As we plan and work to improve the quality and the quantity of intelligence to support actions to counter terrorism, we must distinguish between tactical intelligence and strategic intelligence. Tactical intelligence is sufficiently specific, sufficiently detailed, and sufficiently reliable to form the basis for immediate action; in fact, it is sometimes referred to as “actionable intelligence.” Strategic intelligence, in contrast, lacks the specificity necessary to direct operations, but because its content is believed to be valid for a period of years, it can be used to support the allocation of resources—including decisions to invest in order to create future capabilities—or political measures which by their nature could be effective only over a period of time.

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