ABSTRACT
The application of intelligence to decisions about the use of armed force resembles in some respects the interaction of political and expert authority on other issues of public policy but also exhibits some important differences. Decision-making about issues of war and peace may be clothed in secrecy maintained in the name of national security; this constitutes a further impediment to understanding the respective roles played by different forms of authority. National security is at the core of the most important functions and responsibilities of any political authority. Another distinctive characteristic of decisions involving the use of armed force is that they are more political than many other matters of public policy to which expert opinion is relevant. A choice between war and peace is one of the highest profile policy decisions a government can make.
