Evaluating intelligence performance: The intelligence security committee's investigations into the 7/7 London bombings

The Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) is a standing committee of parliamentarians responsible for the independent assessment and evaluation of the United Kingdom's intelligence agencies. Following the July 2005 bombings in London, the ISC conducted two investigations into the performance of the UK's intelligence agencies in relation to the attacks. As the ISC was made up of individuals with knowledge of the workings of intelligence agencies, their investigations were able to provide an external, independent and an informed critique of intelligence performance. This paper develops the concept of informed outsiders; people external to agencies that understand intelligence analysis, have access to all relevant information, and are able to provide practical insights to the work of intelligence agencies. The argument is that, given the inherent secrecy surrounding intelligence, such informed outsiders are critical to the development of intelligence analysis. The ISC's reports illustrate a number of systematic improvements to intelligence analysis through: an external critique of intelligence analysis; an informed perspective on the limitations of intelligence and scale of the threat; and systematic improvements through questions asked of intelligence agencies. Finally, to ensure systematic improvement of the field of intelligence analysis, the case is made for similar in-depth analysis of intelligence successes and not just investigations in response to perceived intelligence failures.