New Paradigms in Intelligence Support to Policy

The current model of intelligence support for foreign policy was established in 1949. Since then, the world structure, global affairs, and the U.S. government have significantly changed. Additionally, the information environment and how information is utilized for decision-making have evolved. In this review, I will examine the existing structure of intelligence support for policy, the issues that impact the use of intelligence analysis, and whether—and how—policymakers incorporate intelligence analysis into their decision-making processes. I will also address the politicization and distortion of intelligence. Finally, I will present perspectives that challenge the conventional views of the relationship between analysts and policymakers, along with considerations for alternative paradigms that may redefine this relationship.

Gary Gomez is a research fellow at the foreign policy think tank . His focus includes intelligence-policy collaboration and intelligence support for foreign policy. He has over 20 years of experience in the U.S. intelligence community, working with the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI), the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and the CIA. He was also a special agent with NCIS on the foreign counterintelligence squad in San Francisco. He began his intelligence career as an intelligence briefer with the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) Directorate of Intelligence (J2), then on the executive staff of the Director, DIA. Gary has a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Montana and an M.A. in International Affairs from American University. He has taught undergraduate intelligence studies and is a published author on intelligence and national security topics. Before his intelligence career, he served 11 years in the Marine Corps as an infantryman and an F-4 Phantom pilot, then 11 years in the Navy as an F-14 Tomcat pilot with combat missions in Operation Desert Storm.

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