John Ford: Hollywood & the OSS
John Ford with Oscar® statuette, circa 1946. He is the essence of classical American cinema. Any serious person making films today, whether they know it or not, is affected by…
AI in Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) Collection
Pexels photo by Danny Meneses. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a crucial component of Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) collection, providing a suite of capabilities that enhance the speed and accuracy…
Prepare, Plan, and Prevail: Developing an Emergency Preparedness Plan
Ruins from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, remembered as one of the worst disasters in the history of the United States. Photo: H.D. Chadwick. NARA National Archives and Records Administration…
The CIA’s Secret Art Patronage: Abstract Expressionism in the Cold War
The Key 1946. Jackson Pollock. Oil on linen. Art Institute of Chicago. It’s believed that painting was named “The Key” to signify a new beginning in American art, during an…
From Bean to Brew: The Benefit of Adding Water to Coffee Beans Before Grinding
Coffee, the cherished beverage of millions around the world, is not just a drink but an experience. The process of brewing coffee is an art, and like any art, it…
Operation Bernhard: The Secret Nazi Counterfeiting Operation
The entrance to Sachsenhausen concentration camp, where the forgers operated. According to an article in The New York Times published on December 13, 2001, the SS experimented with mass killing…
Kryptos: The Enigma of CIA’s Secret Sculpture
Kryptos by Jim Sanborn / CC BY-SA 3.0 DEED. Kryptos is a fascinating sculpture by the American artist Jim Sanborn. The sculpture is located on the grounds of the Central…
Identifying and Responding to Pre-Threat Indicators
Pexels photo by Engin Aakyurt. In the complex world we live in, we cannot take personal safety for granted. The ability to identify and react to threat indicators is a…
Unleashing the Potential of Training Programs through Effective Evaluation
Soldiers assigned to 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment ‘Red Currahee,’ 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, supporting the 4th Infantry Division, return fire during a platoon situational training exercise…
Low-Tech Tactics in a High-Tech World: The Undying Art of Spycraft
This (replacement) mailbox is identical to the one, and in the same location, that convicted spy Aldrich Ames used to signal his Russian counterparts. Ames would place a horizontal chalk…