all source intelligence. definition
all source intelligence.. All source means that an agency’s analytical products incorporate data from many different collection sources, not just the ones over which that particular agency has control.32 Three such entities currently exist (the CIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research33); information sharing can lead to the emergence of others. Sharing enables analysts to examine the widest possible range of information, including data gathered by other agencies. The result is a system of competitive analysis in which multiple agencies consult a common pool of information to tackle the same intelligence questions. The previous paragraph argued that redundant intelligence collection is inefficient, but not all redundancy is wasteful;34 cars come with seat belts and air bags, and drivers are safer for having them both. Redundant collection seems the very essence of waste; little is gained when five different agencies intercept the same e-mail.35 But redundant intelligence analysis can be beneficial. Competitive analysis helps ensure that policy makers are exposed to diverse perspectives; it also helps counteract groupthink tendencies.36