Peer responses 11/5/2023 | Government homework help

HSE 430 WK 3 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.

Serenity: Our book identifies several factors which have an impact on the intelligence community. One of those factors includes the relationships of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). The most important relationship that the DNI has is their relationship with the president which is essential to the prosperity of the intelligence community. If the DNI does not have access and is excluded from meetings where intelligence is an important factor, there are ramifications which for the DNI is personal and professional. This lack of a relationship with the president has been responsible for the resigning of many Directors of Central Intelligence including DCI John McCone in relation to President Johnson and DCI R. James Woolsey in relation to President Bill Clinton. Another one of the factors that influences the intelligence community is their budget. The budget of the intelligence community can be quite intricate. But after attempts to simplify it, there are now two main components to the intelligence budget: the National Intelligence Program (NIP) and the Military Intelligence Program (MIP). The Military Intelligence Program includes the Joint Military Intelligence Program, Tactical Intelligence and Related Activities. The DNI is responsible for the NIP which consists of issues which are beyond the realm of agencies and are not defensive in nature. The secretary of defense is in charge of the MIP. In most scenarios, the budget for the NIP was twice as big as the budget for the MIP, but lately the NIP has been creeping toward three times as much as the MIP. In 2021, the budget for the NIP was $62.8 billion and the budget for the MIP was $23.1 billion.
Policies of course also influence the intelligence community. The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 made substantial changes to the structure of the intelligence community. After the act was put in place the DNI usurped the DCI as the head of intelligence personnel and principal intelligence advisor to the president. In the past the DCI was only responsible for national foreign intelligence but now the DNI is not connected to any one agency and oversees them all.
To begin to understand the complexities of the intelligence process we must consider these seven phases:

1. Identifying requirements

2. Collection

3. Processing and Exploitation

4. Analysis and Production

5. Dissemination

6. Consumption

7. Feedback

In the next coming weeks, I am excited to continue diving deeper into the intelligence process and which of these seven phases might be the most important. From just skimming our textbook, my prediction is that analysis and production will be integral to the whole intelligence processes.

Reference:

Lowenthal, M. M. (2022). 
Intelligence: From Secrets to Policy. CQ Press.

Juan: Following the September 11 terrorist attacks to the World Trade Center many changes took place within the intelligence community. The Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 established the position of s director of national intelligence (DNI). The DNI oversaw overseeing and directing the intelligence community as well as advising the president on national intelligence matters. However, the longevity of the person serving in this capacity seemed to be a struggle. This was due to part on how demanding the position was but also the bureaucratic struggles that existed. In my opinion the congressional relationship that exists within the intelligence community is very important as the president can appoint the DNI. This can tailor intelligence gathering to support the administrations policies.

The process that intelligence undergoes are collection, processing and exploitation, analysis and production and dissemination and consumption. Before the collection process begins issues must be identified and the requirements on how to get this information needs to also be identified. Technical teams in various agencies then begin the collection process which can be in many forms to include espionage and signals intelligence. The following step is to put the information collected into a simple form. This includes but is not limited to analyzing images, decoding, and translating signals. This information is furthermore analyzed by experts in the field and the information is put into reports that will support or contradict recommenced policies. Lastly the information is presented to the current administration and a decision will on what direction they need to go with certain polices will be made.

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

RUBRIC BELOW

1. Discussion Forum

Discussion forum participation will be graded using the following criteria: