This is a "behind the scenes" interview with Geoffrey Fowler, the creator and first editor of the CIA's World Intelligence Review (WIRe). Geoff sat for the "From Tragedy to Transformation" interview series nearly a year ago. His contributions were instrumental to telling the Analytic Transformation story. However, his career experiences stood on their own and we felt deserved the full Unredacted treatment. In this episode, Geoff tells us about how his career changed after the attacks on September 11th, his time in the White House assisting with the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, and why he was eventually tapped to create the WIRe. Geoff gives an incredibly candid recounting of the agency's fractured intelligence production posture and the reforms he instituted to raise the quality of CIA's customer service. Along the way, he shares some leadership lessons and insights on what you need to do to make sure your initiatives survive contact with bureaucracy.

Music by Gramatik from the album #Digitalfreedom

If you have a question or a suggestion for a future episode, please email us at: questions@unredactedpodcast.com

Thank you to Dragon Forge Consulting for sponsoring this episode!

Brian Drake invites you to attend a special live recording of The Unredacted Podcast on 6 October. The Unredacted Podcast has partnered with AFCEA and Carahsoft to record a live event to cap-off the conversation. The primary question we are asking is, "Did it matter?" After all the change was installed, did we see a change in the Intelligence Community? Did those changes contribute to an improvement in how the community does business? Can we point to tangible mission successes from these programs?

The event is free and we will have refreshments. Space is limited, so get your tickets now!

REGISTER HERE: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/live-recording-of-from-tragedy-to-transformation-tickets-2000606850946

After many long-fought battles, the Analytic Transformation Program is closed. This week, we summarize the achievements of the program. You will hear from folks who ran the most and least successful programs in the portfolio and how they think about their time in Analytic Transformation.

If you have a question or a suggestion for a future episode, please email us at: questions@unredactedpodcast.com

The Unredacted Podcast is a production of Dragon Forge Consulting. With the exception of the content provided under license or with the permission of the creator, all content, including but not limited to, audio recordings, transcripts, show notes, graphics, and any associated materials of The Unredacted Podcast are the exclusive property of DRAGON FORGE and are protected by United States and international copyright laws. DRAGON FORGE is the sole and exclusive owner of all rights, title, and interest in and to this Intellectual Property.

While Dr. Fingar has written several books on the topic, we ask our interviewees to share their lessons from this time of tremendous change. We talk about everything from leadership lessons, to how to assemble a highly effective team, the promise and perils of technology, and how to affect change under the worst of conditions. All of these gems of knowledge have been assembled here for current and future national security leaders.

If you have a question or a suggestion for a future episode, please email us at: questions@unredactedpodcast.com

The Unredacted Podcast is a production of Dragon Forge Consulting. With the exception of the content provided under license or with the permission of the creator, all content, including but not limited to, audio recordings, transcripts, show notes, graphics, and any associated materials of The Unredacted Podcast are the exclusive property of DRAGON FORGE and are protected by United States and international copyright laws. DRAGON FORGE is the sole and exclusive owner of all rights, title, and interest in and to this Intellectual Property.

Copyrighted music licensed from Lickd. https://lickd.co

Feel by Skarlett Riot, https://t.lickd.co/l/MJBy1WaaBmn

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 Lowenthal, the very basic suppositions of the Analytic Transformation program are challenged. In this episode we hear from these voices as they look back over 20 years. Will their perspectives have changed?

If you have a question or a suggestion for a future episode, please email us at: questions@unredactedpodcast.com

The Unredacted Podcast is a production of Dragon Forge Consulting. With the exception of the content provided under license or with the permission of the creator, all content, including but not limited to, audio recordings, transcripts, show notes, graphics, and any associated materials of The Unredacted Podcast are the exclusive property of DRAGON FORGE and are protected by United States and international copyright laws. DRAGON FORGE is the sole and exclusive owner of all rights, title, and interest in and to this Intellectual Property.

Copyrighted music licensed from Lickd. https://lickd.co Sweet Home Chicago by Steve Goodman, https://t.lickd.co/l/pBJo5kOyVej

We give our interviewees some time and space to talk about the challenges they foresee in intelligence. What are the most pressing problems? How can we think about solutions? How will technologies like artificial intelligence change the intelligence business? Is there a future for open source intelligence? Are there opportunities to affect change for the better? What will it take?

If you have a question or a suggestion for a future episode, please email us at: questions@unredactedpodcast.com

The Unredacted Podcast is a production of Dragon Forge Consulting. With the exception of the content provided under license or with the permission of the creator, all content, including but not limited to, audio recordings, transcripts, show notes, graphics, and any associated materials of The Unredacted Podcast are the exclusive property of DRAGON FORGE and are protected by United States and international copyright laws. DRAGON FORGE is the sole and exclusive owner of all rights, title, and interest in and to this Intellectual Property.

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 of interest. In this episode, we hear from some of the most popular bloggers in the IC giving a graduate-level course on how to respectfully undermine authority and make change happen.

If you have a question or a suggestion for a future episode, please email us at: questions@unredactedpodcast.com

The Unredacted Podcast is a production of Dragon Forge Consulting. With the exception of the content provided under license or with the permission of the creator, all content, including but not limited to, audio recordings, transcripts, show notes, graphics, and any associated materials of The Unredacted Podcast are the exclusive property of DRAGON FORGE and are protected by United States and international copyright laws. DRAGON FORGE is the sole and exclusive owner of all rights, title, and interest in and to this Intellectual Property.

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 gain an appreciation for what the Analytic Transformation team was trying to accomplish and assess its success. Or at least, hear about whether President George W. Bush thought if it was a success.

If you have a question or a suggestion for a future episode, please email us at: questions@unredactedpodcast.com

The Unredacted Podcast is a production of Dragon Forge Consulting. With the exception of the content provided under license or with the permission of the creator, all content, including but not limited to, audio recordings, transcripts, show notes, graphics, and any associated materials of The Unredacted Podcast are the exclusive property of DRAGON FORGE and are protected by United States and international copyright laws. DRAGON FORGE is the sole and exclusive owner of all rights, title, and interest in and to this Intellectual Property.