Afghanistan Has Been ‘Gut-Wrenching,’ ‘Deeply Personal’ For IC: DNI

Afghanistan Has Been ‘Gut-Wrenching,’ ‘Deeply Personal’ For IC: DNI
Afghanistan Has Been ‘Gut-Wrenching,’ ‘Deeply Personal’ For IC: DNI

“There’s no question that as you pull out… our intelligence collection is diminished,” Haines said. “In Afghanistan, we will want to monitor any reconstitution of terrorist groups.”

Who’s Who in Defense: Avril D. Haines, Director of National Intelligence

Who’s Who in Defense: Avril D. Haines, Director of National Intelligence
Who’s Who in Defense: Avril D. Haines, Director of National Intelligence

Part of a special Breaking Defense reference series profiling key defense decision-makers in the new administration and Congress.

Battle For NRO Takes Shape As Space, Air Forces Grapple With Acquisition

Battle For NRO Takes Shape As Space, Air Forces Grapple With Acquisition
Battle For NRO Takes Shape As Space, Air Forces Grapple With Acquisition

DoD officials are extremely aware, almost to the point of paranoia, that even discussing the issue of NRO potentially being subsumed by the Space Force is playing with fire.

IC Net Assessment: Interview With Director Flynn

IC Net Assessment: Interview With Director Flynn
IC Net Assessment: Interview With Director Flynn

The new office will, director Dan Flynn told me, assess what other intelligence agencies around the world are doing and why, what the most effective technologies will be to cope with those changes, how the world is changing strategically and make recommendations to the Director of National Intelligence.

Trump’s Ukraine Intervention May Violate FCPA, Arms Export Laws: Experts

Trump’s Ukraine Intervention May Violate FCPA, Arms Export Laws: Experts
Trump’s Ukraine Intervention May Violate FCPA, Arms Export Laws: Experts

The president’s personal intervention was “highly improper,” one arms export expert says, concluding that the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act “appears to have been criminally violated here.”

IC Must Embrace Public Data to Use AI Effectively: Sue Gordon

IC Must Embrace Public Data to Use AI Effectively: Sue Gordon
IC Must Embrace Public Data to Use AI Effectively: Sue Gordon

To stay ahead of adversaries, the IC must change its internal “data ownership” culture that allows those who collect data to believe “they are the ones who get to determine how it’s used,” says Sue Gordon.

AI, Cybersecurity, & The Data Trap: You Don’t Know Normal

AI, Cybersecurity, & The Data Trap: You Don’t Know Normal
AI, Cybersecurity, & The Data Trap: You Don’t Know Normal

“How do I even know what’s normal and what’s abnormal so I can detect anomalies? We simply don’t know,” says Dean Souleles, chief technology advisor for the Director of National Intelligence.

In 1st Interview, PDUSDI Bingen Talks Artificial Intelligence, Project Maven, Ethics

In 1st Interview, PDUSDI Bingen Talks Artificial Intelligence, Project Maven, Ethics
In 1st Interview, PDUSDI Bingen Talks Artificial Intelligence, Project Maven, Ethics

“We’ve got teams that are working side by side with the JAIC team and obviously the leadership continuity there is key for us. And we’re also working across DoD. I see lines with the AIM initiative (Augmenting Intelligence using Machines) within the IC.”

Tectonic Shift As NRO Moved Under Space Command In Wartime

Tectonic Shift As NRO Moved Under Space Command In Wartime
Tectonic Shift As NRO Moved Under Space Command In Wartime

US Space Command will officially stand-up on Aug. 29, with four main missions: “missile warning, satellite operations, space control and space support,” says JCS Chair Gen. Joseph Dunford.

IoT, AI Mean More Targets for US Adversaries, says Gordon

IoT, AI Mean More Targets for US Adversaries, says Gordon
IoT, AI Mean More Targets for US Adversaries, says Gordon

“This is such a data-rich world that the person who can command that data first is the one who’s gonna have a real advantage.”

US Gives Russia 60 Days Before INF Withdrawal; NATO Comes Around

US Gives Russia 60 Days Before INF Withdrawal; NATO Comes Around
US Gives Russia 60 Days Before INF Withdrawal; NATO Comes Around

After five years of talks and a wall of Russian denials, NATO and Washington call Putin’s bluff and say they’re ready to do something about Russian violations of a 31 year-old arms control treaty. But Europe is worried.

North Korean Denuclearization Potentially Moving In ‘Positive Direction’: Gen. Hyten

North Korean Denuclearization Potentially Moving In ‘Positive Direction’: Gen. Hyten
North Korean Denuclearization Potentially Moving In ‘Positive Direction’: Gen. Hyten

“Things are moving (in) a positive direction,” Gen. Hyten said of North Korean, while Russia’s new 2-megaton underwater drone “does not change” the strategic balance.

DNI Will ‘Do Really Great Work’ To Clear Huge Clearance Backlog

DNI Will ‘Do Really Great Work’ To Clear Huge Clearance Backlog
DNI Will ‘Do Really Great Work’ To Clear Huge Clearance Backlog

It ain’t sexy, but the massive backlog of 730,000 clearance investigations is costing companies money, the Intelligence Community good people and causing headaches for everyone.
The redoubtable Sue Gordon, principal deputy Director of National Intelligence, told some 3,000 intelligence professionals today that “this year we’ll do really great work on reducing the backlog.”

ODNI Shifts Reponsibilities As 90% Of IC Programs Hit Green

ODNI Shifts Reponsibilities As 90% Of IC Programs Hit Green
ODNI Shifts Reponsibilities As 90% Of IC Programs Hit Green

INSA HQ: Drive milestone decision authority down as low as is possible. Speed decision-making. Let the Intelligence Community agencies create simple and clear requirements and manage their programs, as long as everything goes along swimmingly. That outlines the changes to acquisition that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence plans to make over the…