KEY INTELLIGENCE QUESTIONS FOR FY 77

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78Z02997A000100050019-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 8, 2005
• Sequence Number: 19
• Content Type: REPORT

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KEY INTELLIGENCE QUESTIONS FOR FY 77
INTRODUCTION
The Key Intelligence Questions for Fiscal Year 1977 are issued
by the Director of Central Intelligence pursuant to his responsibilities
as stated in Executive Order 11905, 18 February 1976. The Key
Intelligence Questions represent the DCI's guidance to all Intelligence
Community collection and production managers on selected subjects
of major importance to national-level intelligence consumers during
FY 77.
The Key Intelligence Questions continue to be formulated by the
National Intelligence Officers in consultation with intelligence producers
and consumers. The primary purpose of the KIQs is to improve
intelligence production and collection by providing a highly selective
list of current, critical questions'for a period of special operational
attention. The primary criteria for selection emphasizes current
policy needs and areas where the opportunity for better performance
exists. The purposeful limitation on the number of questions and their
high degree of focus required that difficult choices had to be made from
the many current high priority areas and questions. In selecting
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Key Intelligence Questions, crisp definition and the likelihood of
successful action were placed at a premium. This meant that
certain issues or problems, although very important, have been
excluded. The duration an issue may exist was also used as a factor
in the question selection process. For example, if a problem was
considered likely to pass before a strategy for solving it could be
devised, it was excluded. Moreover, key problems of a critical
nature which currently receive substantial and ongoing attention such
as SAL and verification, were not included in the questions.
The National Intelligence Officers will produce brief and succcint
KIQ Strategy. Reports aimed at developing special collection and
analytical strategies. The performance of the Intelligence Community
on the KIQs will be evaluated as -part of a regular comprehensive
evaluation program being accomplished by the Intelligence Community
Staff. The KIQs and their performance evaluations cannot provide
systematic inputs for resource allocation decisions by program
managers due to their limited number, specificity, and emphasis on
current operations. However, they can provide valuable insights for
programming and planning. It is important to note that the KIQs
do not derive their priorities from those appearing in the attachment
to DCID 1/2, "U. S. Foreign Intelligence Priorities for Fiscal Years
1979-83:'.' National intelligence planning priorities are based on a
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perspective of the foreign environment for the planning period and not
on current operational needs.
Additions, deletions, or modifications to the Key Intelligence
Questions may be issued from time to time during FY 77, depending
on major changes in the international situation or if the foreign
intelligence environment should dictate. The order in which the
FY 77 questions are listed should not be regarded as implying an
internal priority: by definition all the Key Intelligence Que stions are
of major importance, and are singled out for special operational
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DATE
TRANSMITTAL SLIP Aug 76
TO: NIO/CH
ROOM NO.
BUILDING
REMARKS
May I have your comments by COB
Monday, 30 August.
FRO
ROOM N0.
BUILDING
EXTENSION
FORM NO. 241 REPLACES FORM 36-B
WHICH MAY BE USED.
-men 1. - .11u.
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