Story and Photos by Annika Moody, ODNI Office of Strategic Communications
The annual GEOINT Symposium brought together the largest gathering of geospatial intelligence, or GEOINT, professionals in the country focusing on this year’s programming centered on the theme of “GEOINT: The Foundation of Intelligence.”
Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence Dr. Stacey Dixon delivered keynote remarks to a full house on April 26.
Dixon spoke about the “fusion of INTs,” or intelligence collection disciplines and the importance of collaboration between the public and private sectors to take GEOINT and Intelligence Community capabilities to the next level.
“By bringing together capabilities that give us a more complete picture faster, you enhance our ability to do our job better, so our customers can do theirs, and keep our country safe, while upholding the democratic principles [on] which our nation and other free societies were built,” said Dixon. “That’s why GEOINT is, and always will be, at the Foundation of Intelligence.”
During her keynote address, Dixon said that Office of the Director of National Intelligence was created 17 years ago to encourage collaboration and reduce the hoarding of information. This year’s GEOINT symposium paid homage to that effort.
“In those 17 years these barriers have fallen. There is greater information sharing than ever before within the IC, and we are continuing to seek ways to work even better together,” said Dixon.
Other GEOINT 2022 Symposium keynotes included top Intelligence Community leaders: ODNI’s National Counterterrorism Center Director Christy Abizaid, Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security Ronald Moultrie, National Security Agency Director Gen. Paul Nakasone, and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Director Vice Adm. Robert Sharp.
Abizaid’s keynote addressed how NCTC leverages GEOINT to reinforce efforts to integrate the nation’s counterterrorism activities and the importance of partnerships and commercially-available and open-source geospatial information.
“Throughout our counterterrorism campaign – a campaign that has protected the United States from another 9/11 style attack – GEOINT has been a critical enabler of the counterterrorism enterprise’s success,” said Abizaid.
The foundation of GEOINT theme implies turning situational intelligence into situational awareness. Situational awareness doesn’t just lie with intelligence, but to creating a diverse and robust workforce.
During the trip, Dixon attended a diversity breakfast with other IC, industry and military leaders to promote efforts to advance diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility – while also visiting local students and IC mission partners.
She visited and met with students and faculty at Colorado’s School of Mines where she was able to sit in on a course and answer questions about the ODNI’s mission and innovation and STEM opportunities in the IC. The school has been preparing science, technology, engineering and mathematics graduates since 1874.
While in Denver, Dixon also toured the Aerospace Data Facility – Colorado and received briefings on different National Reconnaissance Office and NGA operations and missions.