Speeding Intelligence Insights Across Domains

Explore agile transformation to enable intelligence community integration.

Sharing actionable insights from data faster is critical for nearly every intelligence and defense mission. To meet this urgent need, the intelligence community (IC) is working with trusted partners to harness the power of cross-domain solutions, agile software processes and artificial intelligence (AI) advances from Silicon Valley.

In the IC, analyzing vast amounts of data has long meant working manually in silos, a time-consuming process that only yields a fragmented world view. Now, IC missions need much more rapid, holistic data-driven analysis. They also need the capability to securely transfer data across domains and among U.S. agencies around the world. To achieve success, the IC needs to address three key challenges.

First, the IC must overcome outdated data-sharing processes. Nearly every mission needs cross-domain data flows moving up or down classification levels—typically across U.S. government unclassified, secret, or top secret/sensitive compartmented information (TS/SCI) networks. These needs cannot be met by yesterday’s proprietary cross-domain solutions (CDS) and guard technologies for information sharing: Stale methods lack the flexibility of open-source solutions and weren’t designed for the breadth of data types, volume of data, rapidly evolving mission/partner environments or rapid information sharing required by today's analysts and warfighters.

Second, the IC must meet AI's insatiable need for data. Empowering AI and machine learning (AI/ML) to find patterns, spot anomalies and move toward predictive capabilities requires the use of enormous volumes of data to train and refine algorithms. What’s more, other information must be centralized for cross-domain imperatives like cybersecurity and Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2).

Third, the IC must move away from "one-off" software development. It’s time to stop overloading IC software developers with development and deployment workflows for custom applications, each with separate security accreditation and authority to operate (ATO) processes.

So how can the IC accelerate, simplify and scale up data sharing based on leading practices? One solution is Booz Allen’s Cross Domain Shared Services Framework (CDSSF). The CDSSF provides automated workflows and modular elements to stay ahead of mission demands. The framework is cloud agnostic, enables bi-directional flows, and supports multicloud and on-premises connections with an open platform, and modular architecture. Also, it's accredited for Top Secret and Below Interoperability (TSABI), integrated with National Cross Domain Strategy and Management Office (NCDSMO) Raise the Bar (RTB) compliant guards and has a proven track record in operations.

This approach is accelerating outcomes for civilian and defense intelligence organizations and providing a flexible framework to support joint data operations. For instance, the IC is operationalizing AI by adopting DevSecOps and building critical capabilities such as multi-INT fusion.

In addition to rapidly synchronizing mission data, DevSecOps capabilities allow the IC to transform its business processes. Specialists can develop unclassified and deploy classified, with low latency. This broadens the talent pool, opening the door to a hybrid cleared workforce.

Combining agile software processes with the CDSSF also allows the IC to transition to multicloud faster and reap the benefits of increased speed and flexibility across domains.

What does agile AI look like? One example is the Clairvoyant Tool Suite. Determined to move beyond custom applications that took months to deploy, an IC client was looking for a solution to operationalize AI/ML for mission-critical systems. We provided a DevOps tool suite to introduce flexible software capabilities to the IC. Now, national security teams are using Clairvoyant to rapidly deploy programs into operations enterprise-wide.

Bottom line, the IC simply must take advantage of emerging technologies to transform its tradecraft and stay ahead of adversaries—especially when it comes to speeding intelligence insights across domains.