Global Security and Intelligence Studies Volume 5, Number 1, Spring / Summer 2020 | Page 108

Global Security and Intelligence Studies
methodologies might not correlate to
critical thinking because theory has to
relate to practice and different methodologies
might provide divergent answers
to the same problem set.
Complicating the issue is that
many new hires in intelligence analysis
do not come into the community with a
four-year university intelligence degree
or exposure to metacognition strategies
or analytical methodologies. In a survey
of thirty-two new hires for IA positions
at a defense contractor, undergraduate
degree programs were predominantly
in criminal justice, cybersecurity,
history, and homeland security. Other
degrees included international relations,
political science, government,
and politics (Wynn 2019). Additionally,
many of the IA positions do not require
a Bachelor’s degree, though it can
count towards experience in qualifying
for a position level (junior, mid-level,
or senior). For a senior position, most
positions require specialized training
like intelligence courses and ten-plus
years’ experience. An undergraduate
degree could count for up to four years
of required experience. Most defense
contractors will substitute two years’
experience for a Bachelor’s degree, and
another two years for a Master’s degree
(Wynn 2019).
Many intelligence positions are
staffed by former military analysts who
may have a variety of military experience.
They may not have taken the
Department of Defense military intelligence
training classes, and many of
those classes might not include analytic
methodologies. While the Defense Intelligence
Agency (DIA) offers a variety
of training venues and training partnerships
with other government agencies
like the Joint Military Attaché School,
Joint Military Intelligence Training
Center programs and the National Intelligence
University, there might be a
variance in how critical thinking is defined,
measured, or assessed from instructor
to instructor.
Furthermore, military operational
and strategic methodologies,
which are dependent on branch and
job position, have different targeted
outcomes and may require different
tools and critical thinking skillsets, as
shown in Figures 5 and 6. This disparate
approach to how critical thinking
is taught, assimilated, and applied does
not entail that students in military analysis
or employees possess a variety of
degrees or education levels lacking in
critical thinking skills, but it does point
to the challenge for employers to determine
the level of critical thinking a new
employee from any academic background
brings to the job.
Testing IAs for Critical
Thinking: A Silver Bullet?
How can employers specifically
evaluate the critical thinking
skills of potential IAs with such
far-ranging backgrounds? One tool in
the hiring toolbox may be testing for it.
According to the Harvard Business Review,
there is already a precedent in the
industry. “Recent research shows that
about 76% of organizations with more
than 100 employees rely on assessment
tools such as aptitude and personality
tests for external hiring. That figure is
94