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Course Descriptions

U.S. Intelligence Community: An Introduction

Offered as either a 1-day or 2-day course. In the one-day session, we offer a broad introduction to the major current issues in U.S. intelligence, typically including the current structure of the Community and the role of the agencies and the DNI; collection; analysis; current national security issues; the intelligence budget; and the role of Congress. This is an appropriate course for those who are fairly new to intelligence issues or as a refresher for those returning to intelligence issues.

In the two-day session, we provide a broad overview of the roles, functions and activities of the U.S. Intelligence Community. This course is specifically designed to provide government employees or contractor professionals who work with Intelligence Community clients a firm basis for understanding the Community’s roles, needs and culture and the issues that they are facing today as the Community deals with a new structure and new threats. This course places special emphasis on the changes that have been implemented since 2001 and how they are progressing. For the two-day session we typically cover six of the modules below.

  • The legal basis of the Intelligence Community
  • Structure & Missions: which agencies do what and why
  • 21st Century national security threats to the United States
  • Intelligence Collection: how the system works, what each type of collection does, its relative strengths and weaknesses
  • Issues in intelligence analysis
  • Intelligence Programs: structure of the intelligence budget
  • The role of Congress in intelligence
  • Intelligence Management Issues: major current management issues, especially those that tend to be obstacles to a more integrated approach to intelligence, including the agencies vs. the DNI, roles and missions, acquisition, security et al.
  • Intelligence and the Policy Maker: examples of how intelligence is used with senior policy makers, including the International Court of Justice and foreign officials

We also incorporate threat and collection exercises into the 1-day and 2-day sessions. These are particularly useful in helping the students to begin applying their knowledge to real problems.

If a client is interested in all of the modules we have to offer or would like additional exercises incorporated, we can extend to a 2 1⁄2 or 3-day course.

U.S. Intelligence Community: Advanced Seminar

Provides more in-depth examination of many of the issues covered in the introductory course, with a greater emphasis on viewing these as Community-wide issues at the managerial level. This course is designed for current or upcoming managers who will be supervising programs and staff in support of the Intelligence Community. The Advanced course also includes exercises to begin putting the course information to use. This is a 1-3 day course depending on the number of modules selected.

The Intelligence Process

Covers in detail the issues and stress points that exist in each stage of the intelligence process or intelligence cycle: requirements, collection, analysis, dissemination, policy consumption and covert action. This course examines the interdependencies of each step in the process and includes the role of executive branch and congressional policy makers in each stage of the process. This is a 1-day course.

Intelligence Budgeting & Resource Management

These courses thoroughly examine the financial management of intelligence resources in the federal government. These courses provide students an in-depth understanding of the intelligence budget components, the creation of the budget in the Executive branch, consideration of the budget in Congress, and the actual expenditure of funds. Covered in detail are the National Intelligence Program (NIP) and its component programs and the Military Intelligence Program (MIP); the resource management systems used to formulate budgets for these programs; the roles of the Office of the DNI and the Under Secretary of Defense/Intelligence in formulating and coordinating the NIP and MIP; the role of the President’s Office of Management and Budget; the con- gressional budget process, with special emphasis on the authorization of intelligence activities, and highlights of budget execution. This is a highly interactive course with many in- class exercises. This is a 2-5 day course, depending on the degree of detail required.

Analyst Training: Writing Analysis; Preparing Briefings

An introductory course for new analysts in any intelligence-related or analytical function. This course examines the role of intelligence in the policy process then offers an introduction to analytic skills, beginning with critical thinking and reading, writing analysis, and preparing and presenting successful briefings. This course includes numerous in-class exercises in each of the skill sets being developed and focuses on the issues specific to the client’s role and community, such as homeland security or health intelligence and security issues. This is typically a 3-day course.

Analytic Management Training

Prepares managers who are relatively new to intelligence analysis for the issues they will confront as they manage intelligence analysts. Among the issues that are covered are: defining and understanding policy maker needs, the nature of the interagency process, a “typical” analytic day, cultural habits of analysts and the hallmarks of good analysis – defined as analysis that will be of use to policy makers. This is a 1-day course.

Homeland Security Analysis

Examines the still-developing field of homeland security intelligence and examines what it is, what roles are played by homeland security, national and state/local intelligence and the types of analytic skills that homeland security analysis requires. This course runs from 1 to 2 days depending on the number of modules selected.

Health Security Analysis

Examines the still-developing field of health security intelligence (pandemics, biological terror or warfare) and examines what it is, what roles are played by health security, national and state/local intelligence and the types of analytic skills that homeland security analysis requires. This course runs from 1 to 2 days depending on the number of modules selected.

GEOINT 101

This one-day course provides an introduction to the fundamentals of the Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT) community, core GEOINT technologies and operations, and the role of GEOINT in national security affairs supporting decision makers and operations. It is intended for those seeking a broad understanding of the evolution of GEOINT as an intelligence discipline; the current state of GEOINT collection, analysis, and community management; and the core operational and technical concepts necessary to interact within the international GEOINT community. The United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (www.usgif.org) developed this course and offers it in partnership with The Intelligence and Security Academy. This is the only GEOINT 101 course certified by USGIF. A discount is available for USGIF members.

TECHINT

This is a two-day course designed to explain how technical collection systems work; the special terminology used to describe them; their capabilities and limitations; how they are used in practice; the intelligence that is gained from them; and how that intelligence supports policy makers and military operations. This course will be of use to a broad array of intelligence professionals – all source analysts, collection discipline specialists and analysts, and collection managers who need to understand how technical collection assets work and the challenges of managing and interacting across collection disciplines. The course also will be of value for the national policy and military communities who use intelligence products in the furtherance of U.S. national security objectives.

Cyber

We offer three different levels of courses on cyber. These courses are offered in partnership with the Kiernan Group (www.Kiernan-Group.com) and Delta Risk, LLC (www.delta-risk.net).

Basic Intelligence Support to Cyberwarfare is a one-day introduction to intelligence support to warfare conducted in cyberspace: computer network attack, defense, and exploitation. It is intended for individuals starting a career in the field or who are interested in separating the hype from the reality of intelligence in cyberspace. This course covers the nature of cyberspace; understanding cyber attacks and U.S. adversaries in cyberspace; and intelligence support to computer network defense and offense, including indications & warning (I&W) and battle damage assessment (BDA).

Intermediate Intelligence Support to Cyberwarfare is a one and a half day-course that builds on the basic cyber course by summarizing topics like indications and warning, targeting and BDA, and introduces sessions on legal aspects of cyberwarfare, collaboration with the private sector and the interagency process, minimizing the role of uncertainty, and how intelligence sources and methods must drive the Nation’s response to cyberattack. This class is intended for individuals with two to four years’ experience who seek a wider, broader understanding of the field.

Advanced Intelligence Support to Cyberwarfare is a two-day course that builds on the basic and intermediate courses, reviewing previous topics before diving into more complex material. Individuals should have a minimum of four years’ experience. Topics include strategic warfare in cyberspace, deterrence and arms control, interagency collaboration at the White House and with national agencies, increasing intelligence support to the private sector, and other advanced topics.

Congress and National Security

Examines the role of Congress across a broad range of national security issues – defense, intelligence and foreign policy and through diverse activities – hearings, investigations, budgets. The course is designed to get individuals more accustomed to working with Executive branch agencies a better appreciation for this equally important component of the government. This is a 1-day course.

History of U.S. Intelligence

This is a half-day course that reviews the major events and trends that have shaped U.S. intelligence, from its World War II pre-history through the current day. Among the issues covered are: responses to external threats; the role of technology; espionage; Congress and partisan politics. This course gives attendees a much better context and understanding of the major forces that continue to influence or determine U.S. intelligence policy.

Regional Seminars

The Intelligence Academy will bring together groups of experts in a given region (current and former government officials, academics, journalists, business) to explore the current issues in a given region and their importance for the United States. Because of the nature of the people upon whom we rely for presentations, these seminars typically are unclassified. These are usually one-day seminars.