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This study investigates how increasing competition from private intelligence providers affects the analytical practices of state intelligence services, focusing on the Swedish Military Intelligence and Security Service (Must). It examines how commercial actors influence internal procedures, credibility assessments, institutional authority, and organizational adaptation.

Using a qualitative, abductive design based on semi-structured elite interviews and narrative analysis, the research finds that private providers challenge traditional norms by introducing new temporal logics, market-driven priorities, and alternative standards of analytical validity. In response, Must has reconfigured workflows, increased operational tempo, and selectively engaged external expertise while maintaining strict quality controls.

The study concludes that private actors serve not only as competitors but also as catalysts for innovation. Their presence fosters reflexivity, institutional learning, and epistemic pluralism. These findings contribute to understanding intelligence work as a hybrid, contested field shaped by evolving public-private dynamics and shifting expectations of expertise.