Intelligence Analyst Shortage: AACC Keys in on New Program Options

By Mark R. Smith

July 2006



Anne Arundel Community College (AACC) made news last summer when its administration introduced a new homeland security major, which is set for a fall debut.

But before the first book can be cracked, the new major is being accentuated by a program to train intelligence analysts and fill a need in the defense industry that requires immediate attention.

By establishing the program, AACC and the local government and business communities have taken action to reverse the trend of analysts retiring from the Department of Defense in droves - with no young, skilled workers to replace them and search for threats to our national security.



The Minds Meet

The meetings between AACC President Martha Smith and representatives from the Chesapeake Innovation Center (CIC) in Annapolis that resulted in the new homeland security major also served to spark the idea for the intelligence analyst program.

A notable event occurred when Smith met with Jeffrey Gerald, the CEO of CIC member Comprehensive Intelligence Technology Training (CINTT). The discussion arose about how thousands of analysts were retiring from NSA, yet no fresh talent is rising through the ranks to replace them.

That fact, combined with the explosion of thousands of new jobs and residents that are anticipated to swarm Fort Meade and the vicinity due to the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) planned during the next several years meant that it was time to act.

Not only has NSA made it clear to AACC that they have a need for workers in this area, but CINTT had already developed a program that was up and running, "which worked for us," said Kathleen Happ, dean of the School of Business, Computing & Technical Studies at AACC. "It was ready for the public, accessible and affordable."

Happ said that AACC is hoping to enroll about 10 students during the first year of the analyst's program, but would "gradually expand the pipeline during the next three to four years to accommodate up to 100 students per annual cycle.

"We are paying CINTT for their services and have figured out the break-even financial point for each course as we begin offering the program," Happ said. While the program will ultimately consist of five classes, the fall schedule will include just one three-credit course, "Intelligence and U.S. National Security," which will examine the historical development of intelligence supporting U.S., foreign and national security policy.

"This course will be fascinating, because it will examine the development of U.S. security forces from as far back as the American Revolution up to the founding of NSA and, a few decades later, the Department of Homeland Security," she said.



Right on Time

As it happened, the timing of Smith's visit to the CIC was timely, indeed.

CINTT had been reaching out to various colleges and universities "but wanted to be in the Annapolis area. In addition, AACC has a relationship with NSA," said Steven Fowler, director of university programs with CINTT. "So it made sense from a strategic standpoint to deal with them."

Fowler remarked that intelligence analysis has "never been rooted at colleges and universities. It's always been considered like a trade craft that was only learned on the job."

But the stage is set for that to change. As a result of the 9/11 Commission Report, the spotlight has focused on the failures of intelligence community, "specifically in intelligence analysis," he said. "We feel we can teach this discipline and create new methods and processes."

The way it is being taught today is a melding of the training methodologies and traditional educational approaches. "Typically, colleges have taught students about the mores of certain countries and their languages. What is different is that they will soon learn basic analytics and problem solving and test their hypotheses," Fowler said.



Industry Backing

Fowler feels criticism in the intelligence community has often been based on a lack of such an approach, as analysts rely on their experiences rather than a methodical approach to analysis, which he called "part art and part science.

"Experience, intuition, imagination are an important mix," he said. "If we have an intelligence failure, it's because we don't see changes occurring when all we consider is what has happened in the past," instead of adding new factors to each equation.

Predictably, the area tech community is pleased with this new development. "We are very excited about the new program and it is just another example of how responsive and in tune AACC is to the need for homeland security workforce training," said Laura Neuman, interim executive director of the CIC. "We think they are on the cutting edge of innovative curriculum development and training and we are very excited about our relationship," Neuman said.

The feeling was echoed by Andy Moser, president of the Anne Arundel Workforce Development Corp.

"AACC has really done a great job with being responsive to the local business community," Moser said. "They don't react to events; they're innovative and proactive with NSA, the defense contractors and Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA)," which is the new high tech spy agency that is moving to Fort Meade during the BRAC process."

Hopefully, he said, such action will help combat the malaise that is harboring through different industries in our society.

"It can be used for students who want to enter the homeland security field as an analyst," Moser said, "as well as professionals in the field who want additional training."