concerned with current or near-term events. It is used to determine the current and projected capability of a program or operation on an ongoing basis and does not result in long-term projections. Most intelligence activities support the development of operational intelligence. [2] The Intelligence Cycle The intelligence cycle is the process through which intelligence is obtained, produced, and made available to users. In depicting this cycle, the United States Intelligence

As a faculty member teaching undergraduate-and graduate-level courses in intelligence studies, homeland security, and criminal justice, I find that many students come into college programs unable to conduct fundamental research, think critically, or engage in thorough analysis.

Cyber, Intelligence, and Security, 2019

“Academization of intelligence” is defined as the academic research, conceptualization, and teaching about the world of intelligence. Its goal is to study the field of intelligence’s essence, activities, and influence on the national security of the state and its decision-making processes. Policymakers and political leaders have recognized the increasingly significant role of intelligence in shaping policy and decision-making processes. These developments and concerns accelerated the academization of intelligence and gave the field its due attention and prominence. As the demand for intelligence practitioners increased, American and Western universities responded to the growing need for formulating academic programs and courses devoted to intelligence, which significantly accelerated the academization of intelligence. The United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada are at the forefront of efforts to academize intelligence. In other Western countries, such as Spain, France, and Germany, the process of academicization has been slower and burdened by the darker roles played by the intelligence services at certain points in history.

2011

Improving intelligence analysis requires bridging the gap between scholarship and practice. Compared to the more established academic disciplines of political science and international relations, intelligence studies scholarship is generally quite relevant to practice. Yet a substantial gap exists nonetheless. Even though there are many intelligence analysts, very few of them are aware of the various writings on intelligence analysis which could help them improve their own processes and products. If the gap between scholarship and practice were to be bridged, practitioners would be able to access and exploit the literature in order to acquire new ways to think about, frame, conceptualize, and improve the analytic process and the resulting product. This volume contributes to the broader discussion regarding mechanisms and methods for improving intelligence analysis processes and products. It synthesizes these articles into a coherent whole, linking them together through common themes, and emphasizes the broader vision of intelligence analysis in the introduction and conclusion chapters. Chapters: 1. Bridging the Gap Between Scholarship and Practice 2. Describing Intelligence Analysis 3. Improving the Science of Intelligence Analysis 4. Improving the Art of Intelligence Analysis 5. Improving Intelligence Analysis with Analytic Teams 6. Improving Intelligence Analysis Through Training and Education 7. Using Analogies to Improve Intelligence Analysis 8. Improving Intelligence Analysis as a Profession 9. The Importance of Scholarship to Practice

Current trends suggest that academia may be well "behind the curve" in delivering effective competitive and market intelligence programs and course offerings to students. There are many reasons why this state of affairs has occurred, and prominent among them is nature of challenges experienced by instructors in disseminating and teaching students the prominent competencies they need to acquire in order to be successful in the changing workplace. Applying cluster analysis to our teaching experiences and the scholarship, we develop a normative conceptual model that contrasts traditional and evolving pedagogical methods. Furthermore, we make the case that new learning tools and technologies which are revolutionizing the way information is taught need to be matched up with the new ways in which unique segments of contemporary intelligence students approach learning.