Course Descriptions

History of U.S. Intelligence: March 20, 2012 (1/2 day)
Instructor: Mark Lowenthal
This half-day course reviews the major events and trends that have shaped U.S. intelligence, from its World War II pre-history through the current day. Among the issues that are covered are: responses to external threats; the role of technology; espionage; Congress and partisan politics. This course gives attendees a much better context and understanding of the major forces that continue to influence or determine U.S. intelligence policy.

Introduction to U.S. Intelligence: March 21, 2012 (1 day)
Instructor: Mark Lowenthal
This is a one-day course that offers a broad introduction to the major current issues in U.S. intelligence: the current structure of the Community and the role of the agencies and the DNI; collection; analysis; the intelligence budget; and the role of Congress. This is an appropriate course for those who are fairly new to intelligence issues or as a refresher for those returning to intelligence issues.

National Security Policy Process: March 22, 2012 (1 day)
Instructor: Rick “Ozzie” Nelson
This one-day course examines the role of the interagency process in the formulation of national-level security polices and intelligence. It provides an overview of security policy and strategy development and reviews the institutions, mechanics, and output of this complex dynamic. The course will review the roles and responsibilities of the White House and NSC, departments and agencies, Congress, and the private sector. Through a critical review of relevant case studies, the course seeks to improve understanding of the national security decision making process and provide a practical foundation for policy consumers and intelligence analysts. This course complements the Academy’s intelligence courses by providing a firm policy context.

Cyber Collections: March 27-28, 2012 (2 days)
Instructor: Timothy Cague
This two-day course offers in-depth technical training in how to perform cyber collections. This course focuses on the planning, collection and analysis of information from a multitude of online resources, including social network media, forums, blogs, domain and network information. This course is intended for anyone who has the need to gather open source intelligence in cyberspace.

Intelligence Concepts for Cyber Conflict: March 29, 2012 (1 day)
Instructor: Jason Healey
The cyber/cyber intelligence issue is one of the most dynamic national security issues.  Basic issues of doctrine and intelligence requirements are still being created and will continue to evolve over the next several years.  Our intelligence concepts for cyber conflict courses reflect and attempt to address these areas of change and uncertainty. This one-day course is intended for individuals starting a career in the field or who are interested in separating the hype from the reality of intelligence in cyberspace. It introduces students to intelligence support to warfare conducted in cyberspace, and addresses computer network attack, defense and exploitation. This course covers the nature of cyberspace; understanding cyber attacks and adversaries in cyberspace; U.S. organizations; and the latest intelligence concepts to support computer network defense and offense. From indications & warning (I&W) and battle damage assessment (BDA), this course will give you your crucial first steps to understanding your role in cyber conflict. This course is offered in partnership with the Kiernan Group (www.Kiernan-Group.com) and Delta Risk, LLC (www.delta-risk.net).

Risk Awareness Intelligence: April 10-11, 2012 (2 days)
Instructors: Maria Velez de Berliner and Mark Lowenthal
This 2 day course offers an analytical approach that explores how to identify, analyze and evaluate unexpected risks; risks that are ignored because they seem irrelevant or unlikely; or are not considered because of the crush of day-to-day analysis.  The course begins with a discussion of indications and warning and issues involved in conveying warning.  It then moves on to RAI, which is a concurrent, issue specific, focused and active approach to “defensive risk scouting.”  It helps identify, evaluate and manage the probable consequences of unknown, or overlooked, political, economic, technological, social, cultural, security and military risks likely to derail the best-laid strategy in private industry, or the best thought-out public policy. This course has been taught for multiple clients, including the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Joint Information Operations Warfare Command, and universities within the U.S. and overseas. Intelligent Decision Partners  (www.intelligentdecisionpartners.com) developed this course and offers it in partnership with The Intelligence and Security Academy.

Operational Intelligence: April 12, 2012 (1 day)
Instructor: Howard Whetzel
One of the key roles of intelligence, especially in this period of active wars and counter-terrorism operations, is the nature, strengths and weaknesses of intelligence intended to support operations in the field.  This course describes how operational requirements are derived, transmitted to and responded to by intelligence elements; how operational intelligence is collected, analyzed and then used.  These processes are important to understand this level of requirements function, the stresses inherent in today’s Intelligence Community and as part of an understanding as to how all other intelligence processes support their benefactors. This is a one-day course.

Homeland Security Intelligence: April 17, 2012 (1 day)
Instructor: Mark Lowenthal
This 1-day course examines the still-developing field of homeland security intelligence analysis; what it is, what roles are played by homeland security, national and state/local intelligence and the types of intelligence and analytic skills that homeland security analysis requires.

Countering Terrorism Financing: April 24, 2012 (1 day)
Instructor: Matthew Levitt
Although mounting an individual terrorist attack costs relatively little, money remains of critical importance for terrorist organizations.  Terror finance is also an area of rapid change, as terrorist organizations actively seek to evade governmental scrutiny and take advantage of new, emerging technologies.  Combating terrorist financing must remain an important component of every nation’s counterterrorism strategy.  This course examines the evolution of terror finance and efforts to combat the financing of terrorism; identifies key means of raising, laundering, transferring and accessing illicit funds; assesses the relationship between and the relative value of stemming the flow of funds and/or following the money trail for intelligence purposes; and evaluates the effectiveness of the Countering Terrorism Financing (CTF) toolkit to achieve tactical and strategic counterterrorism objectives.

Counter Terrorism: Actionable Intelligence: April 25, 2012 (1 day)
Instructor: Paul Smith
The effective collection and appropriate use of actionable operational intelligence is critical to all law enforcement and national security agencies in the U.S. Operational success depends on accurate and timely intelligence. This one-day course is designed to instruct operational commanders, operators and analysts on how to aggressively collect and use actionable intelligence in their counter terrorist (CT) operations. The same intelligence techniques can also be used against criminal activity. The workshop is not theoretical or academic, but presents a focused explanation of how a law enforcement agency can make intelligence a vital component of its successful operations in the future.

Intelligence Budget Process: May 1-2, 2012 (2 days)
Instructor: Kathleen Reilly
This is a two-day course that offers a detailed understanding of the intelligence budget process, examining both how the budget is created in the Executive branch, primarily in negotiations between Defense and Intelligence, and then how the budget moves through Congress. This course is extremely helpful to those who are new to the budget process and to those who have programmatic responsibilities that are influenced by federal budget decisions.

Intelligence Collection: May 16-17, 2012 (2 days)
Instructor: Robert Clark
This is a two-day course designed to explain how intelligence collection is done; the special terminology used in different collection “INTs”; their capabilities and limitations; how they are used in practice; the intelligence that is gained from them; and how that intelligence supports policy makers and military operations. This course will be of use to a broad array of intelligence professionals – all source analysts, collection discipline specialists and analysts, and collection managers who need to understand how collection assets work in practice and the challenges of managing and interacting across collection disciplines. The course also will be of value for the national policy and military communities who use intelligence products in the furtherance of U.S. national security objectives.

Analyst Training: Writing, Analysis, and Preparing Briefings: May 22-23, 2012 (2 days)
Instructor: Mark Lowenthal
This is a two-day course intended for either new or relatively new analysts in intelligence or any other analytical function who have had little hands-on experience in the skill areas described in the course title, or for analysts who want to improve their analytical writing skills by giving them more focus.  Much of what is required for good analytical writing takes place before the analyst actually begins to write.  The scoping and planning of the intelligence analysis therefore are major areas of emphasis in this course, as well as issues of format, length, word selection, etc.  The course is designed to get analysts off to a good start in as little time as possible, recognizing that there are important time constraints in such training and that much will also be learned on the job.  This course allows analysts to be more effective communicators sooner.

Global Perspectives on Combating Terrorism: Course to be offered Spring, 2012-date to be posted (1 day)
Instructor: Amos Guiora
Terrorism is a transnational problem that concerns many nations, not just the United States.  This one-day course offers an in-depth look at counterterrorism policy and practice in China, Colombia, India, Israel, Russia, Spain and the US. The course examines competing conceptions and definitions of terrorism at the national and international level and the institutions and processes designed to execute the “Global War on Terrorism,” including the balance between national security interests and civil liberties; relevant legal decisions; legislative provisions to terrorism; operational counter-terrorism considerations (including targeted killing/drone policy); intelligence gathering (including interrogations); policy recommendations; the use of military tribunals or civil courts in trying suspected terrorists; emerging law regarding enemy combatants and their detention; and the arguable need for new self-defense doctrines at the global level.  The class is based on ‘ad-hoc’ simulation exercises in which students role play decision makers addressing legal, policy, intelligence (gathering and analysis) and operational counterterrorism dilemmas. The class presents an interdisciplinary and global exploration of the law, policy, intelligence gathering, and operational decisions surrounding counter-terrorism initiatives. Case studies of seven different nations and their efforts to repel terrorism within their borders provide numerous opportunities for comparative analysis.

Intelligence and the Law: Course to be offered Spring, 2012-date to be posted (1 day)
Instructor: W. George Jameson
This one-day course examines the legal and policy framework that governs the United States Intelligence Community.  It presents the core legal authorities and restrictions — derived from the Constitution, statutes, and Executive orders — and explores how and why they are applied to the conduct of U.S. intelligence today.  Designed for a wide audience, the course reviews the history and evolution of intelligence law and policy and provides an in-depth look at selected laws that affect intelligence activities.  Topics include:  the National Security Act and establishment of the CIA and other intelligence elements; electronic surveillance and FISA; the role of the DNI; privacy, civil liberties, and restrictions on the conduct of intelligence; covert action; congressional oversight; protection of sources and methods, classification, and leaks; and the laws  and relationships that govern the fight against terrorism.  Finally, the course provides an introduction to how the laws are applied to emerging national security concerns such as cyber threats.