What is Intelligence Analysis?
Protecting the nation from foreign enemies and terrorist attacks is among the highest priorities of both the public and private sector. It is no surprise that so many paths lead to the field of homeland security. The eyes and ears of the homeland security apparatus are the quiet professionals of the intelligence sector, and those seeking to begin a future in the intelligence field.
There is a great deal of misinformation regarding intelligence work and its role in keeping the nation safe. Movies and spy novels often give an unrealistic and slanted portrayal of intelligence work that can make recruiting for these positions difficult. The backbone of the nation's intelligence agencies is not necessarily the cloak-and-dagger spies in black masks, but rather the dedicated professionals who go to the office every day to work as an Intelligence Analyst.
What is Intelligence Analysis?
To better understand the importance of Intelligence Analysts to national security you need to first understand the field of Intelligence Analysis. In today's global information infrastructure, the process of collecting intelligence has never been easier. The potential sources include human intelligence, open-source intelligence, electronic surveillance, and countless others.
However, interpreting this torrent of incoming data has never been more difficult. Intelligence analysis is this very process, generating actionable intelligence from multiple data sources and applying both individual and collective cognitive methods to weigh the data and test hypotheses regarding its context. While the exact methodology is often a closely guarded secret, what is known is that the conclusions reached by Intelligence Analysts can have far-reaching implications in the strategic and tactical posture of intelligence agencies and military services.
What Are the Duties of an Intelligence Analyst?
While Intelligence Analysts often specialize in a particular sector - such as military, economic, cultural or cyberspace analysis - there are duties common to all analysts. These may include:
- Providing written assessments based on analysis and conclusions
- Evaluating information collected and prioritizing analytical work
- Examining incoming data and matching sources to determine veracity of information
- Exercise initiative, analytical skills, and individual expertise to interpret data
- Attending or leading meetings, briefings, or conferences
- Building teams of professionals to generate systemic analysis of data
- Learning, developing, or exercising foreign language or cultural proficiency
- Assessing risk posed by illicit activities, insurgent actions, or foreign operations
- Anticipate potential ramifications of current events or fresh data
- Leading inquiries and performing interviews to generate intelligence reports
What Are Agencies Looking For In An Intelligence Analyst?
In general, a bachelor's degree in a related analytical field (such as economics, history, homeland security, or information technology) is the minimum requirement for an Intelligence Analyst. A high degree of honesty and a clean criminal record is also a hard requirement that can trip up many potential candidates during an intense screening process.
Master's Degrees in advanced fields such as forensics, telecommunications, or computer engineering may be required for some positions. The qualities that employers are looking for include not only a high degree of analytical skill but also extraordinary patience, creativity, and interpersonal skills. This is a challenging and stressful position that requires a high degree of mental fortitude including the ability to work through disasters and move past mistakes.
Most of all, they need professionals who are able to use their imagination to predict outcomes based on sometimes incomplete or unreliable information and the personal courage to take risks in generating their assessments and recommendations.
What Opportunities Exist For Intelligence Analysts?
Intelligence analysts typically find work at government agencies such as the Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, and Defense Intelligence Agency. However, government agencies are not the only employers of analysts with this particular skill set. Elements in the private sector also prize the analytical capabilities of these professionals.
Are you interested in the field of crime and intelligence analysis? If you want to earn a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice with a concentration in Crime and Intelligence Analysis, ECPI University offers a comprehensive degree program. Working at an accelerated course of study, you could earn your degree in as little as 2.5 years. For more information on this program and how to get started, connect with a friendly admissions advisor today.
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