Intelligence

National security and defense often require the collection of a vast amount of data and knowledge that can be used by policy makers to make political and military decisions to defend the national interest. Whether through open source or covert means, the acquisition of intelligence is a vital tool for effective national defense.

Content

In the News

May 31, 2021

Burrows quoted in the Financial Times: How Biden came around to the Wuhan lab-leak theory

By Atlantic Council

On May 31, Dr. Mathew Burrows was quoted in a Financial Times article about Biden’s decision to direct intelligence services to investigate the origins of COVID.

China Coronavirus

In the News

May 24, 2021

Herr, Handler, and Schroeder on the Cipher Brief’s State Secrets podcast

By Atlantic Council

Trey Herr, Simon Handler, and Emma Schroeder join the Cipher Brief's State Secrets podcast to discuss their recent report on the Sunburst cyber-espionage campaign.

Cybersecurity Intelligence

Op-Ed

May 24, 2021

The Kremlin’s Painfully Human Incompetence

By Doug Klain

“Whatever the Russian state does to dress-up and hide the corruption and criminality running rampant, it’s a state filled with bumbling, embarrassing fools granted enormous power over others. Highlighting their incompetence and humanity is one of the greatest threats to that power — and it’s something they are willing to kill over.” Doug Klain

Corruption Intelligence

Issue briefs and reports

May 18, 2021

Domestic violent extremism and the intelligence challenge

By Mitchell D. Silber

Mitchell Silber presents recommendations to improve the effectiveness of the post-9/11 intelligence architecture against the domestic violent-extremist threat, including a more robust collection of social media content.

Americas Intelligence

New Atlanticist

May 14, 2021

Czechmate? What’s behind the downward spiral in Czech-Russian relations

By Petr Tůma

After Czech officials exposed Russia's involvement in the 2014 explosions at the Vrbětice arms depot, diplomatic tensions have spiked. A Czech diplomat previews what's coming next.

Central Europe Corruption

In the News

May 12, 2021

Starling in Joint Air Power Competence Centre on NATO command and control

By Atlantic Council

Forward Defense Deputy Director and Transatlantic Security Initiative Resident Fellow Clementine G. Starling co-authored an article titled "NATO command and control (C2) resilience in contested environments."

Defense Technologies Europe & Eurasia

New Atlanticist

Apr 16, 2021

FastTake: What’s missing from US Intel’s 2021 Threat Assessment

By Barry Pavel and Ronald Marks

The Director of National Intelligence’s Threat Assessment for 2021 outlines the US intelligence community’s projection of the most dangerous threats to the United States over the next year. But when we don’t practice the art of strategic foresight, we may leave ourselves vulnerable to strategic blind spots.

Intelligence Resilience

New Atlanticist

Apr 16, 2021

Reading between the lines of the US intelligence community’s latest reports

By Mathew Burrows

What does it say about our system of government that hard truths are not absorbed? This year’s Annual Threat Assessment and Global Trends 2040 are blunt about the challenges facing the United States. But the warnings about China should have been heeded a decade or more ago.

China Intelligence

Report

Mar 29, 2021

Broken trust: Lessons from Sunburst

By Trey Herr, Will Loomis, Emma Schroeder, Stewart Scott, Simon Handler, and Tianjiu Zuo

The story of trust is an old one, but the Sunburst cyber-espionage campaign was a startling reminder of the United States’ collective cyber insecurity and the inadequacy of current US strategy to compete in a dynamic intelligence contest in cyberspace.

Cybersecurity Intelligence

In the News

Mar 23, 2021

Garlauskas quoted in Wall Street Journal on North Korea’s strategic use of the phrase “denuclearization”

Markus Garlauskas was quoted in a Wall Street Journal article published on March 18, 2021 for his comments on how North Korea strategically uses the phrase “denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.” North Korea has long preferred to use the phrase “denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula” to emphasize its view of the mutual obligations imposed by […]

Intelligence Korea

Experts