INTELLIGENCE

CYCLE
 Intelligence Cycle
• All intelligence activities generally
follow a four-phase oriented to the
mission.
• Continuous and all steps are
carried out at the same time
 Four Phases

• Planning & Directing the Collection

Effort
• Collecting the Information
• Processing the Collected Information
• Disseminating and Using the Resulting
Intelligence
 Planning and Directing the
Collection Effort
• Guided by mission
• Sequence of Intelligence Planning
– determine the intelligence required for decision and plans
– determine the priority of need for each of the different
items
– determine enemy activity or characteristics of the area of
operation which would affect the answer to the intelligence
requirements
– determine the specific items of information the presence or
absence of which would affect or refute pertinent indication
– select collection agencies and prepare and dispatch
appropriate orders
– supervise the collection effort to ensure productivity and
timely collection of information.
 Collecting the Information
• Thorough knowledge of the available sources of
information and collecting agencies and the
type of information they can provide.
• Sources
– actual origin from which information is
obtained.
• Agencies
– individual or organization which collects or
processes information
 Sources of Information
• enemy activities • imagery
• prisoner of war • maps
• local residents • weather forecasts
• refugees • studies
• evacuees • reports
• displaced persons • captured enemy
• civilian agencies documents and
• Signal material
Intercept/technical • Internet
 Factors in Selecting Agencies
• Capability
– physically capable of providing information in
a timely manner
• Suitability
– must be compatible with its primary mission
• Multiplicity
– evaluation of information requires that it is
compared with information received from
other source
• Balance
– collection workload is balanced among agencies
 Processing the Collected
Information
• Information is converted into intelligence
• Five activities
– recording
– evaluation
– analysis
– integration
– interpretation
It is that step in the intelligence cycle in which
the information is converted into intelligence.
 Recording
• Reducing the information into
writing or some form of
graphical representation
– writing down an oral report
– plotting it on a situation map
– writing it on a journal,
worksheet or workbook
– indexing it
 Evaluation
• Critical appraisal of information
to serve as basis for its
subsequent interpretation.
• Determines the pertinence of an
information
• Determines reliability of the
source and agency and its
accuracy
 Pertinence

• Examination of information for

pertinence specifically whether or not the
information is:
– pertinent with regard to the enemy or the
characteristics of the area of operation
– needed immediately, and if so, by whom
– of possible present or future value, and if so,
to whom
 Reliability

• Principal basis for judging is

previous experience
• Source or agency nearest is
the best judge
 Accuracy
• The probable truth of the information
• Judgment of accuracy is based on the
answers to the following questions:
– is it possible for the reported fact or event to have
taken place?
– is the report consistent within itself?
– is the report confirmed or corroborated by information
from other sources or agencies?
– does the report agree or disagree in any way with other
available information?
– if the report does not agree with information from
other source or agencies, which one is more likely to be
true?
 Evaluation Rating
(reliability of source) (accuracy of Info) (source of info)
A-completely reliable 1-confirmed by T-direct observation by
B-usually reliable other sources commander
C-fairly reliable U-penetration/resident
2-probably true
agent
D-not usually reliable
3-possibly true V-combat troops
E-unreliable
4-doubtfully true enc/opn
F-reliability cannot be
5-improbable W-interrogation of
judged
captured document
6-truth cannot be
X-government civilian
judge employee
Y-members of the
populace
Z-documentary
 example
• A-1Y
– report was made by a member of
the populace who is completely
reliable and that the information
was confirmed by other source
• C-3Z
– report is from a newspaper which is
quite true and possible.
 Analysis

• Information is subjected to
review in order to satisfy
significant facts and derive
conclusion
• Examination into the implication
of words, acts, things, or even
silence
• WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY?
 Integration

• Combination of the elements

isolated in analysis with other
known information related to it
form a logical picture or
hypothesis of enemy activities or
the influence of area of operation
characteristics on the mission
 Interpretation
• Act of determining the significance of a known
condition or development or development in its
true perspective.
• Seeks answers to the questions:
– What does the information mean in relation
to the area of operation and the enemy
situation?
– What could possibly happen because of
these?
– Where are these leading to?
 Disseminating and Using the
Resulting Intelligence

• Timely conveyance of information /intelligence

in an appropriate form and by any suitable
means to those who need it.
• Primary purpose is for the commander to make
timely decisions with confidence
• Provide knowledge in the light of which new
information may be processed.
Criteria in Disseminating Intelligence
• Must reach the user in time to permit evaluation
and interpretation, formulation of plans, initiation
of action under the existing situation
• Only intelligence which can be used by the unit
concerned is disseminated (need-to-know/nice-to-know)
• Dissemination means must interfere least with
operational messages
• Must be in such form that the recipients may
readily identify items of interest.
Dissemination Means

• Personal Contact
• Oral Reports
• Briefings
• other written reports
 HOT OR PERISHABLE INFORMATION MUST BE
DISSEMINATED IMMEDIATELY BY ALL MEANS TO
THE END USER….
 Written Reports

• Spot reports • Imagery interpretation reports

• Intelligence reports • Intelligence interrogation
• Supplementary intelligence reports
reports • Hostile enemy action reports
• Intelligence summary • Weather forecast/current
• Periodic intelligence report reports
• Weekly intelligence • Order of battle
summary • Geographic intelligence report
• Analysis of area of
operation
 INTELLIGENCE CYCLE
1. Intelligence required
for decision and plans Directing the
1. Reports
2. Priority for w/c Intel Collection Effort 2. Briefings
items are required
3. Messages
3. Balance requirements
4. Etc
based on capabilities

Collecting the Dissemination and Using

Information MISSION the Resulting Intelligence

1. Sources
2. Agencies
1. Recording
2. Evaluation
Processing the Collected
3. Integration
Information 4. Interpretation
 This is the significant difference between the Intelligence
Operative’s “report” and with the Media “report”.

The information that an Intelligence need has to be properly

evaluated before dissemination, while the media has
deadlines to beat…irregardless of reliability, and accuracy.
They deliver the report to sensationalize and sell their stories.
REVIEW:
•Intel cycle is a continuous process.
• The 4 phases are:
- Planning & Directing the Collection Effort
- Collecting the Information
- Processing the Collected Information
- Disseminating and Using the Resulting Intelligence
• Planning & Directing the Collection Effort is based on the
mission.
• Sources - actual origin from which information is obtained.
• Agencies - individual or organization which collects or
processes information.
• During processing of information - It is that step in the
intelligence cycle in which the information is converted into
intelligence.
• Five activities in Processing the collected information:
- recording
- evaluation
- analysis
- integration
- interpretation
• Principal basis for judging the reliability of the source
is previous experience.
• HOT OR PERISHABLE INFORMATION MUST BE
DISSEMINATED IMMEDIATELY BY ALL MEANS
TO THE END USER
• Analysis is the Examination into the implication of
words, acts, things, or even silence
• Accuracy - the probable truth of the information
• Your job is completed after disseminating the
intelligence to the end user.
THE END