NIE National Intelligence Estimates - Essay Example

Summary This section of my paper will be a summary of the article “Intelligence Estimates: How Useful to Congress”.1 National Intelligence Estimates (NIE’s) entail the collection or analysis of trends that are difficult and extensive to understand. This complex, estimative analysis report explores Congress efforts, under the guise of oversight, which can dilute or distort the NIE so as not to be true and accurate assessments. The scope and political influences from a variety of sources can be a bone of contention between the intelligence communities (IC) and Congress.

The article describes many historically compiled examples unraveling the limitations faced by the NIE processes. NIE typically tries to cull out estimations from quite broad and extensive conclusions. However, some of the processes involve a single agency and do not intend to divulge any specific sources owing to a sense of mistrust. Considering this reluctance on the part of an administration which holds a specific policy, may end up in a “watering down” of the conclusions so as to avoid possible controversies.

As a result, a skeptical Congress has, over time, become more demanding with its insistence and request for the completed analyses. This distrust has lead to multiple efforts to pass legislations which accrue more authority to the Congress. Examples include the constant alterations into the Defense Authorization Act and the approval processes for the associated agencies such as the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Without question, the scope of discontent cited in the article includes the aftermath of Iraq’s WMD Program.

The article reported the well documented problems with the IC that place a great reliance on limited information, thereby resulting in wrong conclusions. Again, the findings listed in the article mention a shift in the scope and direction of the new global threat of terrorism. The current and perceived threats faced by the U.S. encourage the passing of new polices like the Intelligence Reform Act of 2004. This act enunciated new guidelines that NIE must follow in the future to avoid the repetition of the mistakes made in the past.

However, much terminology inherent in the language of the act is quite problematic and difficult to interpret. The article concludes with the ongoing oversights incumbent on the future NIEs so that they may better understand Iran’s Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). The report conveys the importance of key judgments which are included in the 2007 NIE report. The report, “Iran: Nuclear Intentions and Capabilities”, highlights a shift which in a way oversimplifies a new narrative. These judgments were included by the Director of the DNI and placed in the ‘UNCLASSIFIED’ version .

This new story line no way changes the importance or the goals of the NIE, except for suggesting some changes in the mechanisms resorted to while interacting with the public. Analysis Overview In this section, I will develop an analytical response to the article in which I will offer further historical and contextual possibilities that may exemplify how the Congressional processes could be harmful. Specifically, I will address the varied issues that can have a negative impact on the customer-analyst interaction.

To understand this potential non-productive interaction, the NIE has engaged in a series of collaborations