Can Private Sector Intelligence Benefit from U.S. Intelligence Community Analytic Standards?

Abstract

The U.S. Director of National Intelligence (DNI)’s 2007 establishment of analytic standards in Intelligence Community Directive (ICD) 203 aided in the professionalization of the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC)’s analytical cadre, enshrining best practices across a diverse field of agencies and driving cultural shifts within and among U.S. IC agencies. Private sector intelligence analysis, although wide-ranging, finds itself in a growth period, driven by the recent pandemic; the increasing importance of environmental, social, and governance movements; and heightened geopolitical strife resulting from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and concern over China’s aggressive foreign policies. To improve efficiency, objectivity, and value, private sector intelligence could benefit from adopting many of the standards set out in ICD 203, although absent a powerful referee like the DNI, training and enforcement of standards will remain a challenge.