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More than 120 CIA documents related to 9/11, Osama bin Laden, and U.S. counterterrorism operations have been declassified and released to the National Security Archive (NSA). The NSA said the documents were released as a result of “a series of FOIA requests by National Security Archive staff based on a painstaking review of references in the 9/11 Commission Report.”

Read the full story via the trajectory magazine website, the new home of the got geoint? blog.

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As we all know, the Central Intelligence Agency’s primary mission is to collect, evaluate, and disseminate foreign intelligence to assist the President and senior US Government policymakers in making decisions relating to national security. To accomplish its mission, the CIA engages in a wide range of research and development for collection, analysis, and security purposes. Knowing exactly what the technology focus areas are for the CIA is very valuable to any member of the community — especially for those development cutting-edge solutions for the agency. From signals processing to biotechnology to trusted computing, there is a wide-range of technologies that will help the CIA better achieve its mission. And, you can actually view this entire list in this PDF document from the CIA. We hope you find this information beneficial. Happy Thursday.

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Welcome to a wet and rainy Friday. For those who live in Seattle, this is pretty normal, but for us folks on the East Coast we are drowning in a sea of rain water and frankly it’s starting to freak us out. “Noah, where’s the ark?” is one of the most common Facebook updates happening right now. So, what better thing to do on a rainy day than read a book. That is right, the got geoint? editorial staff not only prides itself on tapping into all things cool about GEOINT, we also occasionally like to take a load off, fire up the tea kettle and read a good book. What kind of stuff do we read? Well, you guessed it…geography- and IC-related books (yes, we are GEOINT nerds). Though we do want to read the new Jonathan Franzen book. And oh, watch out…Snooki is writing a book (no joke.) Check out our latest installment of cool reads in this post. Happy Friday!

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The CIA is working with Wright State University Research Institute and about a dozen other groups to develop a cutting-edge technology to identify potential terrorists and other suspects. What is this technology? It is the nation’s first bone-scanning identification system. Much like how finger prints are completely unique, so too are human’s skeletal structures (learn something new every day). Each person’s skeletal structure can be identified with X-rays by measuring bones, the distance between them and bone density. Existing identification systems like fingerprints and facial recognition software can be tricked, say researchers tasked with developing the new technology. What will they think of next? Read more in this Dayton Daily News article.

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Welcome to the Monday Morning News Kick Off post from got geoint? As always, we hope everyone had a restful weekend, and yes, it was hot. So now is the time to cool yourself off with some actionable news to jump start your week. Leon Panetta warns of Iran’s threat, Pelosi is creating a potential block to General Clapper being nominated and much more. So, as we always say, fire up that second cup of coffee and read on. Happy Monday!

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Welcome to the Monday Morning News Kick Off post from got geoint? As always, we hope you had plenty of time to recharge the batteries over the weekend. Who are we kidding. It’s never enough time for a full recharge. Either way, it is Monday and it’s time to dive into all the actionable news you need to get your week started on the right foot. This week, we have a number of key stories including news of Russia launching a spy satellite, the announcement of the retirement of CIA Deputy Director Stephen Kappes and the latest on defense contracting reform. As we always say, fire up that second cup of coffee and read on.

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Ever wonder what happened to intelligence reform after the formation of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence five years ago? Wasn’t that one of the core tenets of the ODNI to drive this reform? Well, Patrick C. Neary, Principal Deputy Director and Chief Strategist for ODNI, recently wrote in the Studies in Intelligence that the idea that the ODNI could drive reform was “flawed.” According to Walter Pincus of the Washington Post, no one with Neary’s background and experience has laid out so clearly the failures of ODNI. What are these failures? According to Neary, no clear chain of command for the CIA Director to report to the ODNI, logistical challenges for the location of the ODNI, changes in leadership, lack of cooperation between agencies, and the marginalization of the National Intelligence University. Given all of this, Neary points out that intelligence reform should not be an issue, since we are safer as a nation – due to the doubling of spending on intelligence over the past eight years? Read Pincus’ article here.

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Welcome once again to the Monday Morning News Kick Off post from got geoint? We hope everyone in the mid-Atlantic region was able to enjoy their hibernation brought on by the massive snow storm that hit this past weekend. Many of you may actually be working from home today because of road conditions. Either way, we hope you are maximizing your WiFi connections and have time to check out this week’s MMNKO post. This week, we have a mixture of stories to share: from extended coverage of last week’s Select Committee on Intelligence hearing to news of Apple rejecting any applications using GPS for location-aware ads and more. Fire up that second cup of coffee and read on!

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Earlier this month, the CIA received extensive press coverage for sharing satellite imagery with climate scientists. As a result of this news, there has been a minor debate to how much of a threat the Arctic is to the U.S. Fox News commentators scoffed at the CIA, accusing it of “spying on icebergs instead of terrorists” and therefore failing to “keep Americans safe.” But CIA Director Leon Panetta, retired military generals and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton all disagree with this assessment. Here’s what Panetta had to say: “With the melting of the ice, with sea lanes opening that were never there before … with five countries ringing the Arctic … With Russia saying that they are going to have an expedition next year to plant their flag on the North Pole. With Canada saying, ‘No, you’d better not.’ This is an area that we have to pay real attention to.” What do you all think? Does the Arctic region pose a threat to our nation?

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Welcome to our weekly “Monday Morning News Kick Off” post exclusively on got geoint? As always, we hope everyone had a restful weekend and is re-charged and ready to take on the world. Today, there are plenty of actionable news and things happening in the defense and intelligence arena that make what we do so important. As we always say, fire up that second cup of coffee and read on! Happy Monday.

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