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critical thinking skills in the classroom

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By Dr. Kathy Hogan
Program Director, Intelligence Studies at American Military University

To the public, the field of “intelligence” can be quite a mystery – often sensationalized or misinterpreted in an attempt to fill in gaps between what is visible and the unknown. Some think intelligence is cool and sexy, while others believe it is a nefarious and unscrupulous field. In truth, it is impossible to fully assess agencies or their practices when a complete picture is undiscoverable by design. Significant attention has been placed on some agencies for their decisions and practices. On the flip side, some context for these decisions and the contributions of these agencies will never be made public — or cannot be scientifically measured with judgmental “what if” scenarios. Living within this grey area can be a problem for those seeking to enter the profession. Let’s start by establishing a better understanding of what we know intelligence practitioners actually do on a daily basis.

Those of us within the field think of the world of intelligence as more science than art. In its simplest form, intelligence work requires the following three basic skills to be effective in the field.