INTL 311 - U.S. Intelligence Successes and Failures

Credit Hours: 3

This course will examine a number of cases that aptly demonstrate the underlying operation, analytic and managerial “hows and whys” of U.S. intelligence success and failure. Reading material will include formal Congressional inquiries, declassified official “lessons learned”, unclassified articles by former practiti1rs, select media commentaries, and a few academic papers. The course will conclude with an examination of the various efforts at reform, some of which have fundamentally transformed the American Intelligence Community and others that have fallen short of effecting real change. Case studies will highlight and explore the various “Ingredients for Intelligence Success” including: effective management structures and organization, well-h1d collection programs and skills, well-h1d analytic skills and analytic rigor, professional attentiveness and persistence, ingrained organizational cooperation, effective interagency communication and information sharing, sufficiently dedicated resources, and well-developed target understanding (via in-depth study.)