by Sam Culper
One great thing about you learning intelligence through the Culper Institute is that we can now start doing practical exercises via the web. The common denominator of all students is that they’ll all have at least the same basic understanding of the intelligence process. This standardized training and understanding of intelligence means that we can all move forward and start tackling intelligence projects because everyone will be on the same page.
Enter the online Analysis & Control Element (ACE), or the Virtual ACE. Earlier this year during Poseidon Compass, we did a trial run of the Virtual ACE and identified some things that worked and some that didn’t. We’ve worked out a few kinks, and I think we’re finally ready to start running live, practical exercises.
That means we’re taking volunteers… Now, we’ve done this sort of thing before, had a lot of volunteers and only a few people committed to stick it out. So to volunteer, you must be a graduate of IA 101: Introduction to Intelligence Analysis, which is free to complete. Lesson One is already published, and Lesson Two will be posted shortly. The future desperately needs intelligence collectors and analysts, so please continue to learn.
All ACE team members will be assigned to a cell and given an objective. We can discuss these things on the ACE Forum, run through some structured intelligence techniques, and eventually publish a finished intelligence product. Maybe we can get some Virtual ACE challenge coins minted and sent out for everyone who sees out the product to the end.
