Doctrines as Discursive Artefacts: Rethinking Military Intelligence Education in Norway

This article critically examines the military intelligence doctrines that structure military intelligence analysis education at the Norwegian Intelligence School (NORIS). Drawing on a metareflexive framework that integrates insights from critical intelligence studies and military design theory, the analysis interrogates the epistemological and ontological assumptions embedded in the doctrines used in the Joint Intelligence Preparation of the Operating Environment (JIPOE) course at NORIS. The doctrines are shown to rest on a functionalist paradigm that privileges positivist notions of objectivity, and the existence of stable “facts” available for collection. This epistemology is reinforced by an ontology that reduces complex social environments to mechanistic models, thereby narrowing the conceptual space within which analysts can interpret and make sense of a complex operating environment. The article argues that such doctrinal assumptions risk constraining analytic thinking and limiting the development of reflexivity, creativity, and pluralism, qualities essential for navigating contemporary conflict environments. It concludes by proposing a metareflexive, multiparadigmatic approach to intelligence education at NORIS, enabling analysts to interrogate doctrinal assumptions, engage alternative perspectives, and produce knowledge that is both operationally relevant and theoretically robust.