Information Abundance vs. the Intelligence Community
Executive Summary
The function of intelligence has existed since ancient and biblical times for the purpose of informing decision makers and leaders. Until quite recent times one of the unique capabilities of intelligence professionals was access to scarce information. However there has been a transformation in information domain over the last twenty years. Information is no longer a scarce commodity and access to many forms of information is relatively easy. This report will explore and discuss the dominant issues that exist, and demonstrate that technology itself is the root cause of many of these issues - such as the abundance of information, information management, bureaucratic and organisational siloing, technology substituting humans, the generation gap, virtual battles and enemies, and the increasing threats to our critical infrastructure - and that there is no simple or straightforward solution to a complex set of intertwined problems.
Introduction
The intention of this paper is to discuss how the intelligence landscape and profession is adapting to the changing information and technology landscape. This will be achieved by defining what intelligence is in relation to the modern information environment and how the intelligence cycle has changed and developed over time, followed by an analysis of the modern day issues faced by the intelligence community. Doing so will provide a basis upon which comparisons between the old and the new can be drawn can be drawn and identify more precisely the issues that currently exist within the modern intelligence community and how these issues should and/or can be addressed. There will be a particular focus upon the past 20 years during which time the intelligence landscape has transformed considerably due to the introduction and development of advanced information-gathering techniques and related technologies. While the introduction of new technologies have resulted in easier access to many forms of
The function of intelligence has existed since ancient and biblical times for the purpose of informing decision makers and leaders. Until quite recent times one of the unique capabilities of intelligence professionals was access to scarce information. However there has been a transformation in information domain over the last twenty years. Information is no longer a scarce commodity and access to many forms of information is relatively easy. This report will explore and discuss the dominant issues that exist, and demonstrate that technology itself is the root cause of many of these issues - such as the abundance of information, information management, bureaucratic and organisational siloing, technology substituting humans, the generation gap, virtual battles and enemies, and the increasing threats to our critical infrastructure - and that there is no simple or straightforward solution to a complex set of intertwined problems.
Introduction
The intention of this paper is to discuss how the intelligence landscape and profession is adapting to the changing information and technology landscape. This will be achieved by defining what intelligence is in relation to the modern information environment and how the intelligence cycle has changed and developed over time, followed by an analysis of the modern day issues faced by the intelligence community. Doing so will provide a basis upon which comparisons between the old and the new can be drawn can be drawn and identify more precisely the issues that currently exist within the modern intelligence community and how these issues should and/or can be addressed. There will be a particular focus upon the past 20 years during which time the intelligence landscape has transformed considerably due to the introduction and development of advanced information-gathering techniques and related technologies. While the introduction of new technologies have resulted in easier access to many forms of