The Future of OSINT and the Intelligence Community with Jason Barrett

Summary

Jason Barrett (LinkedIn) joins Andrew (X; LinkedIn) to discuss the integration of open-source intelligence into the American Intelligence Community. Jason is the first-ever OSINT Executive. 

What You’ll Learn

Intelligence

• Historical examples of OSINT
• The evolution of Open Source Intelligence
• The challenges and unique opportunities OSINT presents
• The future of OSINT within the Intelligence Community 

Reflections

• Trust and transparency 
• Efficiency in intelligence gathering

And much, much more …

Episode Notes

The rise of open-source intelligence – that is, information publicly or commercially available online – is being described as an “intelligence revolution.” To be sure, open-source intelligence has been collected for decades, but the digital age has meant that volumes of information previously undreamed of now exist on the internet. 

To further explore the past present and future of OSINT, Andrew was joined by Jason Barrett – the current Open-Source Intelligence Executive at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. He’s the first person to ever hold this role, speaking to the growing importance of OSINT to the American intelligence community and beyond. Tune in to learn more! 

And… 

The International Spy Museum has a gallery called “Looking, Listening, and Sensing,” an exhibit that explores the many unique information collection methods, or INTS, within the intelligence world, including OSINT. Artifacts range from the surprisingly reliable pigeon camera to the Hexagon mission film reel carrier. Explore more tools of the trade here.  

Quotes of the Week

“We're living in an age when credibility and trust is really important to build. This is an opportunity for the IC to really build that trust, I think in important ways. So, it's an area I think you will see more of us being more transparent in our work.” – Jason Barrett.

Resources 

SURFACE SKIM

*SpyCasts*

• U.S. Army Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) with Dennis Eger & Shawn Nilius (2024)
• Cybersecurity in The White House with Camille Stewart Gloster (2024)
• David Petraeus on Ukraine & Intelligence with the former CIA Director & 4* General (2023)
• Irregular Warfare & Intelligence with IWC Director Dennis Walters (2023)

*Beginner Resources*

• What is Open-Source Intelligence? R. Gill, SANS Institute (2023) [Short article]
• Who is the IC? Office of the Director of National Intelligence, YouTube (2017) [3 min. video]
• A Brief History of Open Source Intelligence, C. Colquhoun, Bellingcat (2016) [Short article]

DEEPER DIVE

Books

• OSINT Techniques: Resources for Uncovering Online Information, M. Bazzell (2023) 
• Deep Dive: Exploring the Real-world Value of Open Source Intelligence, R. L. Baker (Wiley, 2023)
• Open Source Intelligence Methods and Tools: A Practical Guide to Online Intelligence, N. A. Hassan & R. Hijazi (Apress, 2018)

Articles

• OSINT overdose: Intelligence agencies seek new ways to manage surge of open-source intel, S. J. Freedberg, Breaking Defense (2024)
• U.S. Spy Agencies Adopt Rules for Purchasing Commercial Data on Americans, D. Volz, The Wall Street Journal (2024)
• Why Is Open Source Collection Critical in Intelligence Work? D. J. Kritz, American Public University (2024)
• AI Overload: Navigating the US Intelligence Community’s Data Deluge, J. Thibert, Global Security Review (2024)
• A History of OSINT: From Informing Spies to Detecting Lies, S. Adams, Skopenow (2023)
• The Evolution of Open Source Intelligence (OSINT), F. Schaurer & J. Störger, Journal of U.S. Intelligence Studies (2013)

Video

• Coffee & Conversation with IC OSINT Executive Jason Barrett, Intelligence & National Security Alliance, YouTube (2024)
• OSINT & AI: The Good, The Bad, and The Fake, SANS Cyber Defense, YouTube (2022)

Primary Sources 

• The IC OSINT Strategy 2024-2026 (2024)
• DoS Open Source Intelligence Strategy (2024) 
• Ethical Frameworks in Open-Source Intelligence (2022) 
• Open-Source Intelligence, Department of the Army (2012) 
• Department of Defense OSINT Instruction (2010)

*Wildcard Resource*

• You’ve probably practiced OSINT techniques many times before – Think, Facebook stalking your old college friends to see what they’re up to. Many video games also involve the usage of open-source collection techniques: 
• Return of the Obra Dinn (2018) is one such critically acclaimed video game. The game, set on an early 19th-century ship, challenges its player to solve the mystery of what happened to the crew onboard by piecing together scraps of information from journal entries and related documents.