Question

You are the National Counterintelligence Executive and are conducting a management review of the national counterintelligence program you oversee. What are the measures of performance you will use in your review? Remember—performance measures are not measurements of work activity (e.g., how many cases opened, personnel trained, spies caught) but they determine whether goals have been achieved.

Answer 1

Performance measurement helps in recognizing whether strategies developed within an organization or its programs, investments and procurements are reaching the targeted goals. It helps in studying how much, how well and at what level, products or services are reaching the consumers in a set time period.

In a National Counterintelligence Agency, a National Counterintelligence Executive evaluates National Counterintelligence Program, comprising of National Counterintelligence Strategies. Thus, he or she needs to evaluate whether the organization has in-depth understanding of the abilities, plans, aims and motives of Foreign Intelligence Entities (FIE). One has to evaluate whether the plans, aims and motives of foreign intelligence entities are being disturbed or not. He has to analyze whether threats from insiders are being detected and mitigated or not. He has to evaluate whether the sensitive information and assets are being protected from foreign intelligence entities against theft, alteration and exploitation. He needs to analyze whether there is riskless information sharing with foreign agencies or partners. He needs to analyze the utilization of risk assessment information for consolidation of programs against threats from FIE . He also needs to analyze the cyber activities of foreign intelligence entities.