Essence of Intelligence - Consuming Vital Knowledge for Strategic and Operational Advantage (Paperback)

Decisions made by leaders are often the product of contemplative thought and varied deliberation over choices derived from a broad range of information and knowledge. Contemplative thought is uniquely human. It is not a technological process. Yet, contemplative thought often receives both deliberate and unintentional "input" in the form of influence, coercion, or persuasion by external factors such as people, organizations, governmental politics, or a combination of all three. Given that these very human inputs occur at all levels of government, it is reasonable to assume that the decisions of national leaders and military commanders have been subjected to substantive external influence. Clearly this is not a revelation. People and organizations are influenced in one way or the other by other people and organizations, amongst other things. By definition, this is the nature of politics.