Business Confidential

SECTION 2

The Intelligence Cycle

The Agency’s intelligence cycle corresponds to the strategic planning cycle of a company. After a set of requirements is developed, the effort begins with the collection of information—the raw material of intelligence—and that involves exploiting the various collection mechanisms. The four major sources of intelligence collection are human intelligence (HUMINT), or running clandestine operations to recruit agents who can report timely, accurate, and objective information not available by other means; signals intelligence (SIGINT), which is information gathered through electronic and other signals intercepts; imaging intelligence (IMINT), or photos derived from reconnaissance satellites; and information available ...