COURSE REPORT, INTELLIGENCE PROCESS COURSE NO. 3-77, 21 MARCH - 22 APRIL 1977

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00503A000100040001-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 12, 2000
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: May 12, 1977
• Content Type: MF

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12 May 1977
MEMORANDUM FOR: Director of Training
VIA: Chief, Functional Training Division
25X1A FROM:
Chief, Intelligence Training Branch
SUBJECT: Course Report, Intelligence Process Course
No. 3-77, 21 March - 22 April 1977
The five-week, full-time Intelligence Process Course
(IPC) concluded on 22 April with no major problems noted by
staff or students. The course objectives (Attachment 1)
were .well met in the opinion of the course manager. Student
reaction to the varied activities was generally positive,
and the class attitude was good.
1. Student Participation
The class was a serious and active group. Guest
speakers commented on several occasions on the Quality of
questions and extent of interest of the students. There was
little to distinguish the level of participation of the 14
Career Trainees and 5 internal officers (Attachment 2).
Missing was the occasional touch of levity that served to
relax the previous (IPC No. 2-77) class.
Z. Student Evaluation
On a scale of 1 to 7, with 7 being "highly satis-
factory," the students gave the IPC an average ranking of
S.6 for having achieved its stated objectives. Five students
elected to submit their evaluations anonymously, and thereby
precluded the possibility of comparing the range of CT
rankings with those of non-CTs.
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25X1A
25X1A
SUBJECT: Course Report, Intelligence Process Course
No. 3-77, 21 March - 22 April 1977
3. Student Observations and Suggestions
Comments on course content followed previous patterns.
Criticism and praise of presentations and exercises generally
tended to cancel each other, reflecting different student
interests, experiences and expectations.
Highlights were the presentations by 25X1A
former liaison officer with the DDO, the 25X1A
Assistant National Intelligence Officer (NIO) for Western
Europe, and the seminar session with the two NIOs. Anne
Karalekas, staff member of the Senate Select Committee, and
The severe criticism of presen- 25X1A
tation on "Analytical Support to Operations" was warranted.
John had been directed not to describe explicitly where he
worked or what he did and, therefore, attempted to discuss
his work in broad generalities. The session quickly dis-
solved into something resembling "Twenty Questions," to the
embarrassment of all concerned.
Military briefings received their usual criticism
as being "long on organizational charts and short on opera-
tional detail." This was particularly, true for the two
young captains from the newly created U.S. Army Intelligence
and Security Command (INSCOM). The briefers came from
Arlington Hall and coped with a ferry-rigged arrangement to
accommodate their .carefully orchestrated slide and dual-
presenta.tion performance. Both men fared much better in the
less formal QUA session. One briefer at NSA told the class
more about Soviet missiles than most wanted to know, although
he did receive positive comments from two class members.
new (to the IPC) briefing format was
generally well received. In an oral critique the last day,
students agreed that the two-briefing format should be
retained even when the course is reduced to four weeks.
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SUBJECT: Course Report, Intelligence Process Course
No. 3-77, 21 March - 22 April 1977
Principal recommendations focused on eliminating or
refocusing several of the military briefings, and adding
visits to the National Security Council and the National
Military Command and Control Center (off-limits). No one
suggested a restructuring of the course in either design or
emphasis.
4. Problems Encountered
The course ran smoothly except for the final week.
No day in the fifth week followed the original schedule.
But a little luck in booking excellent substitutes and
juggling activities around left only a slight blip in the
rhythm of the course.
5. Student Comments
The Career Trainees in the course were highly
motivated and serious. The contrast in atmosphere with the
November - December running was notable, as an air of relaxed
good humor between formal sessions was supplanted by one of
Quiet intensity. They were very disturbed by specific
instances cited of policymakers apparently paying little
attention to inputs from the Agency. Some too easily made
generalizations of such cases and Questioned whether we were
ever heeded: Another concern was redundancy in the Community--
specifically Questioned was the necessity for both the
Office of Regional and Political Analysis in CIA and INR in
the Department of State. An understanding of the realities
in both areas of concern seemed to have been achieved by the
end of the program.
6. Results of Changes and Innovations
New presentations, formats and exercises are discussed
in the order of their appearance in the schedule:
a. Requirements Panel. The complexities of the
requirements process seemed to warrant more attention
than a simple presentation. A panel was organized,
consisting of representatives from the DDO as collector,
Center for Policy Support as consumer, and three
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SUBJECT: Course Report, Intelligence Process
No. 3-77, 21 March - 22 April 1977
Course
requirements officers from the Office of the Comptroller
re resentin human, imagery and SIGINT collection.
25X1A
NE Di
d
i
i
t
f
l
th
,
s
on, s
raye
v
rom
e pane
format to argue for the skill of the
requirements as well as collecting,
DDO
often
in generating
by-passing
the formal process. Oral student comments indicated
that many felt this detracted from an otherwise useful
format for discussing requirements.
b. Analytical Support to the DDO. This lecture
has been discussed in Section 3.
c. Presentations by the new DDI offices--Office of
Regional and Political Analysis (ORPA), Production and
Presentation Group (PPG), and Center for Policy Support
(CPS). The three presentations provided a good overview
of office functions. The PPG presentation was highlighted
by a discussion and demonstration of the videodisc.
d. Communicating Information and Intelligence. One
half-day was devoted to the ways in which information
and intelligence is communicated from the field, and
within the Community and the Agency. The Office of
Communications did an excellent job, particularly in
handling the tours. However, the utility of this segment
in a shortened IPC is deemed marginal.
e. "Our Assessment Is..." Exercise. The class was
divided into three teams, each charged with preparing
an oral assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of
the intelligence process, with recommendations for
improvement and for areas needing further study. The
class was very active and clearly took the exercise
seriously. This provided a useful vehicle for review
and some measure of accountability. 25X1A
f. Special recognition is given to ,
a CT who foymexly served as a senior watt o- icer.
When it was clear a visit to the Operations Center
would be impossible, -offered to brief the 25X1A
students on the mission and functioning of the Center.
He gave an excellent presentation, using slides
borrowed from the Center.
_U j ~ ~ ,i
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7. Future Changes and Innovations
The next (July) running of the IPC will be one week
shorter--faur weeks instead of five, The basic format will
be retained. Specific deletions have not been determined,
but potential candidates would include the National Military
Intelligence Center and Defense Intelligence School visits,
and the Of_Eice of Communications segment.
8. Class Composition
25X1A
Attachments:
I - Course Outline
2 - Course Roster
3 - Eva:iuation Form
4 - End-of-Course Data Sheet
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