Peer response week 6 | Government homework help

HSE 430 WK 6 Responses

Task 2: After you have created your new discussion topic, you are required to read and respond to a minimum of 2 of your classmates discussion topics.  Think of your responses in terms of a contribution to a dialogue, not a writing exercise or a chat room.  Elaborate a single idea and keep your post short but concise as if you were holding a conversation with your classmate(s).   Incorporate what you have learned from the weekly reading material and from your own real-world experiences.  Don’t forget to use proper APA citations and references whenever necessary.

Book: M. M. Lowenthal (2022). Intelligence: from Secrets to Policy 9th edition. CQ Press.

Juan: There are five key stakeholders involved in the national security policy process.

1. The president 

2. The departments (DOD, DHS, Justice, Commerce, Treasury, Energy, Agriculture, Health and Human Services). Other departments will partake in this process if necessary.

3. The National Security Council (NSC) staff

4. The intelligence community

5. Congress

No single area above has more influence than another. They all need each other during the security policy process or a policy would not be processed. In my opinion, the president can have the most influence on the policy process if he is a good charismatic leader who can persuade others. 

It is important that intelligence is influenced by policymakers to a certain degree. Policymakers can direct what intelligence is needed and what areas need the most focus. This can obviously be abused by policymakers who can direct intelligence gathering that supports their own political agenda. 

The oversight responsibility of the intelligence community is shared amongst the executive branch and Congress. The executive branch focuses on overseeing if the intelligence community is asking the right questions, responding to policymakers’ needs, being rigorous in its analysis, and having on hand the right operational capabilities. Congress on the other hand oversees if intelligence agencies are performing as intended by having access to information relevant to the functioning of the government.

Lowenthal, Mark M. Intelligence. Available from: VitalSource Bookshelf, (9th Edition). SAGE Publications, Inc. (US), 2022.

Johnathan: There are five key stakeholders in the national security policy process these are the president, the departments specifically the Department of Defense (DOD) and the State Department, the National Security Council (NSC), the intelligence community, and finally Congress. However, not all of these have influence over the process. The Intelligence Community is one of the parties here that has immense influence over this process. The reason for this is that the intelligence community collects information to help policymakers make informed careful decisions directly influencing decisions related to the national security process. Congress is another who has an immense influence over the process because it controls all expenditures, makes policy in its own right, and performs oversight. Then we have the NSC which also has a great deal of influence over national security policy due to this group reporting directly to the national security adviser this is one of the key positions and sets much of the tone for policy deliberation. It would be unfair to say the other parties involved do not have some influence over the national security process they do while these parties might have very little influence over the national security process their concerns still play a part in the overall process. For example, the president is more concerned about broad policy initiatives while some of these could involve the national security process however it is not their primary focus. Furthermore, the president is only in office for a short while so again their primary concern is broad policy initiatives, furthering their own agenda, and eventually their place in history. While in office they might have some influence over the process it is minimal at best. The DOD is primarily concerned with having sufficient military capabilities to deter hostile nations while part of the concern of the national security process this is only one small aspect of the national security process. 

Policymakers I believe should have influence over intelligence collection because they determine what issues are the most pressing in the United States. While these decisions should be made with the careful consideration of the advice from the intelligence community, policymakers still serve an integral role in collection within the intelligence community. One such way policymakers influence collection is through the intelligence budget. Policymakers have issues or certain areas that they must concentrate on and other issues they would like to focus on. Some of these issues might be of no concern to policymakers, however, must receive attention occasionally or regularly. policymakers oftentimes make the mistake that all issues have some sort of collection always going on and that collection can be quickly increased however, that is not the case so Policymakers serve a great deal of influence over the collection of intelligence and must be careful in deciding what issues need more collection as intelligence funds are not easily fungible once already allocated. 

When receiving intelligence policymakers want to receive intelligence that suits their preferences but must be careful in disregarding intelligence that is compelling and contrary to their particular preferences. On the other side, the intelligence community wants guidance on policymaker’s agendas so that their collection of intelligence can be as useful and helpful as possible. Due to this the intelligence community oftentimes has to make a difficult choice in resource decisions resulting in some reasons or issues receiving little attention. 

Due to these difficult decisions that have to be made on resources within the intelligence community, there is an authority that oversees all things in the intelligence community. That authority is known as the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). This position has key responsibilities such as ensuring intelligence is transferred to where it is needed when it is needed, directing and implementing the National Intelligence Program budget, and serving as the principal advisor to the president, the National Security Council, and the Homeland Security Council for many other intelligence matters. 

Works Cited

Lowenthal, M. M. (2022). Intelligence (9th ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc. (US). https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9781071806395

Odni Home. Home. (n.d.). https://www.dni.gov/index.php/what-we-do#:~:text=The%20Director%20of%20National%20Intelligence%20serves%20as%20the%20head%20of,Security%20Council%20for%20intelligence%20matters