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Professional Category
“Events that Impact Intelligence Analysts: A Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy Perspective”
by Edna Reid, Ph.D.

Clarion University

Graduate Student Category
“Information is to Intelligence as Cell is to Human”
by Patrick John Reyes Ramos
University of Tokyo

Undergraduate Student Category
“The Threat from Cyberspace”
by Michael Cohen
Cornell University

Professional Category –

Dr. Edna Reid

Events that Impact Intelligence Analysts: a Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy Perspective

Introduction

During this post-9/11 era of reforms in the intelligence community (IC), terrorist groups’ increased sophistication in using the Internet, and establishment of an Open Source¹ Center (OSC), it is time to further demystify and enhance the visibility of an under-the-radar career: intelligence analyst². With the increase in the size, complexities, and mission-critical tasks of the U.S. intelligence community, it is experiencing a critical shortage of intelligence analysts that doesn’t seem to be going away! Accordingly, analysts are needed in many of the 16 intelligence community agencies (e.g., FBI, CIA, DIA, NSA) particularly in the departments and agencies created since 9/11 (Shrader, 2004; Losey, 2007). For instance despite the current bleak economic environment, the FBI announced it wants to fill over 3,000 positions including intelligence analysts, language specialists, heathcare analysts, and records management professionals (Frieden, 2009).

Although the U.S. intelligence community has poured millions of dollars into educational programs (e.g., certificate in intelligence analysis, summer camp for high school students) during the last decade, the number of educational programs in intelligence analysis remains insufficient (Willing, 2006). Given the tainted reputation of the IC, some educators shy away from discussions and implementations of intelligence programs. Others ask what an intelligence analyst is and how intelligence analysis fit within the broader academic context. Some seek to frame the concept of an intelligence analyst so that the public (e.g., students, high school counselors, parents, and academic advisors) can better understand the career demands, challenges, competencies, and opportunities associated with it.
The remainder of this essay describes major events of this decade and their impacts on the intelligence profession, especially the intelligence analyst. The key events include 9/11 attacks, post-9/11 intelligence community reforms, terrorist groups’ sophisticated use of the Internet, and establishment of an Open Source Center (OSC) for the IC. The essay also includes a discussion of how the events impinge upon the incremental competencies and capabilities necessary for today’s intelligence analyst. The analysts need to be equipped with higher-level cognitive skills such as the ability to analyze national security scenarios, share information with other analysts and agencies, synthesize plausible outcomes of events, and create intelligence reports. Such skills are described using the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy of learning outcomes. The framework in this taxonomy maybe useful for providing a common language that facilitates communication to a wider community including educators, counselors, parents, and students who are unfamiliar with the intelligence community domain.
Impact of 9/11 Attacks and IC Reforms

According to Zegart (2006, p.44), a specialist in intelligence reforms, as early as in the 1990s there were intelligence warnings, reports, and high level presidential briefings about the dangers and threats of terrorist attacks within the U.S. by radical Islamic groups. Nonetheless, the intelligence warnings ‘failed’ to be translated into actionable plans. In many bipartisan commissions (e.g., Hart-Rudman Commission, Bremer Commission), policymakers shared the concerns, identified major deficiencies, and provided recommendations for improvement in the intelligence community to meet the national security challenges of the 21^st century.

Improvements were needed in areas such as integration and coordination of the intelligence community, enhancement of information sharing across the community, amplification of human intelligence (spying) capabilities to combat terrorism, recruitment of more personnel with necessary skills to confront rising post-Cold War threats such as terrorism, and more robust analysis of asymmetric threats (Zegart, p. 48). Asymmetric threats, such as the 9/11 attacks of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, are unusual and unconventional threats that are devastating and highly disruptive.
Investigations after the 9/11 attacks (e.g., 9/11 Commission, Congressional Joint Inquiry) showed that the deficiencies resulted in the inability of the intelligence community to prevent or disrupt attacks by al Qaeda (Zegart, p.56). The results of the investigations led to reform legislations such as the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act. This Act created a Director of National Intelligence (DNI) who has authority over the intelligence community in matters such as creating the intelligence community budget and establishing guidelines for timely and effective intelligence requirements, collection requirements, intelligence analysis, and dissemination.
The Act represents a major effort to start reforming the intelligence community which has remained dormant for the last fifty years. Other reforms include the establishment of a new department of homeland security (Homeland Security Act) and the enhancement of domestic security against terrorism.
Impact of Terrorist Groups’ Internet Sophistication

Intelligence community reforms emphasize changes that are needed so that the community can proactively predict, monitor, and respond to current and emerging 21^st century national security threats such as terrorist groups that plan and execute their attacks using creative approaches and diverse technologies. The threats from these non-state actors are further complicated by the explosive growth and sophisticated use of the Internet that have enhanced global connectivity, communication, uncertainties, and the use of Web 2.0 social networking applications (e.g., online discussion forum, wiki, blog, YouTube) for all users.

According to Internet World Stats (2009), the worldwide Internet usage growth from 2000-2008 has been 305%. From a geographical perspective, Internet penetration rate is the highest in North America (74%) and the lowest in Africa (5%). The increased use of the Internet by terrorists and other extremist groups’³, who use it for social networking as well as a tool for communications, radicalization, psychological warfare, global expansion, and training, serve to heighten and escalate the conflicts and tensions in the name of what some call the holy struggle.
U.S. domestic and international terrorists use the Internet-based computer-mediated communication (CMC) tools (such as websites, discussion forums, blogs, and chat session) to create their own news, provide real-time interpretations of the local and international press, and communicate publicly and privately with millions of people worldwide including members, supporters, sympathizers, and enemies near and far (Jenkins, 2004; Reid & Chen, 2007). This allows the groups to bypass traditional communication channels, information gatekeepers, and law enforcement agents.
According to estimates, the groups have created thousands of websites, listservs, chat sessions, videos, and discussion forums that range from a few pages to sophisticated sites with password protected discussion forums and extensive digital libraries of reports, multimedia resources, and e-commerce merchandise (Weimann, 2004; Reid & Chen, p.178). In Bunt’s (2003) analysis of online contents’ influences on Muslims, he reports that the content exposed Muslims to new interpretations and diverse Islamic thinking and perspectives. Another type of influence is the enhanced confidence in their technical online proficiency and its potential for waging an e-jihad (online jihad⁴ holy war).
Establishment of an Open Source Center (OSC)

In response, the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) has followed up with a recommendation from the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission and established an Open Source Center (OSC) within the CIA. OSC is designed to enhance the capability of the intelligence community to maximize the use of publicly available domestic and foreign news, television, radio and Internet information (Bean, 2007).

The terrorist groups’ increased use of Web 2.0 social networking applications to support collaboration, training, radicalization, and recruitment have led to a burgeoning volume of digitized cultural artifacts (also known as open source information) that can shed light on groups’ operations, levels of coordination, viewpoints, potential threats, and shifts in tactic and operations. As a result, the intelligence community is overwhelmed with an abundance of open source information in various languages that emanate from terrorist groups’ websites, wikis, online forums, and videos.
To support the diffusion and usage of the open source information⁵, the DNI has implemented aggressive approaches to reposition open source as a valuable intelligence resource that should be utilized across the IC such as in the President’s Daily Brief.⁶ Approaches for repositioning open source information include a diversity of activities such as an annual IC open source conference that provides a venue for bringing together intelligence professionals from around the world and throughout the IC.
The Open Source Center (OSC) and the DNI Open Source Conference are examples of programs designed to help upgrade intelligence professionals’ competencies in exploiting Internet resources and analyzing open source information. These competencies are critical because in order for analysts to meet the national security challenges of the 21^st century then they must be familiar with the technology (e.g., iphone, Wii) and social networking tools (e.g., Facebook, Intellipedia⁷). By using the tools, analysts will be better prepared to harness them in their analysis and synthesis of specific intelligence questions as well as to identify trends, patterns, gaps, blind spots, and potential threats associated with nontraditional local and foreign enemies.
A Broader Perspective of Intelligence Analyst

As previously described major events have led to an increased demand for intelligence analysts who have cutting edge expertise and for a broader understanding outside of the intelligence community, of the characteristics of an intelligence analyst. To enhance the understanding and facilitate discussion among intelligence professors and other educators, the cognitive processes and knowledge associated with the intelligence analyst discipline are described using Bloom’s taxonomy.

Marshall’s (2005, p.9) and Johnston’s (2005) intelligence analysis studies mention the relevancy of Bloom’s taxonomy to understanding the work of intelligence analysts. The Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy⁸ provides two dimensions with both a cognitive process dimension and a knowledge dimension. The cognitive process dimension allows for the identification of six cognitive levels: remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create (Krathwohl, 2002). The higher cognitive levels (e.g., apply, analyze, etc.) require the lower-level skills and abilities and are viewed as critical thinking skills because they require students to go beyond what they know, analyze unfamiliar situations, and create new ideas. They are essential skills that intelligence analysts need. Table 1 summarizes the higher cognitive levels and provides examples from the Defense Intelligence College (DIC).
Table 1: Critical Thinking Levels of the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy and Intelligence Analysis