The Multidisciplinary Character of Intelligence Domain
Keywords:
System theory; complexity theory; military science; international law; non-formal educationAbstract
In its defining nature, the intelligence domain reflects the quest for any situation or development that might cause harm to national security or military operation. That exposes the observer to a multitude of phenomena pertaining to numerous scientific domains. Recently, this feature became more important two ways: the security environment complexity increased, and the sciences established and developed sophisticated branches meant to cover these dynamics and to produce knowledge necessary to governments for mastering the new complex security environment. This paper approaches the intelligence exposure to various scientific domains from two points of view: scientifical fields from which intelligence can be examined; and scientifical domains which overlap with intelligence disciplines in the quest for truth to be delivered to power. Previous research addressed such issues, but hardly all together. The findings show that scientific branches able to offer a valuable perspective on intelligence, and which are addressed in this paper are the system theory, military sciences, of course, as well as law, the complexity theory, and education. Implications of this multidisciplinary approach lead to opportunities for significant progress in improving the management of intelligence and its interconnection with other governance branches.
References
Bracken, P., Remmer, I., & Gordon, D. (Eds.). (2008). Managing strategic surprise: Lessons from risk management and risk assessment. Cambridge University Press.
Headquarters, Department of the Army. (2008). FM 6-01.1 knowledge management section.
Ho, J. (2003). The advent of a new way of war: Theory and practice of effects-based operations. Institute for Defence and Strategic Studies, Singapore. http://www.rsis.edu.sg/publications/WorkingPapers/WP57.pdf
Medar, S. (2006). Military intelligence in the current security context [Informatiile militare in contextul de securitate actual]. Military Technical-Publishing Center.
Mocanu, M. (2014). Intelligence and the theory of complexity. “Carol I” National Defense University.
Mocanu, M. (2015). Functionality of intelligence support to command and control. Command and Control Research and Technology International Symposium, Department of Defense. http://www.dodccrp-test.org
Mocanu, M. (2018). Intelligence in 21st-century military operations. “Carol I” National Defense University.
Mocanu, M., & Botos, I. (2011). Long-term analysis and the concept of multiple futures [Analiza pe termen lung si conceptul de viitor multiplu] (Vol. 2, pp. 33–46). Center for Defense and Security Strategic Studies, “Carol I” National Defense University. https://cssas.unap.ro/ro/pdf_carti/sesiune_2011_vol2.pdf
Moffat, J. (2004). Complexity theory and network-centric warfare. CCRP, Department of Defense.
Moffat, J. (2011). Adapting modeling and simulation for network-enabled operations. CCRP, Department of Defense.
Smith, E., Jr. (2002). Effects-based operations: Applying network-centric warfare in peace, crisis, and war. CCRP Series, Department of Defense.
Stoian, V. (2024). Intelligence activity: Moral limits and deontology. European Institute.
von Bertalanffy, L. (1968). General system theory: Foundations, development, applications. George Braziller.
Watts, B. (2004). Clausewitzian friction and future war (McNair Paper No. 68). NDU Press, Institute for National Strategic Studies, National Defense University.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 EIRP Proceedings

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material
- for any purpose, even commercially.
- The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.
Under the following terms:
-
Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.