LEARNING TRADECRAFT IN THE DIRECTORATE OF INTELLIGENCE - REPORT OF THE CORPORATE BOARD'S PROCESS ACTION TEAM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP98-00412R000300010003-3
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 21
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 3, 2012
• Sequence Number: 3
• Content Type: REPORT

Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/03 :CIA-RDP98-004128000300010003-3
LEARNING TRADECRAFT IN THE
DIRECTORATE OF INTELLIGENCE
REPORT OF THE CORPORATE BOARD'S
PROCESS ACTION TEAM
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/03 :CIA-RDP98-004128000300010003-3
 Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/03 :CIA-RDP98-004128000300010003-3
A FIVE PART PRESENTATION
I. Data base and key finding
II. Importance of key tradecraft skills
Ilt. Guidelines for training in thinking, behavior
IV. Development of supportive learning environment
V. Payoff on investment in learning, training
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/03 :CIA-RDP98-004128000300010003-3
 Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/03 :CIA-RDP98-004128000300010003-3
I. INFORMATION BASE
? Multilevel focus groups to establish current and
future training needs and facilitate "buy-in"
? Interviews with senior DI officers to identify
changing environment, tradecraft skills
? Discussion with OTE instructors to review existing
training system
? Review of outside literature to become familiar with
thinking on quality, training, process reengineering
? "Benchmarking" to find best training practices:
-- Other government agencies
-- Law and medical schools
-- Private industry
-- Media
-- Philosophy departments
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/03 :CIA-RDP98-004128000300010003-3
 Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/03 :CIA-RDP98-004128000300010003-3
I. THE NEED FOR A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH
? Training for D I officers must focus on key
tradecraft skills
? Formal training, by itself, will not ensure improved
skills
? Formal training must be reinforced on the job,
where most learning occurs
? Maximum payoff requires changes in the supporting
environment
? RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE PROCESS ACTION TEAM ARE
DESIGNED TO IMPROVE TRADECRAFT SKILLS AND
PRODUCT QUALITY
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/03 :CIA-RDP98-004128000300010003-3
 Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/03 :CIA-RDP98-004128000300010003-3
II. KEY TRADECRAFT SKILLS
RECOMMENDATION: That training for DI officers--in a centralized
component like OTE or by individual DI components--be organized
around five interrelated tradecraft skills. The Chief of OTE's
Intelligence Training Division and the members of the Corporate
Board should begin immediately to make changes to accomplish
this goal.
? Analytic Thinking
-- Trained in logic, argumentation, reasoning
skepticism
-- Able to see relationships; distinguish beween
facts, evidence, assumptions, conclusions
? Productive Behavior
-- Team player,'able to network, initiator
-- Strong negotiating skills, good listener
? Presentational Skills
-- Strong writer, articulate briefer
-- Effective user of graphics, visual aids
? Knowledge of Customer
-- Understands interaction between intelligence,
policymaking communities
-- Good grasp of US interests, policy concerns
? Data Gathering and Handling
-- Efficient collector, strong researcher, filer
-- Database builder, manipulator
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/03 :CIA-RDP98-004128000300010003-3
 Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/03 :CIA-RDP98-004128000300010003-3
II. Driver Tradecraft Skills
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/03 :CIA-RDP98-004128000300010003-3
 Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/03 :CIA-RDP98-004128000300010003-3
II. CORE TRAINING
RECOMMENDATION: That the Chief of OTE's Intelligence
Training Division refocus existing courses and develop
core training on the five tradecraft skills.
? Core training in the two driver skills--thinking and
behavior--tackled first
? All DI officers attend some version--half-day for
senior managers, several days for analysts
? Training provides key tenets of tradecraft,
instruction on appropriate techniques and tools
? Analysis Training Course and Supervision of
Analysis Course revamped to focus on five
skill areas
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/03 :CIA-RDP98-004128000300010003-3
 Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/03 :CIA-RDP98-004128000300010003-3
III. ANALYTIC THINKING
RECOMMENDATION: That the core course for analytic
thinking establish a framework for sound intelligence
analysis, emphasizing the importance of intellectual
rigor and the need for clarity and precision of language.
This is a priority recommendation of the process action
team, and a pilot running should be available no later
than 1 September 1994.
Training in analytic thinking should:
? Provide a framework to distinguish between the
various elements that comprise "analysis"
? Emphasize the need for precision and clarity of
language, logic, and deductive reasoning
? Demonstrate how various tools and techniques
facilitate thinking through an intelligence issue
? Use case studies and classroom exercises to
illustrate difference between strong, weak analysis
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/03 :CIA-RDP98-004128000300010003-3
 Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/03 :CIA-RDP98-004128000300010003-3
III. ROADMAP FOR CORE TRAINING IN ANALYTIC THINKING
I. The most basic step in analytic thinking is identifying
informational knowns on an intelligence issue or inquiry.
In the DI, these include:
-- Facts
-- Reporting from "INTS"
-- Actions, inactions
-- Statements, documentaries
-- Observables, measurables (i. e. speed, size)
-- Events, historical record
-- Statistics, open-source information
-- Location, dates, and much more.. .
II. This also allows identifying what is not known, which
is everything except what is known. Precision is key in
distinguishing between what is known and unknown:
-- What is known is that clandestine sources report
that cw agent production is underway at Factory X.
-- What is known is that SI reveals cw agent precursors
were delivered to Factory X.
-- What is not known is whether Factory X is actually
producing cw agents.
III. -- Once informational knowns and unknowns are determined,
an additional set of knowns can be determined directly from the
data, such as:
-- Trends, patterns
-- Precedence, change
-- Frequency, proximity
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/03 :CIA-RDP98-004128000300010003-3
 Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/03 :CIA-RDP98-004128000300010003-3
IV. From all sets of knowns and unknowns, and with the help
of tools and a conceptual framework, analytic findings are
derived, including:
-- Relationships, links, and connections
-- Variables, conditions
-- Deception, denial
-- Inconsistencies, incongruities
-- Corroboration
V. "Confirmation" or "Proof" is much different from what is
known and requires a rigorous set of tests and challenges:
-- Blurring the distinction between corroboration and
confirmation is a key pitfall in analysis.
-- For the analyst looking at whether cw agents are
being produced, what are the criteria of
"confirmation" and what indicators might be
available iri the information base?
VI. -- Staying close to what is known, recognizing what is
unknown, and pursuing confirmation is the best way to avoid
making faulty assumptions and speculating--the two .main
sources of intelligence failures.
-- Some things-- for example, intentions, motivations,
fears, concerns, wants, and hopes--are always
unknowable. Analysts, therefore, must never treat
them as knowns.
VII. Emphasis on what is known is the only sound basis for
forward-looking analysis:
What is known allows an analyst to identify the
variables and conditions and their influence on
events and to describe how changes in variables
and conditions will have an impact--based on
experiential evidence--on future developments.
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/03 :CIA-RDP98-004128000300010003-3
 Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/03 :CIA-RDP98-004128000300010003-3
III. PRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOR
RECOMMENDATION: That a core course focused on the
elements of productive behavior--like OTE's Management
and Training Division's POCM or the course on quality
tools/teamwork provided to the Learning PAT by Gene
Fetteroll of Goal/QPC--be developed to meet the needs
of DI analysts and managers at all levels. This is also a
priority recommendation of the process action team and
a pilot running should be available by 1 September 1994.
? Training should prepare DI officers for demands for
greater speed, flexibility, and corporate behavior
? Problem-solving skills, communication and feedback
techniques, ways to deal with people, teamwork
? Working coordination/review processes, networking
inside/outside Agency, approaching/understanding
consumers
? Videos are a powerful training medium and can
illustrate effective and ineffective behaviors
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/03 :CIA-RDP98-004128000300010003-3
 Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/03 :CIA-RDP98-004128000300010003-3
IV. The Importance of the
Learning Environment
Newly honed DI
tradecraft skills
will stay sharp
only in a supportive
learning environment
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/03 :CIA-RDP98-004128000300010003-3
 Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/03 :CIA-RDP98-004128000300010003-3
IV. Key Elements of A Supportive Learning Environment
Connectivity/
Consistency
ive
ff t
E ec
dershi / ~~~'
Lea
P
in
T h
eac
n ilit :>
A u tab
cco
................. ....... 9
Y ::._ _ ..................... _ __
` Measurement
of Learning
:::
Identified
Competencies
Staged
Learning
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/03 :CIA-RDP98-004128000300010003-3
 Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/03 :CIA-RDP98-004128000300010003-3
IV. CONNECTIVITY and CONSISTENCY
RECOMMENDATION: That the DDI establish a mechanism to
ensure connectivity and consistency between centralized
training, on-the-job learning, and component-sponsored
training. A DI Training Board, headed by an accomplished
SIS officer, and including representatives of all DI offices
and OTE, should be appointed by 1 June 1994 to:
Establish learning objectives and evaluate
relevance of formal courses
? Oversee selection of trainers
? Advise and support office training
programs with an eye to ensuring
consistency across Directorate
? Plan for future training needs
? Submit periodic reports to the ADDI
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/03 :CIA-RDP98-004128000300010003-3
 Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/03 :CIA-RDP98-004128000300010003-3
IV. TRAINING POSITIONS ONLY TO THE BEST
RECOMMENDATION: That only the very best DI officers
participate in the reengineering of the training and learning
system. The DDI should direct Office Directors to identify
strong officers in their respective career services to serve
on the training board and as instructors.
? Resource investment in training is imperative if
maximum number of officers are to master tradecraft
? Training positions should be openly identified as
stepping stones to more senior positions
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/03 :CIA-RDP98-004128000300010003-3
 Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/03 :CIA-RDP98-004128000300010003-3
IV. THE IMPORTANCE OF STAGED LEARNING
RECOMMENDATION: That the Training
Board by 1 January 1995 determine
training needs for DI officers over
the course of their careers to ensure
a process of continuous improvement.
Middle
Manager
New
Manager
Experienced
Analyst*
('including
pre-management
training)
Senior
Executive
? Training in the various disaplines (political, economic
and military) should be linked to different stages
? Training over the course of a career
reinforces and enhances DI tradecraft skills
? Staged teaming provides a basis for
measuring competencies and
effectiveness of training
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/03 :CIA-RDP98-004128000300010003-3
 Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/03 :CIA-RDP98-004128000300010003-3
IV. THE NEED FOR STANDARDS AND MEASURES
RECOMMENDATION: That a followup
process action team define
standards in key tradecraft
skills and devise tools for measuring
skills acquisition.
A Supportive Learning
Environment Requires:
-- Standards of analytic excellence
-- Tools for measuring individual
and organizational performance and improvement
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/03 :CIA-RDP98-004128000300010003-3
 Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/03 :CIA-RDP98-004128000300010003-3
IV. THE IMPORTANCE OF LEADERSHIP: ROLE MODELING
RECOMMENDATION: That the Corporate Board,
followed by other levels of DI Management,
take the lead in attending the two recommended
core courses on Analytic Thinking and Productive
Behavior.
? Senior executives need to role model ("walk the talk")
for any new programs, such as a refocused DI training
effort, to take hold
? Managers need to participate in training
to know what is being taught so they can
reinforce it on the job
? Training that starts at the top builds
accountability for results down the line
? Analyst receptivity to new techniques,
such as quality tools, will be higher if
managers lead the way
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/03 :CIA-RDP98-004128000300010003-3
 Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/03 :CIA-RDP98-004128000300010003-3
IV. THE IMPORTANCE OF LEADERSHIP: ACCOUNTABILITY
RECOMMENDATION: That the process action team commissioned
by the Corporate Board to study the recognition and reward system
ensure that its recommendations are compatible with the development
of a learning environment.
A reward system tied to acquisition of tradecraft skills would
encourage:
-- Analysts to take professional development seriously
-- Supervisors to focus greater effort on their teaching
function
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/03 :CIA-RDP98-004128000300010003-3
 Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/03 :CIA-RDP98-004128000300010003-3
SUMMARY OF PROCESS ACTION TEAM RECOMMENDATIONS
Teaching DI Tradecraft.. .
? DI training organized around
the five interrelated tradecraft
skills
? Core training with the two driver
skills--thinking and behavior--
tackled first
? A DI training board to
ensure connectivity and
consistency
? Selection of the best DI
officers to serve on the
training board and as instructors
...In a Supportive Learning Environment
? Establishment of standards for
key tradecraft skills and development
of tools for measuring skills acquisition
? Development of sequenced training
for DI officers over the course of
their careers
? Role modeling by senior DI
leadership
? Study of the current DI reward
system to ensure its compatibility
with development of a learning
environment
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/03 :CIA-RDP98-004128000300010003-3
 Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/03 :CIA-RDP98-004128000300010003-3
V. The Long Road
To A Learning Environment
Sharper User/Consumer Focus
Improved Communication
Energized Work Force
Better Product
Skills Acgaisition
Continuous Improvement
An effective DI
training program
will require years of
investment and cultural
changes in our workplace
environment.
Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/01/03 :CIA-RDP98-004128000300010003-3