Intelligence Matters

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, guest host Adm. James "Sandy" Winnefeld (ret.) speaks with Robert Work, the 32nd United States Deputy Secretary of Defense for both the Obama and Trump administration. Work and Winnefeld discuss the Pentagon's "Third Offset" Strategy, and delve into the military applications and ethical dimensions of technologies like artificial intelligence and quantum science. They also review the Defense Department's transition from focusing on counterterrorism and counterinsurgency to great power competition. Work, now the Distinguished Senior Fellow for Defense and National Security at the Center for a New American Security, explains how Russia and China are developing a range of technologies in an effort to leapfrog the U.S. in the military realm. 

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with David Ignatius, award-winning foreign affairs columnist for the Washington Post and best-selling author of more than ten spy novels. Morell and Ignatius discuss the mechanics of national security journalism and Ignatius’ experience reporting from the Middle East. They discuss the current leadership and dynamics of Iran, Saudi Arabia and Israel and Palestine. They also discuss Ignatius’ success as a writer of spy fiction, including his forthcoming novel, The Paladin. 

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Judd Devermont, director of the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a former senior analyst in the intelligence community. Devermont discusses areas of instability on the continent and the areas where the U.S. has an opportunity to pursue national interests. He reviews areas of progress and setbacks in governance and security, and explains why he believes there has been a ‘democratization of leadership’ in Africa. Devermont also reviews Chinese and Russian investments and operations on the continent, and explains why they each have significant long-term implications for U.S. security. 

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Ben Buchanan, Assistant Teaching Professor at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service and Senior Fellow at the University’s Center for Security Studies. Morell and Buchanan discuss the intersection of technology and statecraft, focusing on the potential effect artificial intelligence-driven technologies may have on the geopolitical dynamics among nations. Buchanan reviews some of the central questions surrounding AI, including how autocratic governments and democratic governments may leverage it and how offensive cyber operations may come to rely on it. Buchanan also shares elements of his forthcoming book, The Hacker and the State.

In this bonus episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell interviews former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence Sue Gordon at the Michael V. Hayden Center for Intelligence, Policy And International Security at George Mason University’s Schar School Of Policy And Government. Morell and Gordon discuss the importance and evolution of the craft of intelligence, the effect of technological change, and the need to make unclassified intelligence available to a broader customer base. Gordon discusses her time in government – spanning seven presidencies – and the circumstances of her departure from the role of PDDNI last year. 

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with author and journalist Robert Worth, who conducted a rare interview with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed, for a profile featured in the New York Times Magazine. Worth, who previously worked as the New York Times’ Beirut bureau chief, explains the internal politics of and regional dynamics surrounding the United Arab Emirates, and explains why M.B.Z. is among the most powerful Arab leaders today. He also shares unpublished anecdotes from his reporting. 

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Evelyn Farkas, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, Eurasia during the Obama administration and current Democratic candidate for New York’s 17th Congressional District. Morell and Farkas discuss the recent surge in congressional candidates with backgrounds in national security and the rigors of pursuing elective office. Farkas shares her views on the Trump administration’s strategies vis a vis Iran, Russia and China. She also weighs in on ongoing election security threats and the security risks posed by climate change. 

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with two former top White House officials – Stephen Hadley, National Security Advisor to President George W. Bush, and Tom Donilon, National Security Advisor to President Barack Obama – on the top national security and foreign policy threats likely to be faced by the next commander in chief. Donilon, Hadley and Morell discuss the U.S. strategy to engage with China from a diplomatic, economic, technological and military perspective. They exchange views on the way forward in nuclear talks with North Korea. They also evaluate options for dealing with Iran in the aftermath of the U.S. strike on Gen. Qassem Soleimani. Donilon and Hadley stress the need for better communication and civic engagement among U.S. constituencies. 

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Shelby Pierson, a career intelligence official recently named the Intelligence Community Election Threats Executive within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Pierson details past, present and future election security threats facing the United States, and explains how the intelligence community has partnered with other government agencies to boost visibility into foreign interference efforts. She explains how the threat landscape has broadened since 2016, and tells Morell what new vectors foreign adversaries may consider using in 2020. Pierson also offers new insights into Russia’s systematic efforts to interfere in the 2016 and 2018 midterm elections. This is the latest installment of a continuing series on "Leadership of the IC," featuring currently-serving senior leadership within the U.S. intelligence community.  

In this episode of Intelligence Matters, host Michael Morell speaks with Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, about the agency's analytic and collection missions, its role within the broader intelligence community, and its top areas of focus today. Ashley and Morell discuss the growing number of contested domains and numerous technological challenges with which the U.S. military is actively grappling. They also review near and long-term challenges from Russia, China, ISIS and Iran, including the aftermath of the Trump administration’s strike on Iranian general Qassem Soleimani.