Mastering Strategic Intelligence

What is this course about?

Strategic decision-making is hard and there are no simple solutions to make it easier. This course has the practical tradecraft skills necessary for intelligence officers and analysts to influence decisions and help shape their organisation's success. Some courses teach structured analytical tools, hoping that if these are applied correctly then good assessments follow. Others focus on data analytics as the solution. Both approaches fail in isolation. Hence, this course covers the broader skills needed to be a strategic intelligence officer including assessment, writing, scanning and warning skills. Practical learnings are derived from lived experience in a range of strategic intelligence positions across government and the private sector. We use strategic case studies as a practical framework for consideration, learning and understanding. It is a specialised course and supplements other training in the fundamentals of the intelligence craft and in organisational and personal bias which are contained in our other courses.

What's in it for you?

  • Understanding

    If you are in, or want to be in, a strategic intelligence officer role, this course explores the complexities of strategic decision-making and how to influence risk appetite and complex decisions.

  • Skill

    Learn practical skills that underpin your duties to understanding strategic decisions, planning and framing strategic assessments, annual reviews, and scanning.

  • Investment

    The course is for organisations facing competitive, threat or environmental forces that may deny their strategic advancement; that need to employ professionals who can support decision-making by looking ahead at various external threat and harm possibilities - using the perspective of possible threat entities - and provide balanced advice to the decision-system.

Course curriculum

  1. 1
  2. 2

    • Introduction

      FREE PREVIEW

    • A Brief History

      FREE PREVIEW

    • Strategic vs Operational and Tactical

    • Levels of Decision-Making

    • Levels of analytical focus

    • Types of strategic decisions

    • Is Strategic Intelligence set up to fail?

    • Research into US intelligence bias

    • What are your thoughts on the politicization of strategic intelligence?
  3. 3

    • Context and Centres of Gravity

    • Tips for analysts: planning the stages of a Strategic Assessment

    • Managing Requirements: Strategic Assessment Case Study Part1

    • Case study assignment

    • Post assignment comments

    • Collection Management: Strategic Assessment Case Study Part 2

    • Assessment and Structured Analytical Techniques: Case Study Part3

    • Strategic Assessment quiz

    • Preliminary reading before assessment

    • Diagnostic and Contrarian structured analytical techniques

    • Contrarian Techniques Exercise
  4. 4

    • Strategic Product Development

    • Effective writing in strategic intelligence

    • Example - Group Example - writing from the threat POV - LTCOL Shaves Appreciation WWII

    • Example - Strategic Issue example - Russian election involvement

    • Some tips for those leaders managing an analyst completing a strategic assessment....

    • Revision: Key Points - Up Front!

    • CIA strategic assessment on Israel/Palestine. BLUF: 'What' = paras1-4, 'So What' =para5, "Now What'=para6.

    • Warning Products

    • Returning to our case study....

    • Assignment - BLUF for our Case Study on Women Being Trafficked

    • Strategic Assessment Case Study Part4

    • Strategic assessment case study part4 - resolution

    • Quality Standards in Production
  5. 5

    • Intelligence for Strategic Planning

    • Influencing Strategic Planning

    • Scanning - The Annual Review to Support Planning

    • The daily or weekly scan

    • Environmental Scanning Program and Methodology

    • PESTELO/PMESSI

    • The Threat COG

    • Strategic Indications and Warnings systems
  6. 6

    • Final Assignment

  7. 7

    • Congratulations!

    • Before you go...

Professional Course

Our Professional Courses are priced to offer you the absolute best market value. Want to continue your learning journey? Why not take a look at our Introduction, Specialist and Expert courses.

Ready to Learn?

Take the leap into the world of strategic intelligence and see how using this extraordinary discipline can help you achieve success.

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Instructor

CEO & Founder

Neil Quarmby

Neil is considered the leading expert in the Southern Hemisphere regarding intelligence in regulation and has an impressive and extensive career in intelligence (military, law enforcement and regulatory) both in Australia and overseas.  Recipient of the 2016 Australian Institute of Professional Intelligence Officers (AIPIO) individual award for distinguished contribution to the intelligence profession in Australia, Neil has an extensive career in operational and strategic intelligence; serving in the Australian Defence Force for over 20 years. Following his retirement from military service,  Neil was a senior manager of a national strategic crime assessment agency, going on to develop and manage a strategic intelligence capability in the Australian Crime Commission.  Neil subsequently became the head of a national operations into organised criminal penetration of the air transport sector and, in 2005, he took up a position creating and managing an integrated compliance risk and intelligence system in Medicare Australia.  He has held appointments as: the Senior Instructor for Intelligence and Counterintelligence at Australia’s Defence Intelligence Training Centre; the Staff Officer for Intelligence and Information Warfare Doctrine for the Australian Army and later at the ADF’s Joint Warfare Centre; the Staff Officer for intelligence capability development for Army; the manager of the strategic intelligence course for Australian law enforcement; and has led many other intelligence training programs. Neil is the co-author of a book titled, Managing Intelligence: the Art of Influence and the sole author of Managing Intelligence in Regulation.