Analytical Tradecraft

The U.S. government agencies responsible for the national security do not make policy but provide reports to the president, the National Security Council, and other policymakers to help them make national security decisions based on the the agencies’ intelligence analysis.

The Agencies hire people who are experts in a particular subject area as analysts. Their job is to examine and evaluate information gathered from individuals, foreign media, and satellites from around the world. The quality and reliability of this information can vary considerably. The analyst’s job is to deduce how valid, complete and reliable that information is and then combine and cross-check it with other sources and produce coherent intelligence that the agency can work

As intelligence is gathered in many fields, there exists many different types of analysts. The agencies operate several distinct categories of expertise and each type of expert has a different function and set of duties.

There are political analysts, military analysts, economic analysts, science, technology, and weapons analysts, targeting analysts, medical and health analysts, foreign leadership analysts, cyber threat analysts, counterterrorism analysts, counterintelligence threat analysts to name a few.

Apparently, each specialty requires a different set of skills, knowledge and expertise. However, they all are trained in the principles and techniques that are common to all types of analysis, providing the analysts with a toolset that is universal, and is applicable in any field, as well as in life in general. This is what the School gives to its students, and then some.

The School trains students in the fundamentals of structured analysis, critical thinking, cognitive and influence operations, and other modalities aligned with and tuned into the current U.S. government and private sector demand for the 21st century security professionals. The training is based on the advanced technologies such as AI and ML combined with the real life expertise of hands-on analysts.

Intelligence Analysis with Applied Artificial Intelligence Toolset

This course is designed to provide college graduates who are planning a career in the US national security sector with an understanding of artificial intelligence (AI) and its applications in intelligence analysis. The course will cover various aspects of AI, including data analysis, data visualization, identifying patterns, and semantic text analysis. Students will learn how to create practical applications based on AI to conduct analysis of intelligence information derived from open sources, geospatial data, unstructured data, psychological profiles, social network visualization, and more.

It is best suitable for individuals who have a basic understanding of computer science and programming.

Objectives

Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:

Understand the basics of artificial intelligence and its applications in national security.
Use AI tools to conduct analysis of intelligence information.
Create practical applications based on AI to predict individual behavior.
Develop skills in data analysis, data visualization, and semantic text analysis.
Work collaboratively on a final capstone project that demonstrates their understanding of AI applications in national security.
Apply deep learning techniques for image and speech recognition for intelligence analysis.
Apply advanced NLP techniques for sentiment analysis and entity recognition for intelligence analysis.
Understand social network data sources and types for intelligence analysis.
Apply social network analysis using Python libraries for intelligence analysis.
Create visualizations of social network data for intelligence analysis.
Utilize the knowledge and practical skills of the intelligence information collection process including HUMINT.
Utilize foreign language knowledge in the analytical work.

Format

The course consists of 120 hours of classroom studies with multiple practical exercises and a Capstone Project on operational intelligence analysis. The course content is divided into modules and lessons, with each module focusing on specific topics.

The Foundation will accept candidates who

Have excellent physical and psychological health
Have lots of energy
Who have street sense and a good intuition
Can cope well with stress
Possess excellent verbal skills
Possess excellent written skills
Be able to work under pressure and under short deadlines
Are inquisitive and action-oriented
Are able to synthetize large amounts of information and develop it into a clear and concise picture
Are able to draw appropriate conclusions
Are able to prioritize a large number of tasks/responsibilities
Are able to work alone or as part of a team
Are able to negotiate.

All candidates must

Be prepared to spend a good deal of their career working overseas
Be at least 18 years old
Be United States citizens
Possess a bachelor’s degree with a minimum GPA of 3.5
Pass a background investigation, and be determined preliminarily suitable for future top-secret security clearance

desirable qualifications for candidates include

As a part of the selection procedure, all candidates will undergo evaluations that will determine their suitability for the Program.

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Attribution: Image by Ruslan Batiuk