In recent years, the field of intelligence has become highly popular and in demand. Despite the current era being characterized by AI technology, those wishing to engage in the intelligence profession are required to possess a diverse range of skills that reflect different strategic thinking approaches.
The intelligence profession demands expertise in various areas, as its processes involve data collection, information processing, and the production of knowledge outputs. However, in today’s age of information explosion and artificial intelligence, skills alone are not enough; an additional layer of high-level thinking strategies (such as asking questions, comparison, deduction, etc.) is required. So why is education in intelligence so crucial in the current period?
The first and immediate reason is related to the content area of the geopolitical arena of the Middle East. The Middle East is the environment in which the State of Israel exists, and understanding its opportunities and challenges requires engaging with fascinating content through a curious and critical eye.
The challenges of the Middle East have always demanded creative thinking to understand reality. In this context, one of the methodological difficulties in understanding reality repeatedly over the years is rigid thinking, which leads to strategic intelligence failures, such as the Yom Kippur War and the events of October 7, 2023.
These two events, separated by fifty years, share similar patterns related to the difficulty of understanding reality. The reasons for this are numerous and varied – organizational, psychological, cognitive – and it is important that these matters be taught in various content-rich contexts connected to the world of intelligence.
The second reason is pedagogical—educational. The intelligence process itself is an educational act. Cultivating a curious, pluralistic-thought, and investigative mind should begin at an early age, regardless of any potential military service.
The core concept is that the earlier we teach the three pillars—content, methodologies, and skills—the more we will weave the learner’s expertise in the short term while they are still a student, and in the long term, throughout all stages of their life—military service, academia, the industrial world, and beyond.
For these reasons, the “Atid” Education Network is currently developing a unique, innovative, and groundbreaking program of 5 enhanced study units. This program is called Enigma—Middle East Studies and Intelligence Collection Disciplines. It offers an engaging field of study and allows specialization in one of four tracks:
HUMINT Track (Human Intelligence) – Studies in language, intrapersonal and interpersonal skills, social connections, community management, and business networking.
SIGINT Track (Signals Intelligence) – Studies in cybersecurity, and the protection of organizational networks.
OSINT Track (Open Source Intelligence) – Studies in information retrieval, language, and social network research.
The Enigma program integrates these fields of study with collaborations from various organizations, such as Microsoft Israel, Ramon Foundation, Unit 9900, the Open University, and the 8200 Alumni Association.
Some people tend to associate intelligence gathering solely with the military field, but such an association indicates a misunderstanding of the information gathering domain. Intelligence and information gathering are present in all areas of our lives—from determining a vacation destination to taking out a mortgage, or choosing an academic field of study. Education in intelligence in a knowledge-rich world is crucial for evaluating information and sources, decision-making, and critical thinking.
As humans in the age of artificial intelligence, we lack authority over the information accessible at the click of a button, but we do have the ability to employ filters and develop critical thinking skills to sift through the wheat and the chaff, gathering only the most reliable and meaningful information for the actions we are required to take.
What the “Atid” Education Network offers through programs like this is an intellectual approach that combines a fascinating and relevant content world with skills-based learning and methodologies that require that extra layer of high-level thinking strategies. This essentially embodies the delta between conventional, rigid thinking and independent, creative, critical, and practical applied thinking.
The development of a program like Enigma offers an integrated framework of content, methods, and skills. Those who employ these graduates will benefit twice by securing an individual who specializes in a variety of innovative fields and a person who is self-assured and empowered.
