Coffee & Conversation with Greg Ryckman

On Wednesday, May 1, INSA hosted a virtual Coffee and Conversation with Greg Ryckman, Deputy Director for Global Integration, DIA and INSA President Suzanne Wilson Heckenberg.

Recording courtesy of host sponsor, Janes!

The program kicked off with Mr. Ryckam discussing his role at DIA ensuring intelligence capabilities are integrated, synchronized and prioritized to meet Defense Intelligence Enterprise objectives. He emphasized the importance of developing and empowering a data literate workforce that is skilled in handling data effectively. Mr. Ryckman mentioned the DIA’s initiative to focus on training and improving tradecraft across the enterprise. However, he stressed that the intelligence community (IC) needs to revolutionize its approach to open source information within years, not decades.

The conversation touched on the evolution of Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) and its impact on intelligence gathering and analysis. Previously, OSINT was considered "salt" to completed intelligence products. Now, Mr. Ryckman highlighted a shift where technical, secret intelligence has become the salt for the main course of open source intelligence.

With OSINT playing a substantial role in intelligence efforts, Mr. Ryckman discussed the efforts of DIA's Open Source Intelligence Center to improve collection and dissemination. Challenges remain in directing analysts to synthesize open source data effectively and ensuring its quality and reliability. Collaboration efforts between DIA, CIA, and partners in academia and the private sector demonstrate a collaborative approach to advancing OSINT capabilities.

As strategic competition intensifies, integrated intelligence centers become pivotal in enhancing DIA's capabilities by fostering collaboration and enabling more informed analysis. This integrated approach ultimately ensures a more targeted and effective intelligence effort.