Theorising intelligence as a collective system of perception and comprehension (distributed cognition) that aims to facilitate superior understanding in conflict (information superiority)

This project aims to break the deadlock in intelligence theory. It conceptualises intelligence as a system of distributed cognition – that is, as a collective process of apprehension and comprehension – that strives to achieve competitively superior understanding in the context of a conflict. Two case studies underpin the analysis, namely the 1973 Middle East War, and the recent Russian involvement in US elections. My framework integrates hitherto disparate lines of intelligence-studies research, and identifies critical gaps in the scholarship. The project will have significant policy implications for planning, coordination and evaluation across the intelligence community. It will also provide insights back to the anthropology of cognition.