The intelligence community has laid out new priorities for the cloud, AI, cybersecurity and more in a new "Information Technology Roadmap" released in late May. The IC's Chief Information Officer, Adele Merritt, joined the show to explain the goals of the new strategy. "This roadmap really provides a unified vision for where the IC needs to go over the next five years," Merritt told me. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Brett Holmgren, Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research, discusses the State Department's new OSINT strategy to better serve diplomats with unclassified assessments. Topics include the unique role of INR in utilizing OSINT for diplomacy, the use of technology like AI and machine translation, enhancing information sharing strategies, and the development of a mobile app for OSINT practices.

Top U.S. intelligence agencies embrace open source intelligence strategy, shifting focus to open-source data. Goals include centralizing data, building a skilled workforce, and using AI tools. Explore challenges and benefits of OSINT, AI integration in intelligence operations, and future partnerships in the IC.

Women make up about 40% of the intelligence community's workforce, a percentage that ranks behind both federal workforce and civilian labor benchmarks. That's according to the latest demographics report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. And women are even more underrepresented in the leadership ranks throughout the IC. But agencies aren't ignoring the issue. The National Security Agency's "Future Ready Workforce" initiative has already led to several changes that will likely make the NSA a more attractive employer for all employees, including women. And NSA leaders are also investing in education and other programs that encourage girls to get involved in STEM. I spoke with three women leaders at the NSA about the past, present and future for women at the agency. They are Morgan Adamski, chief of the NSA's Cybersecurity Collaboration Center; Kristina Walter, director of the NSA's Future Ready Workforce Initiative; and Tahira Mammen, acting director of the AI Security Center, which is housed within the Cybersecurity Collaboration Center. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Standard Form-86, a long-used questionnaire for government positions requiring security clearance, is set to be phased out after the White House Office of Management and Budget approved a new form replacing the SF-86 and several other legacy forms.I spoke with John Berry, a security clearance attorney at Berry and Berry PLLC law firm, about some of the big changes new "Personnel Vetting Questionnaire," including questions around marijuana use, mental health history, and foreign connections. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

DIA CIO Doug Cossa discusses cybersecurity, network automation, and AI at the Defense Intelligence Agency. Topics: JWIX modernization project, zero trust and automated network paths, supporting employees with disabilities, AI program partnerships, and the Mars AI system for media analysis.

In this podcast, Jen King from Stanford Law School discusses the NGA's neurodiversity hiring program, its progress and plans, and the skills and talents of neurodivergent individuals. They emphasize the importance of recognizing and understanding neurodiversity in hiring and how it can lead to a positive shift in the federal workforce.

Gen Z , or those born between the late 1990’s and the early 2000’s , will likely comprise at least one-quarter of the global workforce by 2025. In order to tap into that younger generation of talent, U.S. intelligence agencies are trying to be more flexible with their hiring and retention practices.For an in-depth discussion on the IC’s workforce strategies, I spoke with Cynthia Snyder, the assistant director of national intelligence for human capital. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The vast majority of employees across the intelligence community work out of Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities, or "SCIFs." These are essentially highly protected office spaces with restrictive rules, including a ban on cell phones and other devices. The Intelligence and National Security Agency's latest white paper, "Reimagining the SCIF Life," considers how spy agencies could make life inside a SCIF a little bit better, while also giving employees more flexibility in terms of when they need to work out of a SCIF. Here's a link to the white paper: https://www.insaonline.org/docs/default-source/uploadedfiles/2023/insa-reimagining-the-scif-life.pdfFor more on the recommendations, I spoke with INSA's Executive Vice President John Doyon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lt. Gen. Laura Potter, the Army's deputy chief of staff for intelligence, discusses the Army's new OSINT strategy and their goal to professionalize the OSINT workforce. Topics include the importance of OSINT in conflicts, the development of OSINT collection teams in the Army, coalescing work and training standards, and the challenges faced by the intelligence community in embracing OSINT.