Intelligence source and information reliability
Intelligence source and information reliability rating systems are necessary in intelligence analysis.
A common system used is rating the source and information quality. The source reliability is rated between A (history of complete reliability) to E (history of invalid information), with F for source without sufficient history to establish reliability level. The information content is rated between 1 (confirmed) to 5 (improbable), with 6 for information whose reliability can not be evaluated.[1] The evaluation matrix comes from the Field Manual FM 2-22.3:
Source reliability
| Rating | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| A | Reliable | No doubt about the source authenticity, trustworthiness, or competency. History of complete reliability. |
| B | Usually reliable | Minor doubts. History of mostly valid information. |
| C | Fairly reliable | Doubts. Provided valid information in the past. |
| D | Not usually reliable | Significant doubts. Provided valid information in the past. |
| E | Unreliable | Lacks authenticity, trustworthiness, and competency. History of invalid information. |
| F | Cannot be judged | Insufficient information to evaluate reliability. May or may not be reliable. |
Information reliability
| Rating | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Confirmed | Logical, consistent with other relevant information, confirmed by independent sources. |
| 2 | Probably true | Logical, consistent with other relevant information, not confirmed. |
| 3 | Possibly true | Reasonably logical, agrees with some relevant information, not confirmed. |
| 4 | Doubtfully true | Not logical but possible, no other information on the subject, not confirmed. |
| 5 | Improbable | Not logical, contradicted by other relevant information. |
| 6 | Cannot be judged | The validity of the information can not be determined. |