The Unredacted Podcast

The flagship program of Analytic Transformation: A-Space. A special enclave reserved for intelligence analysts to share information freely and collaborate on products. Who could argue with the value of that? Well . . . as it turns out . . . a lot of people.

In this episode, we hear from many voices involved in conceptualizing, deploying, and running the A-Space program. Now known as i-Space, and open to more than just analysts, we g...

Today, blogging is considered passe. We forget blogs were the precursor technology to all of the social media platforms deployed on the Internet. In the Intelligence Community (IC) in 2005, blogging was viewed as nearly subversive. The Intelink Blogging platform created a space for change agents to communicate directly to their peers, discover research on key intelligence questions, test analytic hypotheses, and build communities o...

Wikipedia defines Intellipedia as "an online system for collaborative data sharing used by the United States Intelligence Community." This description belies the immense amount of pain, suffering, and the many mission victories behind the deployment of the most successful information sharing platform in intelligence history. In this episode, we hear from the people who built, used, and protected Intellipedia from those who did not ...

The Need-to-Know culture gives way to the Responsibility-to-Provide future. Analytic Transformation takes on the discovery of what customers want, what intelligence products have been produced, and who knows something about everything all the time. In this episode, we hear about three programs: the Analysis Resource Catalogue, the Library of National Intelligence, and the National Intelligence Priorities Framework. And you will be ...

With the team built and the contours of a plan, the Analytic Transformation Team took their show on the road. What better place to unveil the full slate of programs than Chicago? Armed with some marketing material, Tom Fingar and Michael Wertheimer host an event open to the public to iron-out the most pressing issues facing the community and solicit answers. Facing resistance from highly respected senior analysts, such as Mark Lowe...

With the wind at his back, Tom Fingar is tapped to build the Office of Analysis in the Director of National Intelligence. He needed a team of reform-minded individuals representing a wide swath of Intelligence Community (IC) interests. With only a vague idea of what they were going to do and not knowing if they could even do it, they joined forces to transform the IC. These are the inside stories of what the selection process was l...

There is always a gap between how Hollywood depicts the intelligence business and reality. After 9/11, it was shockingly clear how little investment had been funneled to the Intelligence Community (IC) since the end of the Cold War. Siloed, fragmented, understaffed, and technically behind, there was a lot of catching up to do. We recount the stories of new and experienced IC professionals who began to take inventory of this te...

Angry and scared, the American public demands the Intelligence Community be reformed. While the creation of an independent orchestrator of national intelligence had been discussed for years, there was widespread resistance; even after the deaths of nearly 3,000 people on 9/11. Nevertheless, Congress passed the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act establishing the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). O...

Every generation has a touchstone historical tragedy. For some it was the Kennedy assassination. For others it is the Challenger disaster. If you were born before 2001, you probably have been asked. “Where were you on 9/11?” It was a singular event which reshaped a nation and thrust America into the twenty-year Global War on Terrorism. This episode reminds us of the events of that day and introduces us to our interviewe...

The Unredacted Podcast is proud to present a special series, “From Tragedy to Transformation: Intelligence Reform After 9/11”. A small group of Intelligence Community professionals, never having known one another and some never having worked in government, joined in common cause to reform intelligence in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. We interviewed over 20 people who were a part of that movement. We asked them to look b...

National security expert Trish Martinelli reveals why defense innovation isn't management theory—it's a combat skill. On this special SOF Week episode, Lindy Kyzer and Brian Drake sit down with the founder of The Difference LLC to explore her learnings from many years in Army leadership, DoD strategy, and why serious practitioners in the defense community approach innovation like a combat problem. They discuss the dangers of ...

This week, Lindy Kyzer and Brian Drake are remotely recording The Unredacted Podcast in beautiful Tampa for SOF Week. Lindy and Brian talk about what the Department of War’s largest annual conference offers, provide some color commentary on the “unique” marketing techniques they witnessed, and what attendees can expect from the numerous technical demonstrations from the defense industry. In that vein, they intervi...

What is the "gray zone" and who is trying to understand it? Lindy Kyzer and Brian Drake give it a shot and they also get some help from national security expert and former Intelligence Officer Timothy "Tito" Torres. Brian interviews Tito on his personal and political exploration of U.S. foreign policy and how it intersects with the America First policy of the Trump Administration. Tito tells us about his international travels and i...

Intelligence operations at the airport? Brian Drake and guest host Tyrome Smith explore what the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA) Intelligence Directorate actually does—and why it matters for U.S. national defense. Brian interviews the former Director of Intelligence for the TSA, Mary Quinn. Mary shares what this quiet, unseen intelligence operation does for the TSA and protect the public. She also goes runs thr...

What does the President actually need to know? This week Lindy Kyzer and Brian Drake explore this topic, catch-up after their respective Spring Breaks and discuss developments in the Iran conflict, specifically the cognitive warfare environment. They also exchange ideas about what constitutes a secret and how you maintain trust in critical conversations. The high-wire test of those skills is no better embodied than as a briefer for...

In this episode of The Unredacted Podcast, we delve into the critical role of journalism in the domain of US national defense and intelligence. Hosts Lindy Kyzer and Brian Drake explore the challenges faced by government communicators in balancing transparency with secrecy, especially in today’s complex new media landscape. Lindy shares her experiences as a Public Affairs Officer amid shifting public trust, while both hosts r...

This week on The Unredacted Podcast, Brian and Lindy wax poetic about mentors and the leadership lessons they have learned. They explore what leadership means when you are responsible for the security of the nation. And who better to school us about what to expect when you're in the "big chair" than Stacey Dixon, the former Principal Deputy Director for National Intelligence. On this episode, Stacey tells her story from the humble ...

In this episode of The Unredacted Podcast, Lindy and Brian explore the definition of the "warfighter" and examine the complex interplay between civilian policies and US national defense priorities. Featuring Jesse Levin, the Executive Director of the Defense Entrepreneurs Forum, the discussion delves into privately funded, innovative business models and methods to advance international security and intelligence operations. Using ca...

In this episode, Lindy and Brian test the limits of free speech in national security. What is the way forward when America's constitutional protections threaten to undermine the fabric of its democracy? Given that neither Brian nor Lindy are experts, they interview someone who is; Jane Kirtley. Professor Kirtley is the Silha Professor of Media Ethics and Law at the Hubbard School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the Universi...