KEY INTELLIGENCE QUESTIONS FOR FY 77

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91M00696R000500050003-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 3, 2004
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: October 29, 1976
• Content Type: MF

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THE DIRECTOR OF CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE
WASHINGTON, D. C. 20505
Intelligence Community Staff NF I B- D- 2 2. 1/ 5 3
2 I C l 1976
MEMORANDUM FOR THE NATIONAL FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE BOARD
FROM:
Deputy to the DCI for the Intelligence
Community
SUBJECT: Key Intelligence Questions for FY 77
1. The DCI Key Intelligence Questions for Fiscal
Year 1977 are attached for your review. These KIQs are a
part of the Intelligence Community Planning System described
in my memorandum of 25 August 1976. Other documents in this
system will be forwarded to the Board as they are completed.
2. The purpose and content of the KIQs are quite
different from that of the past. We have consciously avoided
the temptation to produce a broad, general set of KIQs cover-
ing the global. environment. Indeed, you will note that the
number of KIQs is quite small and that they concentrate on
known policy needs without altering the relative collection
or production priorities of the subjects. A topic which
fails to appear as'a KIQ should not be construed as having
lesser priority than one that does appear. Rather, many
subjects of known policy concern are absent from the KIQs
simply because adequate attention is currently being focused
on them under other guidance. The KIQ selection process is
designed to stimulate performance in those areas where im-
provements are both required and feasible.
3. I invite your specific attention to the fact that
the KIQs will be evaluated as a regular part of the IC
Staff's performance assessment program. The NIOs, in
collaboration with the IC Staff, will produce strategy re-
ports which will form the basis for these evaluations.
4. The Director has reviewed the KIQs and would
STAT
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welcome your comments, bearing in mind the objective of
keeping them limited to a relatively short list of succinct
questions.
25X1
Admiral) U6N
Attachment
As stated
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KEY INTELLIGENCE QUESTIONS FOR FY 1977
INTRODUCTION
The Key Intelligence Questions for Fiscal Year 1977,
issued by the Director of Central Intelligence pursuant
to his responsibilities under Executive Order 11905, rep-
resent a departure from past practice dictated by experience.
The new list is short and highly selective, the questions
having been chosen not only because of their importance to
national consumers, but also because a real need for ac-
tion by the Intelligence Community exists. The KIQs
represent the DCI's guidance to all Intelligence Community
collection and production managers on these selected
subjects.
The Key Intelligence Questions continue to be formu-
lated by the National Intelligence Officers. 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 opera-
tional attention. The purposeful limitation on the number
of questions and their high degree of focus required that
difficult choices be made from the many current high
priority areas and questions. This required that certain
issues or problems, although very important, be excluded.
If a problem were considered likely to pass before a
strategy for solving it could be devised, it was excluded.
Also excluded were key problems of a critical nature which
currently receive substantial and ongoing attention and
which were not considered to require or lend themselves
to Community action beyond that already underway. Examples
are SAL and verification, as well as individual current
weapon systems. Thus, the KIQs are a managerial device
for focusing attention and increased effort on a small
number of issues without altering the broader set of intelli-
gence priorities.
The National Intelligence Officers, in collaboration
with representatives of the'NFIB agencies and with the
advice of the Intelligence Community Staff and others as
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appropriate, will produce KIQ strategy reports aimed at
developing special collection and analytical strategies
to enhance the information gain and improve the analyses
in each KIQ area of concern.
The performance of the Intelligence Community on the
KIQs will initially be evaluated by the appropriate NIO
to assess the effectiveness of the actions taken. Further
evaluations will be undertaken as part of a regular In-
telligence Community Staff program which assesses the
timeliness and quality of the intelligence products in
terms of the requirements of major users.
The KIQs and their performance evaluations cannot
provide systematic inputs for resource allocation decisions
by program managers due to their limited number, speci-
ficity, 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 at-
tachment to DCID 1/2, "U.S. Foreign Intelligence Priorities
for Fiscal Years 1977-1981." Broad national intelligence
planning priorities are based on a 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 interna-
tional 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 Questions
are of major importance, and are singled out for special
operational attention.
The KIQs
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 INTELLIGENCE CC-M JNIITY STAFF
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Attached for your review are the
FY-77 KIQs which have been developed
in coope ation with the NIOs. We've
intentionally shortened them this
year in order to emphasize specific
topics which we feel have not re-
ceived adequate attention. The KIQs
are also intended to stimulate action
in certain areas where performance
improvement is both necessary and
feasible.
With your approval, I'll forward
the KIQs to the NFIB according to
the attached memorandum.
ACTION
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