"Social network analysis (SNA) is a worthwhile intelligence…" — Robert C. Schotter (#c378)

Card #c378IR // #c378SynthesisMilitary report

Social network analysis (SNA) is a worthwhile intelligence method that the Marine Corps intelligence enterprise (MCISRE) does not currently use — survey and interview findings show Marine Corps intelligence personnel are not proficient in SNA and routinely confuse it with link analysis and social media analysis (SMA), with causal factors mapped across the DOTmLPF pillars.

— In our words · Source: Bridging the Gap: Enhancing SNA Within the Marine Corps Intelligence Community (Robert C. Schotter)

[Use when]

A tool nobody can tell apart from its neighbors is a tool nobody can use — naming the confusion precisely (SNA vs. link analysis vs. social media analysis) is the first step to closing the gap.

[Why it matters]

It documents a capability gap by name — the analytic method the force's own roadmaps call for is the one its people can't distinguish from two adjacent techniques.