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e or what might happen; it may help policymakers fill in gaps between available facts, or
assess the range and likelihood of possible outcomes in a threat or “opportunity” scenario.
Operational support intelligence incorporates all types of intelligence by use, but is produced
in a tailored, focused, and timely manner for planners and operators of the supported
activity. Scientific and Technical intelligence typically comes to life in in-depth, focused
assessments stemming from detailed physical or functional examination of objects, events,
or processes, such as equipment manufacturing techniques. 35 Warning intelligence sounds
an alarm, connoting urgency, and implies the potential need for policy action in response.
How government and business leaders define their needs for these types of intelligence
affects the intelligence service’s organization and operating procedures. Managers of this
intricate process, whether in government or business, need to decide whether to make one
intelligence unit responsible for all the component parts of the process or to create several
specialized organizations for particular sub-processes. This question is explored briefly
below, and more fully in Part VII.
Functional Organization of Intelligence
The national Intelligence Community comprises Executive Branch agencies that produce
classified and unclassified studies on selected foreign developments as a prelude to decisions
and actions by the president, military leaders, and other senior authorities. Some of
this intelligence is developed from special sources to which few individuals have access
except on a strictly controlled “need-to-know” basis. 36 The four categories of special intelligence
are Human Resources (HUMINT), Signals (SIGINT), Imagery (IMINT) and Measurement
and Signatures (MASINT). The four corresponding national authorities for these
categories are the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the National Security Agency (NSA),
the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) and the Defense Intelligence Agency
(DIA). DIA shares authority for HUMINT, being responsible for Department of Defense
HUMINT management. Along with these four agencies, other members of the Intelligence
Community use and produce intelligence by integrating all available and relevant collected
information into reports tailored to the needs of individual customers.
Private sector organizations use open-source information to produce intelligence in a fashion
similar to national authorities. By mimicking the government process of translating customer
needs into production requirements, and particularly by performing rigorous analysis on
gathered information, private organizations can produce assessments that aid their leaders in
planning and carrying out decisions to increase their competitiveness in the global economy.
This primer will point out why private entities may desire to transfer into their domain some
well-honed proficiencies developed in the national Intelligence Community. At the same time,
the Intelligence Community self-examination conducted in these pages may allow government
managers to reflect on any unique capabilities worthy of further development and protection.
35 CIA, Consumer’s Guide, 5-7.
36 CIA, Consumer’s Guide, vii.
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