Analysts and policymakers are on the same team but have different roles and responsibilities. Intelligence is a support activity that provides information and insight to national security decision makers. Optimizing the utility of this support requires mutual trust and regular interaction between policymakers and the Intelligence Community. 

This interaction normally takes place between decision makers at all levels of the national security enterprise and the IC analysts who are their primary points of contact. To provide tailored, timely, and useful support to policymakers and the policymaking process, analysts must understand the objectives, priorities, baseline assumptions, and explicit and revealed intelligence needs of the people they support. 

To obtain the support they need and desire, policymakers must share their thinking with analysts who will respect confidences but are obligated to share intelligence and intelligence questions with Intelligence Community colleagues who support other participants in the national security enterprise.