Open AccessAnalytical Standards in the Intelligence Community: Are Standards Professionalized Enough?
Author(s) -
Derek Reinhold,
Charles Russo,
Beth Eisenfeld
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of strategic security
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.156
H-Index - 8
eISSN - 1944-0472
pISSN - 1944-0464
DOI - 10.5038/1944-0472.14.1.1923
Subject(s) - intelligence analysis , process (computing) , professional standards , engineering ethics , foundation (evidence) , management science , political science , knowledge management , public relations , sociology , computer science , engineering , law , operating system
Analytical standards and its impact is a topic compelling the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) toward a discipline of proficiency and structure comparable to other professional fields is an evolutionary process. Following the creation of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), Intelligence Community Directives (ICDs) became the feature through which guidance and a consensus on a topic became methods of aligning entities within the IC. The research questions about the usefulness of ODNI’s ICDs on the individual analyst and IC member agencies as the intelligence profession emerges are intriguing. Therefore, practitioners should consider several approaches and criteria to evaluate analytical standards. This article outlines methods for determining the analytical standards and the impact standards creation has had on intelligence analysis, furthering the professional development of the discipline through a qualitative methodology using a descriptive and explanatory approach based on an organizational theory foundation. Using multiple case studies and a structured approach evidence supports the creation of standards while examining the various professional structures that can provide guidance.