The “persistent intelligence” panel at GEOINT probably needs some explanation if you are not in the intelligence community. The obvious definition probably works best: it’s “constant” acquisition of human, signal, geospatial, or measurement data. The geospatial intelligence-gathering component often involves image acquisition and most recently is the availability of full-motion video in real-time.
Various members of the intelligence and military branches comprised the panel and each stressed the needed for “MULTI-INT” or the integration of all forms of intelligence. With this capability of course involves coordination of data acquisition and getting “buy-in” to share the intelligence. However, this panel appeared to be on the same page in saying that over the past year, there has been much improvement in working together in sharing resources. “I’ve seen a lot of progress in the last year. I’ve seen a change in the way we work as a community. We’re becoming more effective at working together,” said Mary Irvin, Director of Source Operations for the NGA. In addition, the panel said they are making sure that training new intelligence officers involve a much better understanding of how each form of intelligence contributes to analyzing the full picture of the threat. Chief Warrant Officer 4 Tom Dostie of the US Army Intelligence Center at Fort Huachuca stressed that “we’re creating a brand new career field in intelligence. Forty days after graduating, they are in the battlefield.”
What will change given all of this available data? Will it help the warfighter? The change will come from a better common operating picture of the battlefield. “If you are not following [what’s going on in] the battlefield, you are of no value,” said Dostie.
