Compare and contrast intelligence processes Research Paper

Compare and contrast intelligence processes - Research Paper Example Every organization has its specific role and mode of operation and, therefore, the nature and frequency of intelligence that they may require for the execution of their tasks also vary. Thus, the cycles and processes of intelligence collection among these organizations differ drastically though they may be sharing some similarities. The responsibility of organizations that have the onus of taking care of national security, such as National Security Agency (NSA), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), has increased manifold in the recent days due to the ever evolving nature of security threats from â€Å"terrorist groups as well as hostile nation states† (Best, 2001, p.1). Thus, these organizations have revamped their intelligence collection machinery to obtain necessary information for the maintenance of internal as well as external security. They mostly rely on highly sophisticated electronic surveillance equipment sometimes using aircraf ts for collection of intelligence, such as TechELINT to â€Å"collect, analyze and sometimes and locate† electronic signals from the foreign targets (Bernard, 2009, p.11). On the other hand, law enforcement and homeland security mostly deploy conventional methods for collecting intelligence, mostly using human intelligence sources or less sophisticated electronic devices including human intelligence sources, security cameras and other surveillance equipment. In the present day, the US authorities are rather resorting to a system where all the intelligence disciplines are combined under one window to be utilized by different organizations involved in law enforcement. This is intended to fetch better flow of information among the organizations and will also reduce the consumption of resources apart from ensuring that most reliable information is made available to organizations. Intelligence cycle is the process by which information is disseminated for drawing conclusions about particular evidences in a crime. The main difference between law enforcement intelligence and homeland intelligence is that while the former focuses on criminal aspects, the latter also deals with â€Å"noncriminal domestic threats† including issues of public health and public safety (Carter, 2009, p.14). On the other hand, the concept of national security intelligence covers â€Å"policy intelligence† and â€Å"military intelligence† including identification and observation of hostile elements, weaponry, capabilities of warfare, battle order etc (p.15). Accordingly, the processes and cycles of national security intelligence, law enforcement intelligence and homeland security differ. However, the intelligence collected by all the agencies are similar in the context that such intelligence collection is done for ensuring the safety and welfare of citizens. The main focus of homeland security intelligence is Fire Service Intelligence Enterprise (FSIE) and Public He alth/Medical Intelligence, which are two of the initiatives that are â€Å"moving forward with greater rapidity† after the 9/11 tragedy (p.19). The main difference in the process and cycle of information among various agencies stems from the roles and responsibilities these organizations have in terms of security.