Events

Corporate executives are now ranking geopolitical uncertainty as one of their top risks, reflecting a significant shift in corporate priorities and awareness of political risks in the corporate world. Behind the scenes, these corporations leverage intelligence teams to understand security and geopolitical threat conditions and mitigate risk. Join us on April 10 for an Intelligence Project seminar with Lewis Sage-Passant as he presents cutting-edge research into the little-known history of private sector intelligence and his practitioner view of corporate intelligence today. This seminar will examine the evolution of intelligence beyond government and consider the ethical parameters of employing intelligence in the corporate world.

This seminar will take place on Wednesday, April 10th from 1:30 to 2:45PM in the Fainsod Room and will be moderated by Intelligence Project Manager Maria Robson-Morrow. This seminar is in person only and is open to the first 40 registered Harvard ID holders. Light refreshments will be served and the seminar will be under the Chatham House Rules.

Please note this event is now at capacity. Thank you for your interest in our event. 

In 2022, an Iranian cyberattack took out critical public services across Albania. In an unprecedented response facilitated by rapid cooperation with the US Government and the private sector, the Albanian Prime Minister severed diplomatic ties with Iran, while working closely with Microsoft to restore services. In the seminar, you will hear from Microsoft's Cybersecurity expert Kozeta Garrett about the impact of these attacks on critical infrastructure and the work that went into restoring digital services, investigating adversary activity, and sharing information across the world. The Albania case study tells a broader story about how private firms and governments can cooperate, integrating technical investigations and changing approaches to geopolitical risks to address cyber threats of the future.

This seminar is co-sponsored by the Intelligence Project and Women in Defense, Diplomacy, and Development (W3D). It will take place on Wednesday, April 3rd from 1:30 to 2:45PM in the Fainsod Room and will be moderated by Intelligence Project Manager Maria Robson-Morrow. This seminar is in person only and is open to the first 40 registered Harvard ID holders. Light refreshments will be served and the seminar will be under the Chatham House Rules.

Join the Intelligence Project for a discussion with Senior Fellow Ellen McCarthy, CEO of the Trust in Media Cooperative, on artificial intelligence (AI) and information quality.  In today's evolving information environment, information integrity is critical for individuals, organizations, and governments to make sound decisions. However, the speed and volume of unreliable, opaque, or misleading content overwhelms how we consume and discern quality information. This challenge is further compounded by the potential misuse and exploitation of generative AI. For instance, misleading content about political participation, one of the most important decisions we make, has gravely undermined public trust in the political process and institutions. Moreover, foreign actors have increasingly attempted to manipulate public discourse with synthetic accounts and content at scale, further threatening the integrity and security of the political process.

This seminar will take place in person under the Chatham House Rule. It is open to Harvard ID holders only and registration is required.

Join the Intelligence Project for a discussion on a geopolitical tour de force with a focus on the cross straits dynamic courtesy of recently retired Rear Admiral Mike Studeman. Admiral Studeman had a storied career in the US Navy, culminating with his 2022 assignment as the Commander of Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI). He is a distinguished graduate of the Naval Postgraduate School, an honors graduate in Mandarin Chinese from the Defense Language Institute, and a distinguished graduate of the National War College. 

This seminar will take place on Wednesday, February 21st from 1:30 to 2:45PM in the Fainsod Room. This seminar is in person only, open to the first 35 people to register, and is open to Harvard ID holders. Light refreshments will be served and will be under the Chatham House Rules.

Join the Intelligence Project on Thursday, February 15 for a lunchtime discussion with former Belfer Fellows and national security experts Karly Winkler and Guido Torres. Karly Winkler is a national security expert in Australia and the author of: “It Takes a Village to Regulate AI,” a recently-published report from the Australian Strategy Policy Institute. Guido Torres is a US national security expert, a fellow at the Atlantic Council, and the COO of the Irregular Warfare Initiative. In this session, they will address: challenges for intelligence today, collaboration needs for success in the current threat environment, and how the national security and intelligence communities can and should be thinking about big data and emerging technology, with a particular focus on artificial intelligence.

This seminar is in person only and is open to Harvard ID holders. The conversation will be under the Chatham House Rule. Light refreshments will be served and registration is required. 

Please note that registration is now closed! Thank you for your interest in our event. 

Join the Intelligence Project for a conversation with Chris Miller, Associate Professor of International History at the Fletcher School with expert focuses on technology, geopolitics, economics, international affairs, and Russia, as he gives an insight into his recent book, Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology. In this book, Miller explains the semiconductor's evolution into a critical player in modern life, detailing the U.S. dominance in chip design, manufacturing, and its application to military systems.

This seminar is in person only and is open to Harvard ID holders. The conversation will be on the record and light refreshments will be provided. 

Please note that this has been moved to Nye B to accommodate the high registration numbers. Registration is at capacity and now closed. Thank you for your interest in this event.

Foreign language continues to serve as an essential tool for professionals in the national security space. Building and sustaining a robust workforce able to engage with partners and competitors is critical for the United States and its allies. Attaining sufficient language capabilities across the U.S. government workforce remains not only an aspirational objective, but one central to a well-functioning national security system. Whether a diplomat posted overseas, an intelligence analyst trying to understand a turn of phrase in comments by a national leader, or a defense attaché conversing with partner militaries, language is the connectivity that allows individuals and organizations to communicate and avoid misunderstandings.

Experience and training in foreign languages are as diverse as the alphabets and accents used in practice. Finding a consistent approach to developing language capabilities at scale is as important today as it has ever been. Properly resourcing training programs, building robust curriculums, and empowering individuals throughout all career stages are just a few of the ideas shaping the conversation. Although progress has varied throughout the last two decades, there remains a constant theme throughout the American experience. Whether native speakers or trained professionals, languages open doors of opportunity and help better understand nuances within societies around the world. Are we doing enough to ensure the language capability we need for national security?

Please join the Intelligence Project of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs for a virtual roundtable discussion on the role of language in national security. Moderated by Intelligence Project Director Mark Pascale, the panel will explore a range of subtopics related to language and the role it plays within diplomacy, intelligence, and the military.

Join the Intelligence Project for a conversation with Mike Vickers, an American defense official who served as the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence as he gives a rare insight into his experience working in intelligence and special operations from his newly published memoir, By All Means Available: Memoirs of a Life in Intelligence, Special Operations, and Strategy.

This seminar is in person only and is open to Harvard ID holders. The conversation will be on the record and will be moderated by Intelligence Project Director Mark Pascale. Refreshments will be served. Registration is required and will be open to the first 48 to register. 

Join the Intelligence Project for a conversation with recently retired Rear Admiral Philip Yu, an expert of strategy, plans and policy, on the topic of great power competition. As a former senior official from the Department of Defense,he offers an insightful, experienced perspective for managing relations with key players in China and Russia.

This seminar is in person only and is open to Harvard ID holders. The conversation will be under the Chatham House Rule and will be moderated by Intelligence Project Director Mark Pascale. Refreshments will be served. Registration is required and will be open to the first 48 to register. 

Join the Intelligence Project as David Priess gives a rare window into America's most unique contribution to the practice of intelligence: the production and delivery of the most exclusive daily newspaper in the world, the President’s Daily Brief.

Telling tales from his own time at CIA and the experiences of the former Presidents, Vice Presidents, CIA Directors, and other senior policymakers that he worked with or has interviewed, Priess will bring more than 60 years of history-changing analysis alive by describing how the CIA (and, more recently, the ODNI) has tailored delivery of its daily intelligence report to each President’s personal style and preferences. The best and the worst of White House-intelligence interactions illuminate enduring best practices for intelligence officers trying to learn and effectively meet senior policymakers' needs.

This seminar is in person only and is open to Harvard students, fellows, faculty, and staff. The conversation will be on the record and will be moderated by Intelligence Project Assistant Director Calder Walton. Refreshments will be served. Registration is required and will be open to the first 30 to register. 

Please note that the event has hit capacity and registration is now closed.