Intelligence Analysis: A Target-Centric Approach

by Robert M. Clark (CQ Press). Rating: 5.0/5.

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Reviews from Amazon

Comprehensive

Really enjoyed this book. Had to read a section or two twice, but it was worth it to fully comprehend the concepts Mr. Clark was explaining. Was very educational and practical. Brings reader back to the purpose of intelligence analysis and furnishes a blueprint for a systematic approach to this art.

Rating: 5

Grad Student

I am a grad student in International Relations; Confilct Resolution in International and TransNational Security. I purchased this book to better understand the concepts and innerworkings of the intelligence community, and the book was not only extreamly insightful, but also very easy to read and understand.

Rating: 5

Got any Spooks in training? Get a copy of this book!

BE WARNED - this book will NOT teach you how to kill a man, overthrow governments or set up a military tribunal at GITMO... if you want to learn how to analyze problems, and see a peek into how the U.S. government analyzes national security information, this book is for you.

I've carried around a copy of this book for the last 5 months since my Intel Analysis class ended. I refer to it constantly, whether it be the list of INTs (intelligence disciplines) or targeting methodologies... This may have been the best $40 I have spent on a book in a while.

This copy has also been asked about by colleagues in the intelligence field, who hesitantly admit there is no "introductory" textbook to intelligence analysis - most of it is on-the-job training. I have seen it used in undergraduate and graduate studies, on the desk of Subject Matter Experts at the National Air & Space Intelligence Center, and in other "nondescript" locations. The prevalence of this text in the IC (intelligence community) should be enough to convince a bystandard that this text is worth of their time.

The only downside was the package - a paperback book for the cost seems excessive, but once you get into it (chapter three at least), you'll see how useful the information is... and my griping about the cost stopped.

Rating: 5

Good content, bad shell

The content of this book, a required reading in my program, is informative. It's a shame however, I had to pay over 40 (!) dollars for this product only to have pages separating from the binding after just a few weeks of use. With such high prices, and for a new book, yet, won't you allocate a portion of the fees you collect towards improving the quality of your merchandise?

Rating: 3

Excellent, but not perfect

This is an excellent work on intelligence analysis, but is not for the layman. Mr. Clark is up front about his target audience, so I went into it knowing that I might struggle a bit. He routinely uses terms and refers to concepts that are somewhat obscure, a glossary would create a huge improvement. But the effort invested in reading this was well rewarded.

The title; "Intelligence Analysis: A Target-centric Approach" is misleading. The book provides a comprehensive overview of the entire intelligence process from collecting information to the civil and military leaders using the product of analysis in their decision process, not just "Intelligence Analysis". "Target-centric" analysis sounds very impressive, but it is more a reflection of LTC (ret) Clark's Air Force roots, and a rebuke to intelligence in support of political agendae than a new concept for analysis. The content of the book doesn't suffer at all, but some potential readers might be put off by this.

The use of diverse and fairly well cited examples (I assume the uncited ones are first-hand information for the author?) made this an excellent read, but some of the examples could benefit from clarification as to whether or not they're notional. The entire intelligence process is descibed, along with some of the bureaucratic idiosyncrosies that created some of the confusing arrangements of agencies and nomenclature. The specifics of analytical methods were excellent. I thought the discussion of link analysis for describing social networks was excellent, but he neglected to point out that sociologists use the same tools and methods in their research, as do investigative reporters. Again, it could have benefited from some clarification (like the difference between covert and clandestine, and the inconsistent use of operational level and tactical level) but this was, at worst, a trivial distractor from his main point.

His main point was the need for collaboration between all the concerned parties; intelligence collectors, analysts, and the decision-makers that use it. He discussed an illustrated the problem at length and certainly makes his case. I was intrigued though. He seems to be personally struggling with some of the underlying issues like chaotic, nonlinear, and non-hierarchical issues and organizations facing our nation. Despite this, he is doing the right thing and acting as a proponent for a radical revision of our structure rather than trying to pound in post 9/11 screws with a Cold War rock, and he certainly has earned my personal respect for that.

This is an excellent work and should be read by any responsible citizen with desire to better understand the workings of the process behind our national policy decisions (but be prepared to do a lot of supporting reading if you're not a member of Clark's world).

E. M. Van Court

Rating: 5

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