Quote Originally Posted by CSC2005 View Post
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My bigger point was the "hardware/systems" approach to the GWOT intel. All of the intel guys who are actually fighting the war keep saying "no more systems, no more stovepipe database, no more software to learn" But the beltway keep on going. Below is a list of talks from an upcoming beltway intel conference sponsored by the usual suspects (BAE, SAIC, GD, Lock-Mart, etc)

See where I am going? God bless technology and intel (ultra, overhead imagery, sigint), but it is creative thinking and deep analysis that will help us win the long war. Of course there is little contractor money in these areas. They all want to sell you a magic box they will do it all. (mostly with the next upgrade, which will cost twice as much)

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I definitely agree....I believe there's a tendency to focus on the technology at all levels -- it's sexy, it's quantifiable, and it's an easy sell politically because of its economic impact on companies and the regions in which they're located. Not that I'm anti-tech -- I spent approximately six years as a systems integration manager and systems manager -- tech has a role.

I believe Intelligence is the ultimate "content provider" and it's all about information flow, access, analysis. Frankly, leaving aside the fact that tech creates its own "fog of war," the so-called tech-based RMA has the potential to benefit the intelligence field significantly.

HOWEVER, the problem I have is that tech is often sold, by venders and tech supporters of all stripes, as THE solution to our problems. But the reality is that at the end of the day the biggest problems with intelligence are process- and policy-based, a lack of manpower, a lack of training and experience, and a lack of the ability to think critically. But these issues are expensive in terms of manpower, like anything else in LIC/OOTW/whatever, and people-related issues are not sexy.