The World of Intelligence

The situation in Yemen is particularly complex. Even before the start of the attacks on shipping in November 2023 by Ansar Allah (commonly known as the Houthis), the country has been of interest to many. A large-scale humanitarian crisis has emerged following a decade of conflict across the country drawing in the Yemeni government, Ansar Allah, southern Yemeni secessionists, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen’s Al-Qaeda affiliate, and a minor Islamic State faction. In this podcast James Trigg, Senior Research Analyst for the Middle East and North Africa Country Intelligence team at Janes joins Harry Kemsley and Sean Corbett to explore how open-source intelligence has allowed us to get a deeper understanding of the relatively closed environment of Yemen and the complex situation in the country.

In this podcast Harry Kemsley and Sean Corbett are joined by Amil Khan, the founder and CEO of Valent Projects, to delve deep into the implications of misinformation and disinformation for open-source intelligence. They identify the difference between misinformation and disinformation and how we can overcome these

challenges to support open-source intelligence.

Over the course of 2023 Harry Kemsley and Sean Corbett hosted more than 20 podcasts exploring topics such as the implications of AI for OSINT, the need for empathy in

decision making, and tradecraft in open-source intelligence. Janes analysts also discussed how OSINT has supported Janes analysis of new and emerging situations such as that in Sudan, Haiti, and Israel. In this episode Harry and Sean look back on the key themes and what they learnt from the discussions with their guests in 2023.

Claire Chu, Janes senior China analyst joins Harry Kemsley and Sean Corbett to discuss how China's economic activity projects influence globally and what she learnt as part of the recent US Congressional staff delegation to China.

Janes analysts discuss the ongoing situation in Israel/Gaza and discuss how OSINT can help us look at events in conflict zones, including analysis of what happened at the Al-Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza.

In this podcast Janes analysts Lewis Smart and Elliot Chapman discuss with Harry Kemsley and Sean Corbett how they have supported Janes' timely analysis and insight on the evolving situation in Israel and Gaza and how this supports the intelligence gathering required by intelligence and defence organisations.

Robert Ashley Jr. former director of the DIA joins Harry Kemsley and Sean Corbett to discuss the use of open-source intelligence in the defence intelligence enterprise and the opportunities OSINT provides to intelligence communities.

Robert Ashley Jr. former director of the DIA joins Harry Kemsley and Sean Corbett to discuss the use of open-source intelligence in the defence intelligence enterprise and the opportunities OSINT provides to intelligence communities.

Dr Joana Cook and Dr Shiraz Maher authors of 'The Rule is for None but Allah: Islamist Approaches to Governance' join Harry Kemsley and Sean Corbett to discuss the role that OSINT has to play in understanding violent extremist organisations and the challenges in doing so.

In this episode Janes analysts Matthew Henman and Lewis Galvin discuss how open source intelligence can provide good indicators and warnings for predictive intelligence. They also discuss how they use Janes open source data to produce a broad intelligence picture of an evolving situation such as that in Haiti.

In the second part of this podcast Robert Cardillo, President, Cardillo Group and previous Director of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency and ex-deputy Director of the DIA, joins Harry Kemsley and Sean Corbett to continue the discussion of the importance of geospatial intelligence to enhance our use and understanding of OSINT in a classified environment and the use of AI.

Robert Cardillo, President, Cardillo Group and previous Director of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency and Deputy Director of the DIA, joins Harry Kemsley and Sean Corbett to discuss the importance of geospatial intelligence to enhance our use and understanding of OSINT.

In this podcast we discuss how Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) can be used to get a better understanding of North Korea and the challenges of gathering OSINT in a closed environment.

Keith Dear, Managing Director of Fujitsu's Centre for Cognitive and Advanced Technologies, joins Harry Kemsley and Sean Corbett to discuss the use and limitations of AI in support of OSINT. With AI capabilities evolving at an ever increasing speed, they explore what this means for decision makers and analysts and how human and AI can work together.

Janes expert analysts Maria Lampoudi and Heather Nicell join Harry Kemsley and Sean Corbet to discuss how open source intelligence has helped us to understand the situation in the Sudan before it started, what is happening now and the impact on the country in the future.

Randy Nixon, Director, Open Source Enterprise, CIA and long time user of Janes joins Harry Kemsley and Sean Corbett to discuss the power and utility of open source intelligence in the intelligence community, why the people in these organisations are so important and how this community can optimise OSINT in their organisations.

In this episode we look at tradecraft in Open Source Intelligence with Neil Wiley, former Chair of the National Intelligence Council and former Director for Analysis at the Defense Intelligence Agency.

In this episode we take a more practical look at open source intelligence and its role in understanding the current situation in Iran as it sits at the crossroads of a range of geopolitical choices, the result of which will play a large role in determining the course of the country’s internal dynamics, as well as its external relations with other states.

Janes Country Intelligence customers can also access our supporting special report on Iran at Customer.Janes.com

We invited some of our most popular guests back to take us to the next level of what everyone needs to consider for their OSINT and why technology, ethics, culture and empathy are increasingly important.

We invited some of our most popular guests back to take us to the next level of what everyone needs to consider for their OSINT and why technology, ethics, culture and empathy are increasingly important.

In this podcast Harry Kemsley and Sean Corbett revisit some of the key themes they covered in 2022 and discuss what they have learnt about the power of open source intelligence.

Warren Strobel, National Security Reporter joins Harry Kemsley and Sean Corbett in this podcast to understand the role open-source intelligence has to be play in Journalism.

Harry Kemsley and Sean Corbett are joined by Dr Claire Yorke, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow, to discuss the fascinating subject of empathy and why it is so important in decision making, our analysis and open-source intelligence.

In this episode we explore the impact of mis or disinformation in open source intelligence with Di Cooke CSIS International Security Program Visiting Fellow and KCL War Studies Doctoral Candidate.

In this episode we speak to Gwyn Armfield, Brigadier General, USAF (retired) to discuss how OSINT supports Special Operational Forces in their operations.

In this episode we speak to Claire Chu, Senior Chinese Analyst at Janes Group to discuss economic statecraft as a valuable element of your OSINT toolbox and how open source intelligence on state sponsored commercial activity can support their national interests.

In this episode of The World of Intelligence we speak with Neil Spencer on the value of OSINT in the commercial sector.

Neil Spencer is the Director of Strategy and Partnerships for LifeRaft. He has more than twenty years of security industry experience, during which time he has advised both corporate and government sectors. His research focuses on the security and intelligence markets to understand how new technologies, trends, and online data sources impact assets and operations.

In the context of the Ukraine conflict this podcast examines the open-source environment that is now available to analysts to derive insight and intelligence, lessons learned and future implications.

Podcast recording date: 26 April 2022.

Huw Williams of our EMEA news team chairs a discussion focussed on the Russian invasion of Ukraine featuring Amael Kotlarski, Senior Analyst at Janes, Thomas Bullock, Senior Russia and CIS OSINT Analyst at Janes and James Rands, C4ISR Manager at Janes.

In the latest episode of The World of Intelligence podcast we speak to Emily Harding, Deputy Director and Senior Fellow, International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) around the latest technology in OSINT, in particular we cover the recent report "Move Over JARVIS, Meet OSCAR: Open-Source, Cloud-Based, AI-Enabled Reporting for the Intelligence Community" which is available to download here: https://www.csis.org/analysis/move-over-jarvis-meet-oscar

In this episode of the World of Intelligence podcast, we speak to Don Rassler, Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Combating Terrorism Center at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. The conversation in this episode is focused on the utility and application of OSINT in the counter-terrorism arena.

Huw Williams of our EMEA news team chairs a discussion focussed on the Russian invasion of the Ukraine asking why were the Russian actions so different to expectations, what were they trying to achieve and what went wrong? 

Amael Kotlarski, Senior Analyst at Janes, Thomas Bullock, Senior Russia and CIS OSINT Analyst at Janes and James Rands, C4ISR Manager at Janes, discuss these questions across the land, maritime and air domains with reference to combat, logistics, command and control, communications, ISR and planning. 

In the latest episode of The World of Intelligence podcast, we speak to Thomas Bullock, Senior Russia and CIS OSINT Analyst at Janes and Christian Haimet, Country Intelligence Analyst at Janes, about the real-world utility of OSINT.

In the first episode of the year, Harry and Sean discuss the value of interconnecting and integrating open-source intelligence data through the lens of several use cases. We discuss both the theoretical and the practical OSINT purposes to realise the real value of data manipulation in solving specific problem sets. 

In this episode of The World of Intelligence we talk about some of the current real-world challenges we face and how commercial open-source providers like Janes and like our guests, Fivecast, have started to solve some of those challenges and how we are supporting government agencies. Fivecast is a world leading provider of digital intelligence solutions that enable public and private organisations to explore the masses of data, uncovering insights which are critical to protecting their communities.

In this episode of the Janes podcast we look at the application of emerging technologies to enhance the value and to drive the development of open-source intelligence or OSINT. For example, we look at the use of artificial intelligence and using algorithms to make sense of enormous data sets. 

Michael Horowitz is the director of Perry House and the Richard Perry professor at the University of Pennsylvania. He's an acclaimed author of books and peer reviewed articles, often based on his research interests in the intersection of emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and robotics, with global politics and military innovation. 

In this episode of the Janes podcast, Tim Marshall, journalist and author of The Power of Geography, in conversation with Terry Pattar, examine how our politics, demographics, economies and societies are determined by geography.

Tim Marshall wrote the international best selling book Prisoners of Geography. Tim was diplomatic editor at Sky News and has also worked for the BBC and LBC/IRN radio. He has reported from 40 countries and covered conflicts in Croatia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Israel.

In this episode of the Janes podcast, Lt Col Langley Sharp shares lessons learned in leadership from his career in the Parachute Regiment which has seen him deployed to Northern Ireland, Macedonia, Afghanistan and Iraq. Among his many varied roles, he has led a counter-insurgency Task Force operation, commanded a Parachute Regiment Battalion, and delivered the Ministry of Defence’s training programme for the London 2012 Olympics, for which he was awarded an MBE.

Lt Col Langley Sharp is the author of The Habit of Excellence; the official British Army book on what makes its leadership so successful, and how to become a better leader yourself - whatever your field.

In this episode we discuss the use of various cryptocurrencies in terrorist financing in the Middle East and Africa.

Ahmed Buckley is an independent expert serving on the Analytical Support and Monitoring Team supporting the UN Security Council Committee concerning sanctions. An ACAMS Certified Global Sanctions Specialist, Ahmed co-designed and delivered trainings on sanctions implementation and compliance to national authorities, financial institutions, as well as to trainees at NATO’s Defense Against Terrorism Centre of Excellence. He co-drafted the Joint Report on Actions Taken by Member States to Disrupt Terrorism Finance pursuant to UNSC resolution 2462 (2019). He was previously Deputy Director of the Global Counterterrorism Unit at Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and served diplomatic postings in Pakistan and Canada.

In this podcast episode, Harry Kemsley OBE and Sean Corbett CB MBE talk to Terry Busch, Executive Advisor at Capax Analytics and Former Chief Technology Officer for the DIA's High Priority Machine-Assisted Rapid Repository Program (MARS).

In this discussion we cover the increasing relevance and utility of Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) in support of the defence and security community. Specifically, the expert panel discuss challenges and opportunities of incorporating OSINT into the defence intelligence environment.

In this podcast we speak to Dr Michael Innes about counter-terrorism. We cover the concepts of 'sanctuaries' and 'safe havens' in the context of America´s post-9/11 discourse.

Dr Michael Innes is Director of the Conflict Records Unit and a Visiting Senior Research Fellow in the Department of War Studies, King's College London. He is the author of Streets Without Joy: A Political History of Sanctuary and War, 1959-2009. Streets is his fifth book-length publication.

In this episode we speak to Adam Hadley on understanding and countering terrorist use of the internet.

Adam Hadley is the CEO of London-based data science consultancy QuantSpark and Founder of the Online Harms Foundation which implements Tech Against Terrorism, a public-private partnership launched by the global tech sector and the UN in 2017. Adam is a leading commentator on the role of analytics and data science in society and business, digital transformation, social change through technology, and supporting the tech sector in tackling the terrorist use of the internet. 

Lee Wylde MBE is a former UK Military Intelligence (OPMI) and CAPDEV specialist and first soldier to go through the Military Data Science Operator program. Lee developed intelligence focused solutions for UK Gov (during COVID-19) and FVEY community. In this episode we discuss how to produce effective open-source intelligence (OSINT), the benefits of automation in intelligence and the future of OSINT.

In this episode of the Janes Podcast we speak to Erin Sikorsky, Deputy Director of the Center for Climate and Security (CCS), about using Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) for 'decision advantage' when it comes to the climate crisis and impact for national security.

In this podcast episode Harry Kemsley OBE, President of the Government and National Security at Janes joins Air Marshall (ret'd) Sean Corbett CB, RAF and Air Cdre (ret'd) Rick Keir, RAAF to discuss the key challenges to international security in the Indo-Pacific region.

In the latest episode of the Janes podcast we speak to Rob Dartnall, Director of Intelligence and CEO at Security Alliance, about the cyber aspects of China's 14th Five Year Plan (2021–2025) as well as discussing global cyber threat intelligence insights.

In the latest episode of the Janes podcast we speak to Ellen E. McCarthy, former Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Intelligence and Research, about the story of William Joseph “Wild Bill” Donovan and how the original vision from "Wild Bill" can inspire the intelligence community.

In this episode of the Janes podcast, we talk to Peter Martin, a defence and intelligence reporter at Bloomberg, Peter discusses his new book, which charts the roots of Chinese 'wolf warrior' diplomacy. He shares his insights into the online element of this diplomacy, as well his thoughts on the future of Chinese diplomatic influence.

Twitter: @PeterMartin_PCM

In this episode of the Janes podcast we talk to Tim Clancy, the founder and CEO of Dialectic Simulations Consulting and a researcher focused on reducing violence and instability. In particular we discuss Tim's model for understanding violent radicalisation and how this can be applied in practice.

In this episode of the Janes podcast Terry Pattar and Kathryn Haahr-Escolano discuss analytic standards, OSINT and the Intelligence Community Directive 203 (ICD 203).

Kathryn Haahr-Escolano has worked in the US Intelligence Community, and is a practitioner of the ODNI/AIS Analytic Tradecraft standards and their application to the craft of intelligence analysis and the OSINT lifecycle for government, academic, and international clients.

This episode of the Janes podcast defines and explores examples of non-traditional threats and looks at how national security can effectively react to these non-traditional threats.

In this episode of the Janes podcast Terry Pattar talks to Joe Robinson, CEO of Defence at Improbable about how advances in the games industry are being utilised by the defence and intelligence community by creating virtual worlds to prepare and plan for future scenarios.

In this episode of the Janes podcast Terry Pattar, head of the Janes Intelligence Unit and Brian Raymond, Vice President of Government at Primer discuss the global impact of machine learning and the future of national security.

In this episode of the Janes podcast Terry Pattar discusses strategic thinking, diversity of thought and innovation with Carmen Medina, co-author of the book Rebels At Work: A Handbook for Leading Change from Within.

China has achieved expansive military-technology advancement over the past 15 years but 2021 represents the start of a new era of progression. During its 14th Five Year Plan (2021–25), China is targeting accelerated modernisation and the development of the disruptive capabilities that will aim to support its longer-term bid to achieve ‘world class’ military status. This podcast explores the breadth of China’s military capabilities and anticipated advancements during the 14th Five Year Plan and beyond.

In this episode Terry Pattar speaks to Luke Shabro, Deputy Director of the Mad Scientist Initiative to discuss thinking about the future. The Mad Scientist Initiative is a U.S. Army initiative and a community of action that continually explores the future through collaborative partnerships and continuous dialogue with academia, industry and government.

This episode looks into the increasing ambiguity between the actions of state and non-state actors, the implications for intelligence generally and the role OSINT can play to meet the challenges.

Most Open Source Intelligence training focuses on tradecraft, and rightfully so. Less common is the inclusion of other factors that impact the ability of an analyst’s ability to deliver effective open source intelligence Products. In in this conversation Cynthia Hetherington, Founder and President of the Hetherington Group and Kyle McGroarty of Janes Intelligence Unit discuss Cynthia’s experience of open source research, from physical archives as a librarian, to managing research, and providing security investigations to a wide range of customers. The success of the Hetherington Group and Cynthia’s enthusiasm for the subject also inspired her the establishment of OSMOSICON, an annual conference for practitioners of open source intelligence. OSMOSISCON this year will be held from 10 to 12 October in San Diego.

In this episode of the Janes podcast Terry Pattar and prolific author Peter W Singer discuss how stories can carry across real-world lessons in intelligence and how fictional scenarios can help in exploring future operating environments.

In this episode of the Janes podcast, Eliot Higgins and Terry Pattar explore the world of online investigations and the future of conflict research with Bellingcat.

In episode 25 of The World of Intelligence, Terry Pattar, head of the Janes Intelligence Unit is joined by Chad Peltier, Data and Integration Analyst at Janes to discuss recent research into China's expeditionary capabilities.

Innovation in intelligence has never been more vital to ensure organisations are not left behind, which raises several questions: How does innovation occur and how can national security organisations and others innovate in the field of intelligence? How can organisations continue innovating as collaboration becomes more difficult during the coronavirus pandemic? In this podcast episode the Janes Intelligence Unit addresses these questions with Davey Gibian, Head of Innovation at Janes, who describes the crucial elements of innovation and explains why collaboration does not equate to innovation and why failure is essential.

In episode 23 of The World of Intelligence, Terry Pattar, head of the Janes Intelligence Unit is joined by John Ferris, Author of Behind the Enigma: The Authorised History of GCHQ, Britain’s Secret Cyber-Intelligence Agency.

In episode 22 of The World of Intelligence, Terry Pattar, head of the Janes Intelligence Unit is joined by Robert Maxwell, Owner of FinINTEL Solutions to discuss the role of Financial Intelligence (FININT).

In episode 20 of The World of Intelligence, Terry Pattar, head of the Janes Intelligence Unit is joined by Nick Waters, Senior Investigator at Bellingcat to discuss the Beirut port explosion from an OSINT perspective.

In episode 15 of the World of Intelligence podcast, Terry Pattar, head of the Janes Intelligence Unit is joined by Cindy Otis, expert on disinformation, to discuss the global and national security implications of disinformation and what can be done to mitigate the effects.

City Otis is a former CIA officer, national security commentator, and a disinformation and cybersecurity expert. She is the author of TRUE OR FALSE: A CIA ANALYST'S GUIDE TO SPOTTING FAKE NEWS, coming out on July 28th.

For more information on OSINT training delivered by Janes go to janes.com/OSINTtraining

In episode 14 of the World of Intelligence podcast, Terry Pattar, head of the Janes Intelligence Unit is joined by Samantha North, expert on disinformation, to discuss group conflict and tribalism within current topics such as Brexit and Covid-19 and how disinformation and misinformation is impacting this.

For more information on OSINT training go to janes.com/OSINTtraining

To find out more about Samantha's work go to samanthanorth.com

In episode 13 of the World of Intelligence podcast, Terry Pattar, head of the Janes Intelligence Unit and Mark Wilson, Janes Intelligence Unit Consultant are joined by Judy King, Editorial Director at BBC Monitoring to discuss trends and challenges of the shifting information environment.

For more information on OSINT training go to janes.com/OSINTtraining

In episode 11 of the World of Intelligence podcast, Terry Pattar, head of the Janes Intelligence Unit, and David Kilcullen, President of Cordillera Applications and author of 'The Dragons and the Snakes' discuss the diversity of strategic global security threats and how Western military and government planners and decision-makers need to adapt to monitoring indicators of "liminal warfare," especially as geopolitical competition increases following the coronavirus pandemic. 

To find out more about Janes threat assessment visit janes.com/threats

In episode 10 of the World of Intelligence podcast, Harry Kemsley OBE, Global Vice-President at Janes, and AVM (ret’d) Sean Corbett MBE discuss the growing value and utility of open-source intelligence in assessing strategic threats in a time of global uncertainty. To find out more about the threat assessment detailed in this podcast, visit https://www.janes.com/threats

For more information on OSINT training go to janes.com/OSINTtraining

In episode 9, Janes Intelligence Unit consultant Mark Wilson is joined by Peter King, an extremist media consultant and co-founder of IbexMind, which helps organisations build resilience to the affects of exposure to distressing content.

They discuss a range of practical techniques that OSINT practitioners can apply – both on an individual basis and in teams - to keep mentally healthy while conducting investigations, and also talk about the impact of social media research on mental health.

They discuss the current state of the art in OSINT and how practitioners are adapting to changes in the information environment, including their experiences with OSINT training and the raft of current OSINT tools, as well as the sense of community and advice-sharing within OSINT.

In episode 7 Terry Pattar, head of the Jane’s Intelligence Unit, is joined by Eliot Higgins, chairman/executive director of Bellingcat.

Bellingcat is an independent international collective of researchers, investigators and citizen journalists using open source and social media investigation to probe a variety of subjects – from Mexican drug lords and crimes against humanity, to tracking the use of chemical weapons and conflicts worldwide. 

In a special edition of Jane’s World of Intelligence Podcast, members of the Jane’s Terrorism and Insurgency Centre (JTIC) discuss key recent trends and developments in terrorism and insurgency worldwide. They also speak to long-term contributor and Afghanistan expert Antonio Giustozzi, discussing inter-group conflict in eastern Afghanistan and the prospects for a peace agreement over the coming 12 months. The episode ends with a discussion of the key themes in the seminal terrorism film Four Lions.

Participating in the podcast is Matthew Henman, head of JTIC, and JTIC analysts Olivia Harper and Gabriela Serrano.

To find out more about JTIC and what we do, and to download the 2018 Annual Global Attack Index infographic, please visit janes.com/terrorism.

In episode 5 Terry Pattar, head of the Jane’s Intelligence Unit, is joined by Mark Wilson, Consulting Principal, Jane’s Intelligence Unit, to discuss decentralised open-source social networking services, the latest developments in search engine smart learning and much more.

To request information on OSINT training go to Janes.com/OSINTtraining

To find out more about the Jane’s Intelligence Unit on structured data go to Janes.com/IntelligenceUnit

In episode 4 Terry Pattar, head of the Jane’s Intelligence Unit, is joined by “The Cyber Security Expert”, Robert Pritchard, to discuss methods for OSINT analysts to mitigate online security risks and better understand the threat environment in which they operate. Rob is highly experienced in providing cyber security advice, including developing and delivering the Jane’s Cyber Security Awareness for OSINT training course.

• To request information on OSINT training go to www.janes.com/OSINTtraining 
• To find out more on structured data go to www.Janes.com/IntelligenceUnit 
• Visit The Cyber Security Expert at www.thecybersecurityexpert.com

In episode 3 of the Jane's Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) podcast, Terry Pattar from the Jane’s Intelligence Unit talks to Ben Strick about his most recent open source investigations for BBC Africa Eye. Ben also describes how a background in law and the military informs his approach to OSINT.

For information on OSINT training go to janes.com/OSINTtraining 

In episode 2 of this Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) podcast, the Jane's Intelligence Unit discuss emerging online trends, including the decentralised web, with Lorand Bodo, OSINT analyst at Tech Against Terrorism, an initiative to support the global tech industry in tackling the terrorist use of the internet.

In episode 1 of The World of Intelligence, the Janes Intelligence Unit discuss right wing extremist groups shifting to alternative social media platforms to fund their activities and make their profiles more difficult to track. The Jane's Intelligence Unit also discuss whether the golden age of OSINT is ending and how OSINT practitioners have adapted to the recent increased social media information restrictions.