This collection of eighteen essays was compiled by a working group on intelligence reform established in 1992 by the Consortium for the Study of Intelligence. Discussing a wide range of topics related to intelligence studies, these essays collectively examine the intelligence community's basic roles, missions, and methods of operation. They also propose new ways of thinking about intelligence and how it can better serve the needs of national security. Robert Kohler inquires into the importance of satellite reconnaissance; Roy Godson argues that covert action is likely to remain a controversial instrument of government policy; Henry Rowen introduces the concept of a "market" for intelligence; and Randall Fort discusses clandestine acquisition of economic, financial and trade information by official intelligence methods and asks whether such information should be shared with the private sector.

Gary J. Schmitt is the director of the American Enterprise Institute's Program on Advanced Strategic Studies and a resident scholar at AEI.