Texas Intelligence Academy – A New May-Term Offering
News | July 14, 2026
In May 2026, the Clements-Strauss Intelligence Studies Project offered the 7th Texas Intelligence Academy (TIA) in the nation’s capital as an official university May Term—an intensive, for-credit course. Students participated in lectures, simulations, briefing exercises, and discussions with current and former professionals on intelligence and national security—to include collection, analysis, covert action, intelligence oversight, cybersecurity, and intelligence support to policymakers and military operations.
TIA students also visited the Pentagon’s J-2 staff, the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR), and the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.
TIA students took part in the first ever “Spy Staff Ride,” exploring the role of intelligence in the American Revolution through visits to Monticello, Colonial Williamsburg, the American Revolution Museum, and Yorktown. A second staff ride took them to the Gettysburg National Military Park, where they examined how intelligence, leadership, and character contributed to the Union’s victory in the American Civil War. A visit to the National Museum of the Marine Corps extended the theme into the 20th and 21st centuries.
*The TIA 2026 program was made possible through the generous support of Admiral (Ret.) Bobby Inman, the Clements Center for National Security, and the Strauss Center for International Security and Law.
For more photographs, click HERE.
“TIA was a truly transformative experience for me…TIA granted us the opportunity to meet with various experts in the intelligence community. Hearing about their experiences, successes, and failures helped me gain a better grasp of the Intelligence Community’s responsibilities. This, combined with the diverse opinions among my peers, led to deeper conversation and reflection…”
– John F. (TIA 2026)