Editing Intelligence assessment (section)

== Process ==
[[File:Intelligence Cycle.jpg|thumb|The intelligence cycle]]
Intelligence assessment is based on a customer requirement or need, which may be a standing requirement or tailored to a specific circumstance or a Request for Information (RFI).<ref>{{Cite web |title=History - The World Factbook |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/about/history/ |access-date=2025-03-05 |website=www.cia.gov}}</ref> The "requirement" is passed to the assessing agency and worked through the [[intelligence cycle]], a structured method for responding to the RFI.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Johnson |first=Loch K. |last2=Wirtz |first2=James J. |date=December 15, 2022 |title=Intelligence: The Secret World of Spies, An Anthology |url=https://global.oup.com/academic/product/intelligence-9780197667064?cc=us&lang=en& |access-date=2025-03-05 |website=global.oup.com}}</ref>

The RFI may indicate in what format the requester prefers to consume the product.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Clark |first=Robert M. |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Intelligence_Analysis/OpQHAQAAMAAJ?hl=en |title=Intelligence Analysis: A Target-centric Approach |date=2004 |publisher=CQ Press |isbn=978-1-56802-830-9 |language=en}}</ref>

The RFI is reviewed by a Requirements Manager, who will then '''direct''' appropriate tasks to respond to the request.<ref>{{Cite book |last=III |first=Carl J. Jensen |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Introduction_to_Intelligence_Studies/z4WDEAAAQBAJ?hl=en |title=Introduction to Intelligence Studies |last2=McElreath |first2=David H. |last3=Graves |first3=Melissa |date=2022-09-15 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-000-63166-1 |language=en}}</ref> This will involve a review of existing material, the tasking of new analytical product or the collection of new information to inform an analysis.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Johnson |first=Loch K. |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Handbook_of_Intelligence_Studies/fXeTAgAAQBAJ?hl=en |title=Handbook of Intelligence Studies |date=2007-01-24 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-135-98687-2 |language=en}}</ref>

New information may be '''collected''' through one or more of the various collection disciplines; [[Human intelligence (intelligence gathering)|human source]], [[Signals Intelligence|electronic and communications intercept]], [[Imagery Intelligence|imagery]] or [[open source intelligence|open sources]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Intelligence and Intelligence Analysis |url=https://www.routledge.com/Intelligence-and-Intelligence-Analysis/Walsh/p/book/9781843927396 |access-date=2025-03-05 |website=Routledge & CRC Press |language=en}}</ref> The nature of the RFI and the urgency placed on it may indicate that some collection types are unsuitable due to the time taken to collect or validate the information gathered.<ref name=":2" /> Intelligence gathering disciplines and the sources and methods used are often highly [[classified information|classified]] and compartmentalised, with analysts requiring an appropriate high level of [[security clearance]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Intelligence analysis needs to look backwards before looking forward |url=https://historyandpolicy.org/policy-papers/papers/intelligence-analysis-needs-to-look-backwards-before-looking-forward/ |access-date=2025-03-05 |website=History & Policy |language=en-GB}}</ref>

The process of taking known information about situations and entities of importance to the RFI, characterizing what is known and attempting to forecast future events is termed "[[All-source intelligence|all source]]" assessment, analysis or '''processing'''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=All-Source Analysis [NICE Framework Work Role] {{!}} NICCS |url=https://niccs.cisa.gov/workforce-development/nice-framework/work-role/all-source-analysis |access-date=2025-03-05 |website=niccs.cisa.gov |language=en}}</ref> The analyst uses multiple sources to mutually corroborate, or exclude, the information collected, reaching a conclusion along with a measure of confidence around that conclusion.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 2009 |title=A Tradecraft Primer: Structured Analytic Techniques for Improving Intelligence Analysis |url=https://www.stat.berkeley.edu/~aldous/157/Papers/Tradecraft%20Primer-apr09.pdf |website=Berkeley.edu}}</ref>

Where sufficient current information already exists, the analysis may be tasked directly without reference to further collection.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=BooksRun |url=https://booksrun.com/9780810861848-strategic-intelligence-a-handbook-for-practitioners-managers-and-users-security-and-professional-intelligence-education-series-revised-edition |title=Strategic Intelligence: A Handbook for: 9780810861848 - BooksRun |isbn=978-0-8108-6184-8 |language=en}}</ref>

The analysis is then communicated back to the requester in the format directed, although subject to the constraints on both the RFI and the methods used in the analysis, the format may be made available for other uses as well and '''disseminated''' accordingly.<ref name=":3" /> The analysis will be written to a defined classification level with alternative versions potentially available at a number of classification levels for further dissemination.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rovner |first=Joshua |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctt7z94g |title=Fixing the Facts: National Security and the Politics of Intelligence |date=2011 |publisher=Cornell University Press |isbn=978-0-8014-4829-4 |doi=10.7591/j.ctt7z94g}}</ref>