Strengthening DHS intelligence analysis education: core competencies, gaps, and challenges

Abstract

Building and strengthening the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) workforce in counterterrorism operations starts with effectively trained and educated intelligence analysts. However, identifying and establishing standards for effective training and core competencies for intelligence analysts can be a challenge. By drawing on ethnographic interviews with members of the Intelligence Community (IC) and conducting domain analysis, this article sets out to understand those challenges and examine what is required to solve them. More specifically, we sought to identify benchmarks for core competencies associated with intelligence analysis as well as gaps in standardisation and the current implementation of intelligence training and education. Based on our findings, we recommend a conceptual framework for homeland security intelligence training and education and chart a path to build a more innovative and efficient intelligence workforce able to conduct analysis and develop intelligence products that contribute to the missions of DHS.

KEYWORDS:

• Intelligence education
• workforce development
• Department of Homeland Security
• core competencies

Acknowledgment

It is important to note that this article was the result of a larger research project for the National Counterterrorism, Technology and Education Center of Excellence generously funded by DHS, and we are deeply grateful to our undergraduate and graduate students who assisted us.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s). The views and conclusions included here are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by U.S. Department of Homeland Security: [Grant Number 20STTPC00001-02-01].