"The best intelligence operation is the one the target never knew happened."
Intelligence Reporting and Products
Instructor Sele: Intelligence that is not communicated is intelligence that does not exist. The finished intelligence product — the report, the brief, the assessment — is how raw observation becomes operational decision-making. This module teaches you to write and deliver intelligence products that commanders can act on.
Section 1 — Types of Intelligence Products
Daily Intelligence Brief (DIB): a concise summary of the current threat environment, active intelligence, and PIR updates, delivered to the shift commander before 07:00 each day.
SALUTE Report: immediate tactical reporting of surveillance contacts, suspicious activity, or observed threats. Filed within 15 minutes of contact.
Incident Intelligence Report (IIR): a detailed report on a specific incident or intelligence development, including source assessment, analysis, and recommended action.
Pattern-of-Life Report: a periodic assessment of activity patterns around a client's home, workplace, or regular routes — used to identify deviations and update the threat assessment.
Threat Assessment Update: a revised assessment of the overall threat to the principal, incorporating new intelligence. Issued when the threat level changes or on a regular schedule.
Section 2 — The Daily Intelligence Brief Format
The DIB is structured as follows: date and time of issue; PIR status (brief update on each Priority Intelligence Requirement); current threat level (for each protected principal or site); active contacts (summary of any surveillance or threat contacts in the past 24 hours); area security update (relevant news, LNP reports, civil events); recommended actions (specific adjustments to routes, posture, or timing based on current intelligence); intelligence gaps (what we still need to know and how we are trying to find it).
The DIB must be factual, concise, and actionable. No speculation, no padding. If there is nothing to report on a PIR, state it clearly: "No new intelligence on this requirement."
Section 3 — Source Grading (NATO Standard)
All intelligence reports must grade the source and information reliability using the NATO standard. A piece of intelligence graded "B2" (usually reliable source, probably true information) is solid working intelligence. Intelligence graded "D5" (not usually reliable, improbable) should be noted but not acted upon without significant additional verification.
| Source Reliability (A–F) | Information Accuracy (1–6) |
|---|---|
| A — Completely Reliable | 1 — Confirmed by other sources |
| B — Usually Reliable | 2 — Probably True |
| C — Fairly Reliable | 3 — Possibly True |
| D — Not Usually Reliable | 4 — Doubtful |
| E — Unreliable | 5 — Improbable |
| F — Cannot Be Judged | 6 — Cannot Be Judged |
Section 4 — Intelligence Security — Need to Know
Every intelligence product must be distributed only to those who need it to do their job. The concept of need to know means that access to intelligence is determined by operational necessity — not rank, not seniority, not curiosity.
A guard who needs to know the departure time gets the departure time. They do not need the full threat assessment, the source's identity, or the intelligence collection methodology. Compartmentalisation protects sources, protects the operation, and protects the principal.
- •SafeHaven intelligence products: DIB, SALUTE, IIR, Pattern-of-Life Report, Threat Assessment Update
- •The Daily Intelligence Brief is delivered to the shift commander before 07:00 every day
- •All intelligence is graded using the NATO source reliability (A–F) and information accuracy (1–6) scale
- •Distribute intelligence only on a strict need-to-know basis — compartmentalisation protects everyone
- •Intelligence reports must be factual, concise, and actionable — no speculation, no padding
"I once received a threat assessment that was six pages long and contained three sentences of actual intelligence buried in five pages of background research the analyst had clearly enjoyed writing. In an operational context, a commander reading a six-page report in the morning brief loses the three sentences that matter. Write for the reader. Write for action. One page, clear structure, specific recommendation at the end. That is an intelligence product. The rest is homework."
A daily intelligence brief must be delivered to the shift commander by: