When I began this program in early 2019, I worked for the National Security Agency (NSA) for about three years. At the time, I was the chief of operations for a small office that produced reports on space and cyber topics. At that point, my seven-year career focused entirely on Signals Intelligence (SIGINT). My first assignment in the Air Force gave me a grounding in tactical collection as I worked with career SIGINT professionals in the RC-135 RIVET JOINT community. I applied to National Intelligence University (NIU) to diversify my knowledge base beyond SIGINT. 

My first year of studies gave me an academic appreciation for the Intelligence Community (IC) and dramatically improved my writing. Reviewing the earlier artifacts from my academic career at NIU underscores how much my writing has generally improved. In my first year, I took intelligence analysis, policy, leadership, and management classes in the IC, collection, and thesis design. These courses helped to frame my understanding of the IC and frankly helped me in my follow-on assignment from NSA to Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), where I worked on SIGINT policy and authority issues. Understanding the broader structure and inter-agency dynamics helped me navigate niche policy issues between the NSA, the Central Intelligence Agency, Special Operations Command, and Geographic Combatant Commands by understanding their equities within specific operational problems. I understood the overlapping interests and the complex relationships between these entities, which helped me staff complex operations and provide atmospherics to the military units that needed the correct permission and support to execute their missions. The first elective course I took on Geostrategic Intelligence Issues in Northeast Asia helped me understand the complex dynamics and the complicated combined operations in the region. This course helped to give me a foundational understanding of the history of China and a more nuanced understanding of the historical, social, and political dynamics. I applied my knowledge of cyberspace activities to the information presented on regional dynamics for my first artifact.

Frankly, my summer courses resulted from what was available during that semester. However, both Counterintelligence (CI) and the Dynamics of Countering Terrorism provided insight into my future assignment on the JSOC Staff. Counterintelligence helped me understand the threat posed by foreign intelligence services operating within the US and the linkages between the IC and law enforcement. CI also provided me with an alternate analysis of Human Intelligence (HUMINT) operations by evaluating the differences between the US and foreign security apparatuses, which often blend law enforcement and military operations far more than the US does. My artifact for the CI course explores foundational concepts within counterintelligence.

In preparation for my assignment with JSOC, which had been delayed due to pandemic moving restrictions, I took Intelligence and Special Operations to holistically gain some perspective on Special Operations Forces (SOF). Until this point in my career, my experiences with SOF were minimal. I supported a couple of SOF missions when I was flying on board the RIVET JOINT, but even then, our crew was minimally informed on our roles in the overall mission. Still, the course provided valuable insight into the history and evolution of SOF. As I gained more experience with the SOF enterprise, I contrasted my current experience with the tempo of operations described in the course and the current national security goals. It was already clear at this point that the Global War on Terror (GWOT) had waned significantly from its peak and that the US needed to reoptimize against more sophisticated threats. The artifact I chose from this course explores that transition from a force accustomed to operating with impunity in areas with complete freedom of maneuver and without resource constraints to operating in a heavily constrained environment both fiscally and politically. After this course, I had to take a break from my education because of significant personal issues and the demands of learning a complex and consuming job. I returned to my studies a year and a half later after completing a command deployment with more focus on what I wanted to get out of my education.Upon my return to classes at NIU, I changed from the Master of Science in Strategic Intelligence program to the Master of Science and Technology program. I made this shift because my interests began to center on information warfare, primarily due to an article I read by 16th Air Force Commander Lieutenant General Tim Haugh about information warfare and his concept of convergence. My office at the NSA was part of the 16^th Air Force stand-up and was being divided between the 16^th Air Force and the nascent Space Force. General Haugh, now the Director of the NSA (DIRNSA), defined convergence as “the synchronization Cyberspace; Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR); Electromagnetic Warfare (EW); Information Operations (IO) – across the continuum of cooperation, competition, and conflict, and support the joint force’s ability to compete, deter, and win wars across multiple domains.”¹ I knew that I wanted to learn more about these topics to become a better-informed leader about where the Air Force enterprise was heading, and despite a strong background in cyberspace and ISR, I knew relatively little about EW and IO. My experiences at JSOC, up until that point, consisted of many engagements with the J39, having discussions about the differences and nuance between Cyber, SIGINT, and EW, which exposed significant seams in US doctrine that I wanted to explore. Strategic Intelligence and Information Power gave me background on how the Cold War influenced US Information Strategy or resulted in a lack thereof. The artifact I chose from this course explores how competing great powers exercise information power.

At this point in my academic career, I would have liked to pursue a cyber concentration, so I took two cyber classes this semester to work towards that goal. Unfortunately, there are no consistent offerings of cyber courses, ultimately making a cyber concentration impractical. I had previously explored some quantum technologies in my infrastructure vulnerability assessment course, but I dove deep into them during this semester. The artifacts I chose from these courses explore themes of critical infrastructure and quantum information systems (QIS) as an emerging technology. My Cyber Intelligence artifact explores the mechanics of cross-border payment systems. The group project, which this contributed to, explored the idea that Russia, China, and others may be working towards a cross-border payment system that can challenge the current SWIFT system used by much of the world. The SWIFT system is critical for supporting and monitoring sanctions and has proved to be a potent foreign policy tool. 

During this semester, I dove head-first into quantum mechanics, listening to lectures on physics to try to understand the underlying principles of these nascent technologies. Currently, QIS has significant dependencies on classical computing solutions, which provide opportunities for exploitation, but innovation in this area is rapidly advancing. QIS is a challenging field to research because it represents a nexus of highly classified government interests, extremely technical academic and scientific reports, and quantum as a service industry marketing. Still, in the next decade, the next generation of quantum technologies will begin integrating onto the battlefield, so it is critical to expose the IC to these concepts to develop a quantum literate workforce. My artifact from the Cyber threat course explores quantum threats and use cases. 

The Denial and Deception course I took this past spring has dramatically influenced how I evaluate operations. I found the theory underpinning denial and deception fascinating, and the theory behind information systems and cybernetics has also influenced how I analyze information systems. This course built heavily upon the intelligence collection course and examined how some of our adversaries have historically employed denial and deception. Reading about the Ghost Army of World War II has made me a fervent supporter of medium and low-fidelity decoys, which are capabilities I think the US should heavily invest in for any conflicts with near-peers because of their high effectiveness and relatively low cost. Even the presence of decoys will at least lengthen an adversary’s targeting cycle and, at best, deplete an adversary’s munitions while increasing blue force survivability. The artifact I chose from this course explored broad concepts from denial and deception practice. 

Finally, the Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) course I took most recently helped to deepen my knowledge of another discipline. I firmly believe that every NIU student would benefit from taking an OSINT course early in their academic career because of the resources and techniques the course explores. The course also explores the IC by examining the development of a discipline without an agency to advocate and shepherd its growth. While OSINT could be incredibly valuable, the IC often underutilizes the resources outside of the classified system. OSINT is poised to advance much more rapidly than nearly any other discipline because it can take advantage of emerging technologies and capabilities developed by private industry across multiple sectors. The final artifact I chose from this course explores how OSINT can aid the research of quantum technologies. This final artifact represents my journey as a student applying new knowledge and resources to esoteric technical problems. Furthermore, I think both OSINT and QIS will become much more accessible over the next decade and are worthy of further examination. 

My time at NIU exposed me to the nuance and contradictions of the IC. I have also dramatically expanded my knowledge about disciplines outside of SIGINT while further developing a deeper understanding and appreciation for SIGINT and information operations. Above all else, I think one of the most valuable learning experiences at NIU is working with the faculty and the diverse array of students from across the US government who provide in-depth and nuanced knowledge from their departments and agencies. Going to school part-time on the weekends has been a challenge, both from a professional and personal lens, but the faculty have been incredibly understanding of competing operational requirements and provided invaluable support and mentorship. I am grateful for my time at the University, and I look forward to the next chapter of my career as an intelligence professional.

¹  Timothy D Haugh, Nicholas J Hall, and Eugene H Fan, “16th Air Force and Convergence for the Information War,” n.d.