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Data Deluge Poses Problems

Intelligence leaders look to industry for solutions.

DIA Director Lt. Gen Vincent Stewart, USMC, who was recently tapped to become U.S. Cyber Command’s deputy commander, says analyzing and distributing the growing amount of data the intelligence community collects is a constant challenge.

Senior intelligence officials identified the increasing amount of data and how to handle it as the one of the largest challenges the intelligence community faces today. “We are collecting more data than we can effectively process,” said Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) Director Lt. Gen Vincent Stewart, USMC. “What we process, we struggle to make sense of, and what we understand, we can’t effectively disseminate across a global enterprise to ensure it helps drive critical decision making.”

To address this issue, the DIA’s Innovation office will hold industry days in August. Companies will have the opportunity to pitch their ideas on artificial intelligence, augmented reality and virtual reality to DIA leaders.

Leaders from the civilian, military officer and enlisted sections as well as U.S. Defense Department and intelligence community recently met for discussions that looked beyond the DIA’s current no-fail mission areas—including Russia, China, North Korea, Iran and extremist organizations—to other possible threats and conflicts.

During the senior enlisted portion of the intelligence conferences, DIA Command Senior Enlisted Leader Master Gunnery Sgt. Scott Stalker, USMC, hosted fellow senior enlisted leaders and advisers from all military services and the U.S. Coast Guard. He addressed the full range of current and over-the-horizon threats.

Master Gunnery Sgt. Stalker also emphasized the importance of senior enlisted service members within the intelligence community saying, “You have a critically important role to play in preparing your organizations to deal with this world. …You must have moral courage—moral courage to tell your boss when he or she is wrong.”

The discussions took place at a conference the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) sponsored with a theme of “Intelligence Support in an Era of Persistent Threats.”