NEEDLES IN HAYSTACKS: ANALYZING TODAY’S FLOOD OF INFORMATION

How do we take an institution ... that is designed to collect sensitive material and incorporate everything else that is out there [-- Journalism, social media, academic literature, etc.]? WAR ROOM welcomes Adam Wasserman, a former political analyst from the Central Intelligence Agency to discuss the particular challenges of conducting strategic intelligence analysis in today's environment. For example, historically the intelligence community organized and functioned to pursue an adversary's inner secrets, but now must apply its resources to combing through all the open source information in the environment, as though looking for all the needles in the haystack. How does such change affect the timely and relevant provision of quality analysis to national leaders? U.S. Army War College resident student Chris Todd moderates, and the Intelligence series editor Genevieve Lester provides the introduction. Adam Wasserman is a retired political analyst from the Central Intelligence Agency and former faculty member of the U.S. Air War College. Chris Todd is a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force and a student of the U.S. Army War College resident class of 2018. The views expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Army War College, the U.S. Army, or the Department of Defense. Image Credit: U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Danielle Prentice. Composite by Tom Galvin. Posts in the "Intelligence" series: THE ROLE OF INTELLIGENCE TODAYPOLICY SUCCESS VS. INTEL FAILURE?IMPACT (OR NOT) OF INTEL ON STRATEGIC DECISION MAKINGSTRATEGIC ATTACKS AND THEIR FALLOUTNEEDLES IN HAYSTACKS: ANALYZING TODAY’S FLOOD OF INFORMATIONWHERE DOES INTELLIGENCE GO FROM HERE? AN INTERVIEW WITH JAMES CLAPPERTHE DOD-CIA RELATIONSHIP: ARE WE MILITARIZING STRATEGIC INTELLIGENCE?THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ODNI: AN INTERVIEW WITH JAMES CLAPPERAFGHANISTAN: WHERE WAS THE INTEL?TRUE SPIES: STUDYING AND UNDERSTANDING MODERN ESPIONAGEEVERY CITIZEN A SENSOR? DEMOCRATIZING INTELLIGENCEGOOD DECISIONS START WITH GOOD CONSUMERSASPIRATIONAL, VAGUE, AND STRATEGIC: THE NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE STRATEGYTHE AIR FORCE HAS SPIES?! RISE OF THE MAVERICKSSOLVING DATA PROBLEMS AT SUPERHUMAN SPEEDSASKING DATA THE RIGHT QUESTIONSTHE SPY AND THE STATE: THE PARADOX OF AMERICAN INTELLIGENCEDATA-DRIVEN DEFENSE: THE MAVEN SMART SYSTEMINSIDE THE PRESIDENT’S DAILY BRIEFSIGNALS, CYBER AND STRATEGY: RETIRED GENERAL PAUL NAKASONEVULNERABLE SKIES: DRONES AND NATIONAL SECURITYAI-READY DEFENSE: MILITARY INTELLIGENCE IN CENTCOMSEAMLESS SYSTEMS: OPERATIONAL DATA IN THE FIRST ARMYBEYOND ADMIRING THE PROBLEM: JIATF 401’S JURISDICTIONAL JUMP