Welcome to the Consortium for the Study of Intelligence

The Consortium for the Study of Intelligence was founded in 1979 as a project of the National Strategy Information Center in Washington, DC. The Consortium, and its Working Group on Intelligence Reform has provided an ongoing forum in which government and nongovernment intelligence experts exchange ideas about the future of intelligence, and discussed proposals for its reform. The Consortium also promotes teaching and research on intelligence in a democratic society. It acted as a catalyst in the founding of the Intelligence Studies Section of the International Studies Association; the Security and Intelligence Studies Group of the UK Political Studies Association; and the Canadian Association for the Security and Intelligence Studies. Hundreds of faculty members from universities and military colleges throughout the United States, Canada, and the UK have attended Consortium faculty seminars. The Consortium also sponsored numerous publications and studies, and its members continue to make significant individual contributions to the literature on intelligence.

Intelligence reform is again on the public policy agenda as democratic societies strive to contend with an evolving threat environment and new actors on the world stage. Many now agree that significant reform of intelligence is needed. For the most part, reform efforts have tended to focus on organizational arrangements, legal adjustments, and resource allocations. In the aftermath of 9/11, questions are again being raised about the quantity and quality of intelligence. In order to fully address these issues, it is necessary to examine if intelligence doctrines, cultures, and management techniques are effective and whether alternative approaches might be applicable and even more effective.

The Consortium builds on more than twenty years of experience in examining intelligence practices. It calls upon the expertise of a broad range of U.S. and foreign practitioners and research specialists, to identify “effective practices” and “indicators of effectiveness,” applicable to rule of law, democratic societies. Specifically, the Consortium proposes to present effective methods for the post-9/11 threat environment; develop indicators for measuring progress; and ensure that these issues are discussed and debated.

The Consortium produces both research studies for specialists and accessible reports about the personnel and organizational culture needed to ensure an effective “full-service” intelligence consistent with democratic norms. It also serves as a forum to review and evaluate the findings of others.

The Consortium seeks to serve as a resource center for the media, government, public policy centers, and academics, providing information and nonpartisan discussion about intelligence for democratic and rule of law society.

The National Strategy Information Center (NSIC) is a nongovernmental, nonpartisan, educational, research and policy center founded in 1962. The Consortium is funded exclusively by U.S. foundations.

Founding Members