CTEC Director and Middlebury Institute Professor Jason Blazakis penned an article for The Hill titled "Coronavirus social distancing presents special challenges to spies"
CTEC Director and Middlebury Institute Professor Jason Blazakis recently penned an article for The Hill on the challenges faced by human intelligence (HUMINT) efforts in the world of COVID-19.
Professor Blazakis detailed the numerous ways in which standard HUMINT operations are thwarted by social distancing protocols and COVID-19 transmission risks, and explored ways in which AI could help supplement such efforts.
In discussing such options, he emphasized the following:
“Those less sanguine about the future of human intelligence during times of pandemics may appropriately point to technical intelligence methods as indispensable to preserving national security. No doubt, signals intelligence (SIGINT) and imagery intelligence (IMINT) are being leaned upon by policymakers to satisfy their intelligence requirements during this pandemic. But there always will be a need for well-placed human sources within governments or terrorist groups for intelligence that cannot be gathered otherwise.”
For the full article, click here: