5th Texas Intelligence Academy Wraps Up in Washington, D.C.
News | June 24, 2024
The Strauss-Clements Intelligence Studies Project hosted the fifth Texas Intelligence Academy (TIA) from May 12 to 21, 2024 in the National Capital Area. The TIA 2024 cohort comprised 15 UT-Austin undergraduate students. Students participated in lectures, exercises, and discussions with current and former professionals on intelligence collection, analysis, espionage, geospatial intelligence, measurement and signature intelligence, signals intelligence, covert action, counterterrorism, intelligence reform, and intel-policymaker relations.
The TIA program included multiple site visits starting with a visit to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of Intelligence and Analysis. The students met with Kenneth Wainstein, DHS’s Undersecretary for Intelligence and Analysis, Steven Cash, the Acting Executive Director of the Intelligence Enterprise Program Office, and a panel of DHS intelligence officers to discuss public services and the DHS domestic security mission.
The students visited the Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) Headquarters to meet with the CIA’s Associate Deputy Director for Talent & Learning, Associate Deputy Director for Digital Innovation, and a panel of UT alumni now serving at the Agency. They also participated in a guided CIA museum tour and an analytical simulation exercise.
The U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) hosted the TIA for a visit at Main State where they met with Brett Holmgren, Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research, and INR professionals for a discussion on the INR intelligence mission.
“The Texas Intelligence Academy is the gold standard for intelligence programs.“
– Assistant Secretary Brett Holmgren
At the U.S. Capitol, Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), along with staff members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, engaged the students in a discussion of oversight by the U.S. Congress and democratic accountability for the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC).
The TIA cohort was escorted on a (soggy!) day-long “staff ride” to the Gettysburg National Military Park where they learned how intelligence, leadership, and character contributed to battlefield success for the Union in the American Civil War. The TIA 2024 alumni joined their UT predecessors in developing a full and authoritative view of the role played by US Intelligence in defending the Nation, and an informed appreciation for public service.
“The TIA trip was an enlightening experience to say the least, opening my eyes to the importance of public service, the diversity of career paths within the IC, and the evolving goals of national security.“
– Kirti Moteka (TIA 2024)
*The TIA 2024 program was made possible through the generous support of Admiral (Ret.) Bobby Inman, the Strauss Center for International Security and Law, and the Clements Center for National Security.
Learn more about TIA by viewing the TIA 2024 schedule and course syllabus. For more photographs, click HERE.