About the Analytical Community
It's been said that the most important thing an analyst with
the CIA knows - even with all of their top secret information
- is that their work has a profound impact. The analysts who work
in the Directorate of Intelligence (DI) are some of the brightest
people in the country, but what truly makes their contributions
outstanding is the integrity and objectivity they bring to it.
They do this not to gain public accolades or recognition, but
because the country and the President need experts who will tell
it like it is. From the Cold War to the war on terrorism, the
energy and commitment of the DI officer has been critical to our
nation's security.
The Job of an Analyst
Analysts are skilled subject-matter experts who study and evaluate information from many sources. Information flows in from around the world, including satellite surveillance, foreign newspapers and broadcasts, and human contacts. This information varies widely in terms of reliability, and often it is conflicting or incomplete. The analyst's role is to develop meaningful and usable intelligence assessments from all of those sources. Often this is like putting together the pieces of a puzzle, received at different times from different places, to form a picture that is complete enough to comprehend — even when some pieces are still missing.
Analysts are grouped into five categories of expertise:
- Political Analysts monitor and assess political developments in order to forecast trends and future scenarios, provide warnings of change and identify associated threats and opportunities for US policymakers.
- Leadership Analysts produce assessments of foreign leaders and potential leaders in the political, military, economic, scientific and technological, social and cultural fields, at the request of senior US policymakers.
- Economic Analysts support US policymakers by monitoring and assessing foreign economic policy and performance, trade and finance, energy issues and many related trends and developments that affect American security and economic interests.
- Military Analysts apply an integrated, multidisciplinary approach to provide policymakers and US military recipients of strategic intelligence with assessments on foreign military and security issues, with a focus on identifying threats and opportunities and forecasting future scenarios.
- Science & Technology Analysts are skilled engineers and scientists who apply their expertise to the analysis of critical issues such as weapons proliferation, information warfare, emerging technologies, chemical and biological weapons, and energy security.
The Role of Analysis
An intelligence analyst pulls together relevant information from all available sources and then analyzes it to produce timely and objective assessments, free of any political bias. This finished intelligence product, which may be in the form of a written report or oral briefings, could very well appear on the desks of the President and his key senior advisors.
Each morning, the CIA delivers the President's Daily Brief, an extremely sensitive intelligence document containing short assessments of current worldwide developments, as well as anticipated events that will require the President's attention in the future. The assessment content represents a team effort by analysts across the CIA.
To highlight the importance of analysis, consider a recent briefing on smallpox. One analyst's routine update, about the risk of naturally occurring smallpox outbreaks and the threat from countries that hold stores of the virus, took on new importance in light of other global events and virus outbreaks. That update was passed up and on, becoming a full Presidential briefing.
Is This the Job for You?
Intelligence analysts are on the cutting edge of fast-paced global change. To keep up, several qualities are critical for success: problem solving, strong communication skills and teamwork.
