"Sensemaking" is the inaugural book in our new series, titled The A. Denis Clift Series on the Intelligence Profession. The Clift Series will present original research on intelligence analysis and the teaching of intelligence. Sensemaking, whereby intelligence professionals would work with executive decisionmakers to explain data that are "sparse, noisy, and uncertain," requires an interpreter and experienced champion to bring about a practicable understanding and acceptance of the concept among intelligence practitioners. David Moore has accomplished that feat. Further, he, along with...

Author David Moore makes a powerful argument that analysts who possess critical thinking skills are better able to cope with the complexities of a post-Cold War world than those who are not. Although technology can assist analysts by cataloguing and presenting data, information and evidence in new ways, it cannot do the analysis for them. To be most effective, analysts need an overarching, reflective framework to add structured reasoning to sound, intuitive thinking. "Critical thinking" provides such a framework and goes further, positively influencing the entire intelligence analysis...