Intel gathering

The UK's spy agencies need more analysts and minorities

While its top three intelligence agencies (MI5, MI6, and GCHQ) have impressive intelligence gathering skills, a new report from Britain's Intelligence and Security Committee complains that their analytical capability is insufficient.

This speaks to an organizational difference between the U.S. intelligence community and that of Britain.

Where the U.S. counterparts of MI5 (the FBI (albeit a law enforcement agency), the CIA (MI6 equivalent), and the NSA (GCHQ equivalent)) collect intelligence in a similar manner to Britain, they also retain large analytical divisions to assess and report on the value and meaning of collected intelligence.

Conversely, while MI6 has a limited "R" (for reporting) cadre focused on analysis, its "P" (for production) stations involved in intelligence collection remain the agency's focus. The ISC notes a senior intelligence official who argues that "[British services] need to introduce… more of the qualitative side… we need to [evolve] the process so that we can also look at the extent to which… it is not just about volume; it is about quality."