İSTİHBARATTA GÜNCEL ZORLUKLAR VE AKIMLAR

Abstract

After a thorough examination of current intelligence literature, a variety of national security documents and respected news outlets, I find several current challenges in intelligence under different areas. I classify current major challenges in intelligence into four groups. These are technological, financial, organizational, and political. Technological challenges are the most important ones because other challenges are either related to it or a result of it. These are the expansion of using meta-data, the expansion of social media, and cybersecurity. The second current challenge in intelligence is financial. It is mostly about the use of cryptocurrencies. The third challenge is organizational. These are the impact on information revolution on intelligence organizations and competition with non-intelligence organizations. The last current challenge in intelligence is political. Political challenges are populist nationalist movements, ISIS returnees, and expansion of hybrid warfare. Related to current challenges in intelligence and the global security environment, there are eight current trends in intelligence. Five of them are mostly related to technological challenges, while three of them are related to political challenges. The trends that are related to technological challenges in intelligence are the foundation of cyber intelligence divisions/agencies, the change in recruitment policies, the rising importance of the security of cyberinfrastructure, privatization of intelligence, and increasing role of open-source intelligence. The trends that are related to political challenges in intelligence are the increasing focus on right-wing groups, the elimination of ISIS returnees, and the increasing role of intelligence in hybrid warfare/covert operations.