Elodie Collins 
Artificial intelligence can speed up every stage of the intelligence cycle, but it does not guarantee that the context analysts rely on to make sound judgments is retained throughout the process, according to Daniel Suitor, senior solutions engineer and intelligence community lead at Legion Intelligence.
In an article published on the Legion website, Suitor said the IC should demand systems that not only accelerate every stage of the intelligence cycle but also preserve tradecraft.
Suitor will provide more insights into agentic AI deployment to support the intelligence community during the Agentic AI Across Mission and Enterprise: From Pilot to Production at the Decision Edge panel at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Intel Summit on Sept. 24. He will join government leaders and fellow industry experts to discuss how the IC can securely and effectively scale the use of AI to support decision-making. Get your tickets here!
How Does the Intelligence Cycle Work?
Intelligence products move from one owner to the next across every stage of the cycle: from collection to analysis, from analysis to review, from review to dissemination. Each handoff transfers more than just the document. Suitor said five properties must travel with intelligence work at each handoff:
- The original customer question, including the key intelligence questions, the essential elements of information and the gaps that remain open.
- The source context behind the reporting, including origin, handling restrictions and known limitations.
- The evidence supporting or challenging judgment, including the assumptions made and the confidence the analyst placed on the report.
- The analytic line, including prior judgment and analyst confidence, unanswered questions, assumptions, and indicators.
- The record of human review, including what AI proposed and an analyst accepted or rejected.
All five function as a single record rather than as separate features, he added. Each must remain attached to the work as it moves from one owner to the next.
IC professionals ensure continuity at every handoff. An analyst, for instance, remembers what the product originally said and what changed, and a reviewer is aware of the gaps that remain after a product is completed.
How Will AI Impact the Intelligence Cycle?
The federal government is accelerating the implementation of AI in the national security space. In June, the White House issued a memorandum directing the adoption of advanced AI technologies for military and intelligence operations. The CIA has already seen improvements in the time it takes for analysts to triage information, Suitor noted.
However, the technology can only see the information it was given. When an analyst pastes a body of a report onto an AI system for synthesis, the technology does not get all the information it needs to generate an accurate output. While the analyst who generated the synthesis knows what was left out, the reviewer does not, Suitor said.
He stated that AI can make continuity breaks between intelligence handoffs “harder to detect.”
The IC does not need to choose between speed and tradecraft, according to Suitor. The community needs systems that can do both.
“A faster draft improves production,” he wrote. “A traceable, reviewable and defensible judgment improves intelligence.”
Who Is Daniel Suitor?
As Legion’s IC lead, Suitor helps defense and intelligence organizations design, evaluate and integrate AI systems to support mission needs.
Before joining Legion in July 2025, he founded Altaris AI Systems, where he advised organizations on how to efficiently implement generative AI. Prior to Altaris, he served as director of AI research and development at Zeta Bravo, where he led development of AI systems for intelligence, military and security customers.
Suitor spent nearly four years as a targeting analyst for the U.S. federal government. In the role, he investigated nation-state cyber adversaries and produced all-source intelligence assessments to support decision-making.
Earlier in his career, he worked as a counterintelligence investigator at D4C Global and held research and leadership roles at the Institute of World Politics, including as team lead for its Global Counterterrorism Group.
Where Can GovCon Leaders Learn About the Impact of AI on the IC?
The Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Intel Summit on Sept. 24 is the place to be for government contracting leaders to evaluate the impact of AI in the IC. The event will feature five panels dedicated to the technology, including deployment challenges and the risks it poses to national security.
Suitor will serve as the moderator of the Agentic AI Across Mission and Enterprise: From Pilot to Production at the Decision Edge panel. Speakers include:
- Capt. Patrick Thompson of the Infrastructure Services Division at the Coast Guard
- Matt Gilkeson, chief technology officer and chief data officer at the Transportation Security Administration (confirmation pending)
- Dr. Quentin “Q” Noreiga, AIMS program manager at SOSi
- Mario Roberts, deputy director of DAMI-IM and chief AI officer at Headquarters, Department of the Army, G2
Other AI panels at the event include:
- No Mission AI Without the Data: Building the Governed Foundation for Agentic Advantage
- Agentic AI and Quantum Risk: The Blast Radius Problem in Classified Environments
- Cybersecurity in the Age of Agentic AI
- Elevating Intelligence Operations with AI
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