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The intelligence cycle is a process used by many intelligence organizations throughout the world. It is also sometimes used by law enforcement and corporations with intelligence components. It is a highly simplified model of the actual steps taken to plan intelligence gathering activities, information collection, information processing and evaluation, intelligence analysis and production activities, and the dissemination of finished products. All of this occurs to achieve one end...providing critical answers to the questions posed by a consumer. This cycle takes on many forms with varying phases, and the consumers are different for each nation, branch of government or service, agency, or business. In any case, the consumer is almost always a decision maker; perhaps a president or maybe a military commander.

Overview

As mentioned, the intelligence cycle is different for each entity using it. The use and phases are dependent on the consumer's needs, organizational capabilities (both internal and external), operational circumstances (e.g. peace or war effort), and varying degrees of adversary intervention. One of the most common intelligence cycle models used today has five phases.

Planning and Direction
Collection
Processing and Evaluation
Analysis and Production
Dissemination

Keep in mind that not only is the cycle continuous, but it does not have to follow this order or complete every step. At times, especially when the information required is already available in existing intelligence files, the cycle may skip several steps at once.

The Process

Generally, however, a stated need for information will come in the form of a question, often called a Request for Information (RFI), groups of questions or statements called Essential Elements of Information (EEI), or statements and questions from a commander called the Commander's Intelligence Requirements (CIR). There are likely many other forms the information requirement can take on, but this will suffice for a general overview. At this point, regardless of the version of the model you look at, certain things take place based on the consumer's stated need.

Phase One

After a requirement is received, the tasked organization must first filter it into manageable pieces. Broad questions or statement must be broken down into highly specific parts. Often, this will result in many questions to fulfill that one need. Those specifics are then prioritized, listing the most important points first. This often becomes a list that is referred to as Priority Intelligence Requirements (PIR). In the case when the requirement comes in the form of a CIR the organization will still usually have to break it down in a similar manner, but perhaps not as far.

Now the direction portion comes into play, whereby the organization will set forth the responsibilities of its subordinates to complete the rest of the intelligence cycle. Therefore, this is also the phase where the management of the cycle is often maintained. The results of the direction step are seen in the form of formal guidance. In the military realm, this is often an Operations Plan (OPLAN), Operations Order (OPORD), or various intelligence annexes.

Phase Two

Once the agency that planned everything has provided such documents to its people or subordinated units, the collection phase begins. This phase can get very complicated. First, the intelligence sources must be reviewed. They must be checked for availability, which involves much more than knowing that they are there and not broken. Organizations will typically have two types of sources available, assets that are assigned to them or resources whose services must be formally requested from outside agencies. From that, the various disciplines to be used in the collection effort must be chosen. Often, these are referred to as sources as well, but they really are something separate. In the world of intelligence, they fall under five distinct disciplines: human intelligence (HUMINT), geospatial intelligence (GEOINT), signals intelligence (SIGINT), measurement and signature intelligence (MASINT), and open source intelligence (OSINT). Finally, a collection plan is made to guide the rest of this phase, resulting in raw data that is ready for a transformation into meaning information.

Phase Three

The raw data that has now been collected is largely unusable by second-, third-, and follow-on-analysts. This data must first be processed (transformed or converted) into usable information. There are times that raw data is all that is needed, however. This was the case during the Cuban Missile Crisis when all President John F. Kennedy needed were the facts about Soviet activities and missiles in Cuba. A picture was worth a thousand words as the saying goes. When processing of the raw data is necessary it comes in many forms. Translations, film-processing, code decryption, and data extraction off of computer hard drives are just a few examples.

Once the data has been processed it must be exploited. In the most simple of terms, this means that the data is given meaning. Translated documents must be read, imagery analyzed and objects identified, and frequencies associated with particular equipment. The information now has meaning and could be considered raw intelligence, or raw intelligence information. Still, there must be more accomplished to complete the cycle.

Phase Four

Old article

The Intelligence cycle is a cyclical sequence of processes to produce intelligence, common to many police and military intelligence organizations. The cycle may be complemented by the OODA Loop.

Intelligence is processed information. The activities of the intelligence cycle obtain and assemble information, convert it into intelligence and make it available to its users.

Application in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization

The NATO intelligence cycle comprises four phases:

Direction

Intelligence requirements are determined by the Commander to support his operational needs. The commander's requirement (sometimes called Essential Elements of Information (EEI)) initiates the Intelligence cycle. This is acted upon by the commander's intelligence staff.

Collection

The intelligence staff develops an information collection plan using sources available to them and seeking intelligence from other agencies. The sources and agencies available depend on whether the commander is at the strategic, operational or tactical level. At the highest level it could include the full range of HUMINT (human intelligence), IMINT (imagery intelligence), ELINT (electronic intelligence), SIGINT (signals intelligence), publicly available (open source) information, etc. At the tactical level it may be limited to intelligence produced by other agencies supplemented by visual reconnaissance.

Each intelligence source has different characteristics that can be used, but which may also be limiting. For instance, satellite imagery, may depend weather, positioning, and time for analysis. Other sources may take considerable time to collect the necessary information.

Processing

Once the collection plan is executed and information arrives, it is processed. In NATO this involves five steps:

Collation - related items of information are grouped together
Evaluation - determining the reliability and relevance
Analysis - establishing the significance and implications
Integration - combining information to identify collateral information and patterns
Interpretation - significance is assessed

Dissemination

The final phase is to disseminate the intelligence. The method for transmission will often be determined by the consumer's time table. It is important to provide a timely means of dissemination as well as one that is appropriate: a daily briefing (paper); a briefing (oral); a battle screen display or 'recognized picture' that can be updated in real-time; a weekly summary; or a short report about a significant item. All are examples of dissemination and have different strengths and weaknesses. The disseminated product has a security classification, such as top secret and may have caveats related to the sources or agencies.

Other Pertinent Facts

Operational and tactical intelligence should be actionable - i.e., the commander should be able to make decisions and initiate operations based upon the intelligence received. Some intelligence is taken from such extremely sensitive sources that it cannot be used without exposing the methods or persons providing such intelligence. Such was the case for Winston Churchill during the Second World War when reading Ultra/Enigma material.

A Never-ending Process

The intelligence cycle is circular: upon dissemination, future intelligence-gathering efforts will likely be refined in an iterative process, using feedback from the commander to alter the requirements, and thus initiating a new direction phase.

Category:Intelligence analysis | Category:Military intelligence