summary paper
1. summarize the key point or points most critical to the intelligence cycle.
2. Sorg, E. T., Haberman, C. P., Ratcliffe, J. H., & Groff, E. R. (2013). Foot patrol in violent crime hot spots: The longitudinal impact of deterrence and post treatment effects of displacement. Criminology, 51(1), 65-101 ;
summarize the most important aspects of the article that can be applied to crime reduction as it relates to Intelligence Led Policing.
In doing so, write a summary review of the important materials presented. Following APA format (title page, content pages, reference page), double spaced, 12 pt font size, and common font style (Times New Roman).
APA format is required of all Summary Paper assignments, including a cover page, in-text citations, and a full reference list.
Understanding the Intelligence Cycle.
Edited by Mark Phythian. New York:
Routledge, 2013
Cynthia Nolan
American Military University
Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/jss
pp. 114-116
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Recommended Citation
Nolan, Cynthia. “Understanding the Intelligence Cycle. Edited by Mark Phythian. New York: Routledge, 2013.” Journal of
Strategic Security 8, no. 4 (2015): 114-116.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5038/1944-0472.8.4.1494
Available at: http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/jss/vol8/iss4/8
114
Understanding the Intelligence Cycle. Edited by Mark
Phythian. New York: Routledge, 2013. ISBN 978-0-415-81175-0.
Illustrations. Contributors. Select Bibliography. Index. Pp. ix,
167. $44.76.
Mark Phythian has recruited the top academics in the Intelligence field to
address that never-ending question: How useful is the intelligence cycle? On
the one hand, all of the authors point out that the cycle isn’t entirely accurate.
It’s definitely missing a few steps and/or (depending on one’s position in the
cycle), simplifying the process. On the other hand, the authors acknowledge
that its replacement is far from uniform. The problem is in picking one’s
poison: inaccuracy or hyper-complexity. If the cycle is too simple to be
accurate, then intelligence professionals and observers need an alternative. If
the cycle is entirely accurate, then it is likely too complex to be useful. Given
the multiple agencies, varied systems, conflicting objectives, and demanding
customers across many interested nations, one cycle may not fit all. This
book presents more than one replacement — some simpler than others —
which is, of course, the problem with which we began.
Understanding the Intelligence Cycle gives readers some background on the
choice of metaphors for the cycle, as well as multiple substitute options. The
background comes from historian, Michael Warner, who tells us that cycle
started when French revolutionaries needed a means to explain intelligence
collection to their increasingly specialized military staffs. Indeed, it was the
voracious appetite for intelligence during wartime in Europe from the 18th
and 19th centuries that moved military organizations to codify their
intelligence processes into a flexible yet accurate description of their behavior.
Warner asserts that the graphic depiction of a cycle became a popular
talisman even as governments moved beyond the simple linear process it
described. Omand agrees that the current intelligence cycle may have
outlived its usefulness. Its static reflection of the roughly equivalent and
stalemated world during the Cold War is outdated. We may want to keep the
current cycle, he posits, but it will need to be augmented with situational
awareness, explanatory value, prediction, and strategic notice. He submits
that these additional complexities will make the cycle more responsive to
external demands and changing social attitudes.
As currently used, the Intelligence Cycle is a constant, reiterative, cyclical
feedback loop that neatly describes a step-by-step, time consuming process
that accommodates the information needs of government decision makers
with the capabilities of the providers. It typically has four or five steps
involving: 1. Planning, 2. Collection, 3. Processing, 4. Analysis, and 5.
Dissemination. In the digital, speedy, information age, when collectors work
simultaneously with the analysts, and consumers use and consume more
information than ever, Phythian asks how relevant is the cycle. Information
has become a firehose, and the cycle can’t handle it. Is it time to move beyond
the cycle, and what would replace it?
