ABSTRACT
A professional Intelligence officer as retired Air Force Major General George Keegan asserts that, "the real problem of national security has involved the serious errors, not of the so-called clandestine warriors, but of the professional estimators." Many-perhaps the majority of the really controversial ones-occur in response to specific crises or changes in the international situation. A handful take place because of a nagging sensation somewhere in the intelligence community that an issue or problem of long-term importance has not received the attention it deserves. In general, estimators tend to be higher ranking than other types of intelligence officers. Estimators believe that split opinions among agencies arise all too frequently from excessive insistence on narrow aspects of broad issues. Under normal circumstances, the Military Intelligence Board is the estimator's last chance to put the military house in order and prepare appropriate positions for the National Foreign Intelligence Board.
