CSIS Launches New Technology and Intelligence Task Force

WASHINGTON, March 5, 2020: The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is pleased to announce the launch of the CSIS Technology and Intelligence Task Force. This new task force will explore the implications and applications of emerging technologies for the U.S. intelligence community. It is co-chaired by Stephanie O’Sullivan, former Principal Deputy Director for National Intelligence, and Avril Haines, former Deputy National Security Advisor and Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

The task force will generate an action plan for key public and private sector stakeholders to guide the ways in which advanced technology should be used to produce strategic intelligence for U.S. policymakers. Using its unparalleled convening power, CSIS will bring together a broad range of experts to engage the task force on problems and solutions to ensure U.S. technology will better enable and empower U.S. intelligence.

“Maintaining a competitive edge in strategic intelligence over increasingly sophisticated state rivals will be a critical component of ensuring and advancing U.S. national security interests in the coming decades,” said Dr. John Hamre, CSIS President and CEO and Langone Chair in American Leadership. “The work of this task force will be vital in helping to outline policy options for dealing with tech challenges impacting national security.”

The CSIS task force will explore the implications of rapid advancements in technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, cloud computing, and big data analytics for U.S. intelligence and how the community must adapt to maintain the intelligence advantage.

Ms. O’Sullivan and Ms. Haines are joined on the task force by fellow thought leaders, former senior officials, and leading voices from the intelligence, law enforcement, policy, and tech communities. The CSIS task force members are:

• Michael Allen, Managing Director of Beacon Global Strategies LLC, and former Majority Staff Director of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
• Kari A. Bingen, former Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security
• Robert Cardillo, President, The Cardillo Group; former Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
• John P. Carlin, Partner, Morrison & Foerster; former Assistant Attorney General for National Security
• Rick Ledgett, Senior Advisor at Hakluyt Cyber; former Deputy Director of the National Security Agency
• Marcel Lettre, former Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence
• Jason Matheny, Founding Director of Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology; former Assistant Director of National Intelligence and Director of the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity
• John McLaughlin, Distinguished Practitioner in Residence, School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University; former Deputy Director and Acting Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
• Jami Miscik, CEO of Kissinger Associates, Inc.; former Deputy Director for Intelligence at the Central Intelligence Agency
• Stephen Slick, Director of The University of Texas at Austin’s Intelligence Studies Project; former CIA Clandestine Service Officer and National Security Council Senior Director for Intelligence Programs and Reform
• Gen. Joseph L. Votel, USA (Ret.), President and CEO of Business Executives for National Security; former Commander of U.S. Central Command and U.S. Special Operations Command
• Dr. Amy Zegart, Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute of International Studies and Davies Family Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University

“This task force brings unparalleled talent to the challenge of advancing intelligence solutions that take advantage of breathtaking advances in technology in a manner that aligns with American values and the rule of law,” said Dr. Kathleen Hicks, CSIS Senior Vice President, Henry A. Kissinger Chair, and Director of the International Security Program. “We are delighted to convene this distinguished and diverse group and excited about the work they will lead.”

Dr. Hicks will serve as senior adviser to the task force. Brian Katz, Fellow in the International Security Program, will serve as the task force’s research director.

The task force brings together world-leading experts from the intelligence, technology, national security, and research communities with a passion for advancing the U.S. intelligence mission through technological change.

Initial sponsors for the CSIS Technology and Intelligence Task Force include Booz Allen Hamilton, Rebellion Defense, Redhorse Corporation, and Thomson Reuters Special Services. Additional sponsors may be added.