The World of Intelligence

Following the release of a special report examining the recent record number of Chinese air-sea operations around Taiwan, Janes Senior Air Reporter Akhil Kadidal joins Harry Kemsley and Sean Corbett to discuss what these escalations could mean for Taiwan. They also examine how the changing military capabilities of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could signify a shift in its focus from training to combat orientation.

In this podcast culture expert Satgin Hamrah joins Harry Kemsley and Sean Corbett to discuss why understanding culture is crucial in providing context to your intelligence. They explore how ingrained cultural nuances and historical ties influence global security trends, decisions, and behaviours, and why grasping the subtleties of culture is essential for effective engagement and decision making in the defence intelligence community.

In part two of our podcast, Jenny Town, Rachel Minyoung Lee, and Martin Williams from 38 North and Cristina Varriale from Janes join Harry Kemsley and Sean Corbett to continue to unravel the implications of the new US administration on North Korea’s place on the world stage and how its relationship with Russia might evolve in 2025 and beyond.

In the first part of this podcast, Harry Kemsley and Sean Corbett are joined by Jenny Town, Rachel Minyoung Lee, and Martin Williams from 38 North and Cristina Varriale from Janes to take a closer look at North Korea. With South Korea hitting headlines recently following President Yoon Suk-yeol’s impeachment, the panel discusses North Korea’s reaction to these events and what the new US administration means for US-North Korea relations.

In this podcast Janes analysts F Xavier Casals and Claire Chu share their expertise with Harry Kemsley and Sean Corbett to explore the likelihood of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. They discuss the analytic tools and insight they use to provide a framework for indicator and warning analysis and why a non-military invasion may be more likely.

Harry Kemsley and Sean Corbett reflect on a year packed with podcasts. In the 26 episodes published in 2024, alongside their panel of guests, they explored emerging and current threats, global security trends, and the impact of misinformation, disinformation and artificial intelligence on open-source intelligence and society.

Claire Fuchs, an analyst from Janes GITI, brings her expertise in multiple languages to the forefront. She discusses the critical nuances of language in open-source intelligence, emphasizing the limitations of AI in translation. Claire highlights the challenges faced when analyzing complex Asian languages and how subtle linguistic details can lead to missed opportunities in intelligence gathering. The conversation further explores the significance of human linguists and cultural understanding in enhancing analytical precision and combating misinformation.

Harry Lawson, a Janes Red Team Analyst and large language model expert, dives into the fascinating world of AI and its role in open-source intelligence. He discusses the balance between cutting-edge technology and traditional analytical methods, highlighting both the benefits and challenges of using LLMs like chatGPT. Lawson examines the ethical implications and the importance of critical analysis in evaluating AI-generated content. He emphasizes the necessity of understanding biases and reliability issues to make informed intelligence decisions.

In the second part of this podcast Joseph Hatfield PhD and David Gioe PhD continue to explore the challenge of defining open-source intelligence (OSINT), why it should be considered a fundamental form of intelligence and why now might be the right time to redefine OSINT.

Joseph Hatfield PhD and David Gioe PhD join Harry and Sean to discuss the challenge of defining open-source intelligence alongside other intelligence disciplines and why now might be the right time to redefine OSINT.