Intelligence in a Post 9-11 World

In this week’s assignment we will be looking at a number of significant issues that are or have confronted the intelligence community in a post 9-11 environment. We will quickly touch on the role the Global War on Terrorism has had on changes to the intelligence community’s position, procedures, and policies along with assessing how the intelligence community has directed it efforts when it comes to dealing with traditional military threats from other countries. It is inarguable that for the large majority of times, change is instituted to make a situation better, or to prevent a bad situation from arising. So too can be said about the countless changes in policy and practices that have affected the intelligence community since 9-11. Retrospectively assessing a few of these polices it can become difficult to see in its totality if they have helped the intelligence community or in a way weakened it.

In the post 9-11 world the intelligence community was once again charged and reenergized to prevent another such attack and in a way take the war back to the enemies’ door step and off of our shores. A means to learn from the fall of those Twin Towers and the 3000 lives lost was of grave importance to the security of the nation and the preservation of the peace here in the United States. But we cannot talk about changes in the intelligence community without talking about what effect those changes might have on the basic principles that are key, to all of the diverse arms and branches of the intelligence community: The intelligence cycle. Planning and Direction, Collection, Processing, Analysis and Production, and lastly Dissemination (The Intelligence Cycle 2007) are all very important parts of the cycle- but even minor seemingly ins...

... middle of paper ...

...he Eighteenth Century . Washington DC : Collins , 2005.

"Director of National Intelligence ." Infomaition Sharing Strategy . Feb 22, 2008. http://www.dni.gov/reports/IC_Information_Sharing_Strategy.pdf (accessed Aug 19, 2011).

Fleitz, Fred. America's Intelligence Denial on Iran. Jul 19, 2011. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303661904576453800512114910.html#articleTabs%3Darticle (accessed Aug 19, 2011).

Foust, Joshua. PBS- "What's Wrong with the U.S. Intelligence Community". Jul 22, 2011. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/voices/what%E2%80%99s-wrong-with-the-u-s-intelligence-community/10612/ (accessed Aug 19, 2011).

Redd, Johnn Scott. Congressional Statement . Washington DC , Sep 10, 2007.

The Intelligence Cycle . Apr 15, 2007. https://www.cia.gov/kids-page/6-12th-grade/who-we-are-what-we-do/the-intelligence-cycle.html (accessed Aug 15, 2011).