Introduction/Synopsis
Big Data is driving virtually every industry in today’s Digital Age, including, among all others, the work of the Intelligence community. From human intelligence (HUMINT) to open source intelligence (OSINT), “strategic intelligence as a professional discipline and force multiplier” has evolved from centering on “qualitative subject-matter content analyzed by human specialists” to leveraging “the increasingly massive collection and machine analysis of quantifiable, if not necessarily quantitative, data.”[footnoteRef:2] However, as Richard Best, Specialist in National Defense, Foreign Affairs, Defense and Trade Division, testified before Congress in 2006, OSINT, which is primarily derived from old and new media publications, including social media, lacks a systematic manner in which such data can be incorporated into or used to supplement classified information.[footnoteRef:3] As Best notes, “a consensus now exists that OSINT must be systematically collected and should constitute an essential component of analytical products.”[footnoteRef:4] The main challenge is that among the community itself, a systematic approach has not yet been adopted and the Director of National Intelligence has not taken sufficient steps to exploit OSINT to its maximum potential. How to better incorporate OSINT into strategic decision making within the intelligence community is a major issue that has to be discussed in more detail so that U.S. intelligence can be better fortified by making the utmost use of all available information. [2: Kevjn Lim, "Big data and strategic intelligence." Intelligence and National Security 31, no. 4 (2016), 620.] [3: Richard Best, Open Source Intelligence (OSINT): Issues for Congress, 2007, 2.] [4: Ibid 2.]
Background/Problems
While OSINT and HUMINT are recognized as the “most democratic intelligence disciplines,”[footnoteRef:5] they are also the most common. The fact that virtually every intelligence agency collects OSINT, however, means that there one of the major problems surrounding OSINT is tied to “duplicative efforts, wasted resources, and often budget competition that promoted information hoarding rather than information sharing.”[footnoteRef:6] There is also another challenge with respect to OSINT. As OSINT is the source of first resort (since it is so readily and broadly available), OSINT has a long history in intelligence gathering. The collection of this data, though, must be legal and lawful—and with so much data now being posted and shared via social media, a gray line exists as to whether such information is public or private and whether intelligence agencies should have lawful access to social media...…their private information involves a degree of cyber HUMINT, which could lead to overlap and role confusion among intelligence officers; 3) to process Big Data effectively, OSINT officers must also work closely with IT developers to find effective ways of processing OSINT and distilling from the pool of Big Data the most essential sequences of information—which is easier said than done. As Krasner and Zegart show, “the national security landscape for the foreseeable future will be marked by unprecedented uncertainty. New threats are emerging and old threats are evolving at speeds unknown in earlier eras.”[footnoteRef:10] To get the most out of OSINT, new approaches and methods must constantly be employed, and this could absorb a great deal of time, energy and resources. [10: Amy Zegart and Stephen D. Krasner, eds., “Pragmatic Engagement amidst Global Uncertainty: Three Major Challenges,” Hoover Institution, 2015, 12]
Conclusion: Optimal Solution
The best solution going forward is to combine OSINT with HUMINT when searching social media for information and to develop an approach to OSINT that the intelligence community overall can agree to share. IT developers should also be sought to help develop a better method of processing Big Data so as to facilitate OSINT collection.…
References
Best, Richard. Open Source Intelligence (OSINT): Issues for Congress. Washington, DC, 2007.
Lim, Kevjn. "Big data and strategic intelligence." Intelligence and National Security 31, no. 4 (2016): 619-635.
Lowenthal, Mark M., and Robert M. Clark, eds. The five disciplines of intelligence collection. Sage, 2015.
Zegart, Amy B. "September 11 and the adaptation failure of US intelligence agencies." International Security 29, no. 4 (2005): 78-111.
Zegart and Stephen D. Krasner, eds. “Pragmatic Engagement amidst Global Uncertainty: Three Major Challenges,” Hoover Institution, 2015.
Sometimes, it is even necessary to carry out certain clandestine operations like deceptions, clandestine collection of information, covert actions, and also the carrying out of the exercise of distributing disinformation or misleading information, which would mislead the suspected threat. The United States Intelligence Community is, as stated earlier, made up a number of different agencies. The Central Intelligence Agency is one of these. Also known popularly as the CIA, this
intelligence analysis process have been discussed. This paper puts light on what basically is intelligence analysis and how can it be improved. It discusses ways via which intelligence analysis can be made more focused and more effective. It puts light on how better sharing and provision of information, collection and analysis of correct data and fact and figures can benefit the intelligence analysis process. This paper also puts light on
The report mentions that almost 3-4% of the keys could not be resolved. Thereby, it can be argued here that great advantages were gained when Americans decoded Japanese conversation 2. Radio Traffic Unit There is a naval intelligence installed at the Pearl Harbor was using the radio traffic unit and it was working to find out and analyze the location of Japanese ships. In this case, the Japanese messages could not
An intriguing example that can be found in the book refers to the episode in which men under his command succeeded to sneak guns in areas which were supposed to be protected by screening devices. Through his experiment Ervin managed to demonstrate that the Transportation Security Administration authorities are definitely not doing a good job. Furthermore, the reaction of the authorities to the event demonstrate that they are more concerned
S. directly. Evidently, the long-term objectives indirectly face the smooth running of the U.S. government. Priority should be given to those aspects that will pull the resources of the country to extreme levels. The U.S. As a super-power is privileged when tackling issues affecting other nations; it is mandated to help developing long-term solutions. Long-term also implies that the impacts and effects need to be widespread in order to maintain balance
U.S. Intelligence Community The nature of the work that is conducted by the U.S. intelligence community conditions some of the challenges it faces. The processes of gathering, analyzing, and disseminating intelligence locate members of the intelligence community in situations and relationships that, if not unique to the community, are certainly lodestones to controversy. The discussion will primarily track challenges that are related to improvements of the "intelligence product" and the
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now