Coffee and Conversation with Linda Weissgold

On Tuesday, January 24, 2023, Linda Weissgold, Deputy Director for Analysis at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) joined INSA’s Executive Vice President, John Doyon, for a virtual conversation discussing the critical role that analysts play within the Intelligence Community (IC).

Bringing nearly four decades of experience as an analyst, Ms. Weissgold detailed her career and the changes she has seen throughout the Directorate of Analysis, as well as some of the major similarities that have held consistent. Weissgold highlighted the importance of interagency cooperation and building a network of information throughout the IC to test ideas and better serve the nation. Additionally, she discussed her time as President George W. Bush’s PDB, and the importance of understanding the needs of policymakers, which differ from person to person.

At the heart of the discussion was the importance of objective analysis, the tradecraft of a good analyst. Weissgold detailed the importance of humility, addressing one’s own personal bias, and commitment to both the substance and discipline of what it means to provide timely, accurate, and objective all-source intelligence. Furthermore, Weissgold discussed the improvement in OSINT collection and analysis, which remain important to CIA’s mission of delivering a product that is all-source.

To conclude, Ms. Weissgold forecasted what the future of intelligence analysis will look like, with advancements in AI/ML and even VR playing a role in the mission that CIA seeks to accomplish, in service and defense of the nation.