Intelligence (information)

Intelligence, or simply "Intel," refers to primary information and data gathered, evaluated, assessed, analyzed, and interpreted by members of the intelligence field to provide insight into the power projection, intentions, and activities of adversarial, neutral, and allied governments, organizations, or individuals. Unlike raw data, intelligence is processed and contextualized through the intelligence cycle to support decision-making in areas such as national defense, diplomacy, law enforcement, and security operations. This information can be sourced from many areas and can take many forms, including reports, intercepted communications, satellite imagery, or human-sourced observations—and is used to anticipate threats, assess risks, and guide strategic planning.

Phases of the intelligence cycle under intelligence cycle management and other phases of intelligence include;

• Espionage (the act of gathering intelligence)
• Intelligence analysis
• Intelligence assessment

Wikiquote has quotations related to Intelligence (information).

The original definition of intelligence (in English) was as to be synonymous with journalism and news, and has morphed and transformed into whatever uses it has today.^[1][2] (Hence the name of many newspapers today called "The Intelligencer.")

That modern definition of intelligence as "knowledge of the enemy" is considered problematic.^[3][4] Scholars argue that it does not include any sort of inclusion of who gathers intelligence and for what purpose, other than that they mostly work for the intelligence field.^[5] Can police detectives, inspectors, or federal agents be considered as gathering intelligence? In which case, what is the difference between a spy and a detective?^[6] Who is the enemy?^[7]

For centuries, there has been no single definition of intelligence, nor indeed espionage.^[8] The definition depends on the scholar, the practitioner, the government, the citizen, or any of the other stakeholders who might be making remarks upon the practices of spies or intelligence agencies.^[9] Some scholars have written that the definition of intelligence is confused by the fact that intelligence agencies today are engaged in many more activities than intelligence gathering,^[10]and ask whether Sabotage, Deception, Counterintelligence, Analysis, Financial intelligence, Propaganda, and even Assassination might be considered all forms of espionage. Is intelligence a product, or process?^[11]

Scholars have also been eager to point out that the United States Intelligence Community does not own the definition of intelligence, nor espionage.^[12]

For intelligence to be useful to policymakers, it must meet several essential standards: it is preferred to be relevant, timely, accurate, complete, unbiased, and actionable. Without these qualities, intelligence risks being ignored or misleading.^[13]

Relevance and timeliness are especially critical. Policymakers are driven by urgent, real-world crises, not academic interests, and intelligence that fails to address immediate policy needs will quickly lose value. Analysis can be rendered useless if it arrives too late, summed up in the acronym “OBE,” or “overtaken by events.”^[13]

Intelligence on fast-moving threats, such as terrorism, is particularly perishable, as illustrated by missed opportunities to target Osama bin Laden in the late 1990s. Accuracy is equally indispensable to policymakers, since flawed intelligence can have grave consequences, as demonstrated by the 1999 NATO bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade due to faulty targeting information.^[13]

High-quality intelligence is be comprehensive, integrating information from across agencies into “all-source” assessments that provide a coherent picture rather than fragmented reports. Intelligence is objective, being free from political pressure and aimed at speaking truth to power, even when conclusions are unwelcome. Intelligence is also considered actionable and specific enough to allow decision-makers to respond effectively. While perfectly precise warnings are rare, they remain the goal.^[13]