Understand The Causes Of Intelligence Failure

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In order to understand what can be considered an intelligence failure, it is important to understand the meaning of the word intelligence. In the world of the intelligence community the term intelligence simply refers to information policy makers need to make informed decisions on how to keep the nation safe. According to the Central Intelligence Agency there are four types of intelligence: Current intelligence, which is used when looking at day to day activities; estimate intelligence, which is used to estimate what might be or might happen; warning intelligence, which is used to inform policy makers on urgent matters requiring immediate action; and scientific and technical intelligence, which is used to provide information of foreign technologies (CIA, 2007). After the attacks on 9/11, policymakers were presented with, what was considered at the time to be, “solid intelligence” about Iraq and their ability to obtain nuclear weapons. History has now proven the intelligence was factually incorrect and the invasion of Iraq was an intelligence failure of epic proportions. …show more content…
Documents, now unclassified, reveal President George Bush wanted any invasion in Iraq to be linked to terrorism and weapons of mass destruction (Battle & Byrne, 2013). This requirement presented the intelligence community with a challenge of gathering intelligence which would support the President’s prerequisite. Ultimately the administration was able to get the intelligence needed to go to congress and ask for permission to invade Iraq. The intelligence proved worthy for the congress to grant authorization to invade Iraq. However, the process by which the government made the case has been proven to be

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