Q&A: Lieutenant General Michael D. Maples
INTELLIGENCE AGENT:
Strengthening Defense Intelligence
Support to Customers at All Levels
Interview with
Lieutenant General Michael D. Maples
Director, Defense Intelligence Agency
Strengthening Defense Intelligence
Support to Customers at All Levels
Interview with
Lieutenant General Michael D. Maples
Director, Defense Intelligence Agency
Lieutenant General Michael D. Maples became director of the Defense Intelligence Agency in November 2005. The Defense Intelligence Agency is a 12,000-person combat support agency with personnel deployed to more than 130 countries worldwide. Maples also commands the Joint Functional Component Command for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance for the United States Strategic Command. Prior to assuming his present duties, he served as the vice director and director of management of the Joint Staff.
Maples’ command assignments include: commanding general of the Army Field Artillery Center and Fort Sill, Okla., and chief of field artillery for the Army; assistant division commander, 1st Armored Division, Baumholder, Germany; 41st Field Artillery Brigade, Babenhausen, Germany; 6th Battalion, 27th Field Artillery at Fort Sill, Okla., Desert Shield/Desert Storm; and B Battery, 6th Battalion, 37th Field Artillery, 2nd Infantry Division, Republic of Korea. During Desert Storm, his battalion was the only unit in theater capable of firing the Army Tactical Missile System.
Maples was assigned to Headquarters, Department of the Army, as the director of operations, readiness and mobilization, and director of military support in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans. He served as the deputy chief of staff for operations and intelligence, Allied Command Europe Rapid Reaction Corps, and for the Kosovo Force, Operation Joint Guardian. Other previous assignments include assistant chief of staff, G3, V Corps, Heidelberg, Germany, and deputy chief of staff for operations for U.S. Army Europe (FWD), Taszar, Hungary, Operation Joint Endeavor.
Maples was commissioned a second lieutenant of field artillery in 1971 following graduation from the U.S. Military Academy. He holds a master’s degree in organizational behavior from Pacific Lutheran University.
Maples was interviewed by MGT Editor Harrison Donnelly.
Q: How does DIA use GIS and geospatial technology to accomplish its mission?
A: Geospatial analysis and technology have clearly moved into the mainstream of supporting all-source intelligence analysis. As one of three agencies in the intelligence community that produce all-source analysis, DIA takes the input from all collection sources and produces analytic products. Ten years ago, our analytic organization only had about a dozen specialists using geospatial analysis techniques and technologies on a regular basis in support of all-source analysis. Today, with the increased accessibility of data, tools and technology, hundreds of DIA analysts employ these capabilities daily. I have every expectation that this trend will continue to expand across our analytic mission area.
Geospatial technology has also had a profound effect on how DIA disseminates all-source analysis and has significantly enhanced its utility to our customers. It enables our warfighting consumers to interact with the data and analysis in a number of ways depending on their discrete requirements. Geospatially enabled intelligence data can be shared directly with warfighting architectures, quickly integrating the full spectrum of intelligence data—from simple locational data to the spatial results of complex geospatial models—directly into an operational picture supporting planning efforts. Another example is Web-based geospatial viewing tools that allow us to integrate vast amounts of intelligence data and analysis into customized, highly interactive displays that permit end users to best address their specific requirements.
GEOINT products have also revolutionized HUMINT mission planning by helping collectors to digitally walk and understand the terrain before conducting missions, and it helps our HUMINT collectors measure the accuracy and truthfulness of our sources.
Q: How does DIA work with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, National Reconnaissance Office and other intelligence agencies with geospatial and related capabilities?
A: First of all, I feel a very strong partnership with my fellow directors at NGA and NRO—they are terrific to work with and have a real sense of community. At the leadership level and importantly, at every other level in our organizations, we have close collaborative efforts ongoing, and we regularly explore ways that we can make the partnerships even stronger for the benefit of our customers.
We rely on NGA for geospatial data, both imagery and foundational mapping data, as well as geospatial analytic support. NGA provides us more than 160 embedded analysts, who support a wide range of missions. NGA also has an analytic branch dedicated to providing support to DIA‘s military infrastructure analysts. In addition, the two agencies maintain a very successful joint imagery access program, which provides imagery to DIA’s all-source analysts.
NGA-produced mapping data is the foundation for our efforts to geospatially enable our own all-source data and analysis. From a technological perspective, NGA’s support of commercial mapping technology, specifically the Commercial Joint Mapping Toolkit program, provides a common technology base supporting interoperability that allows intelligence agencies like ours to share data easily. In addition, we are working cooperatively with NGA and other community organizations in building architectures that will leverage both all-source and geospatial content, making it easier to share data and improve analysis. Finally, we rely heavily on NGA’s work in establishing data standards. Specifically, NGA’s support, development and adoption of Open Geospatial Consortium standards lead the community. Broad-based adoption of these protocols vastly improves interoperability and data exchange.
NRO likewise is a great partner. DIA works closely with NRO to refine and maximize existing reconnaissance capabilities as well as identify future reconnaissance needs and architectures. DIA has a number of projects we are working with NRO to provide greater service to the warfighter today. This has been particularly important in providing NRO-derived information and products more quickly and directly to all-source and geospatial analysts, and to military forces operating in Iraq and Afghanistan.
We appreciate that the NRO has increased its presence across DoD to ensure that collection managers in the DIOCC and the combatant commands are informed of how to optimize responses from NRO systems. Additionally, DIA, NGA and NRO have recently worked collaboratively to investigate new ways to use current capabilities to address existing collection priorities. This work is ongoing and if successful, will be of benefit to the whole intelligence community.
Q: What do you see as the most valuable GEOINT technology tools at your disposal, and what do you see as the most promising technologies on the horizon?
A: The most valuable geospatial tools and technologies supporting all-source analysis fall into three groups: tools that allow us to geospatially enable our intelligence data, modeling and analysis; tools that allow us to analyze the data; and improved architectures that improve sharing of both data and analytic services and enable the dissemination of our analysis.
I’ve already mentioned the Commercial Joint Mapping Toolkit program. The revolution of GIS technology has allowed all-source analysts to quickly and more accurately process information. Developments in Web-based technology will provide the ability to rapidly analyze and disseminate our intelligence.
Future technologies that appear promising are those that can detect, characterize, and track actions and capabilities that our adversaries seek to conceal or deny. We are engaged with others in the IC to identify, develop and fund advances in basic research and technology that enable this effort. Our focus is on developing or improving technologies that are reduced in size and weight and configurable for varied operational environments and applications.
Q: The Missile and Space Intelligence Center (MSIC) won an award last fall from the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation. Can you tell us about the center’s effective use of GEOINT technology?
A: DIA’s Missile and Space Intelligence Center received the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation Intelligence Achievement Award (Government Division) for developing and deploying a GEOINT-enabled foreign missile test range analysis architecture. MSIC recognizes that GEOINT is a valuable part of the all-source scientific and technical intelligence analysis of missile systems. This new architecture provides an automated means of quickly retrieving, storing, managing and searching vast amounts of GEOINT data, resulting in significant time savings for our analysts. Other intelligence data are also fed into the system, providing an all-source view of missile-related events. This architecture greatly enhances the availability and usability of GEOINT data and results in more all-source analysts leveraging the full potential of GEOINT data. MSIC will continue to enhance this resource by improving the insertion and display of current data sources, incorporating new data sources and creating new products that can be used with other all-source analysis tools.
Q: You are also commander of the Joint Functional Component Command for ISR within STRATCOM. What noteworthy initiatives are underway there to make use of geospatial and other technology?
A: As you may be aware, the functions of JFCC-ISR are integrated into the collaborative construct of the Defense Intelligence Operations Coordination Center (DIOCC) which combines the authorities and capabilities of DIA and STRATCOM. In the DIOCC, we have representatives from the other combat support agencies, including NGA and its geospatial expertise. A primary effort of the DIOCC is to develop innovative multi-INT solutions to difficult ISR problems. Geospatial intelligence is absolutely critical to our ability to focus our collection efforts and to make the most effective use of our limited ISR resources. The DIOCC is incorporating key geospatial products into our global situational awareness displays and sharing these capabilities with the joint intelligence operations centers of the combatant commands. Our knowledge management team is also partnering with NGA experts to assess the effectiveness of the technologies we’re employing and the ways we can improve them.
Q: What future do you see for MASINT and Advanced Geospatial Intelligence (AGI) in military intelligence?
A: I fully expect that the demand for both MASINT and AGI will increase significantly over the next decade. As potential adversaries develop increasingly capable ballistic missiles and directed energy weapons, as we continue to detect and deny the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and as the use of underground facilities to conceal capability expands, we will become increasingly reliant on MASINT and AGI capabilities to detect, understand and provide warning. Likewise in a period of persistent conflict marked by irregular warfare, we will need capabilities that will enable change detection to overcome the denial and deception techniques that our adversaries will increasingly employ in response to their understanding of our conventional reconnaissance capabilities. Those who threaten our security are extremely adaptive and are able to rapidly leverage technology. We need to leverage technology to a greater degree to gain and maintain advantage.
Q: Turning to other intelligence topics, how does your agency fit into the overall intelligence community, and what is its relationship with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence (USDI)?
A: The Defense Intelligence Agency is a full partner in the intelligence community, representing the essential defense component of the National Intelligence Program. We are the only one of the 16 members of the IC whose name begins with “Defense” and that really provides the primary focus of our intelligence efforts, enabled further by the Military Intelligence Program. These programs are managed by the ODNI and the USDI to be complementary in nature and provide DIA with the capabilities needed to meet the demands of a wide range of national and defense customers.
DIA is fortunate to enjoy very positive relationships with the other members of the community and we’re involved in collaborative efforts in multiple disciplines with multiple partners across the community. This is particularly meaningful as we support ongoing counterinsurgency operations.
Similar to the efforts of the DNI to create an integrated and collaborative national community, the Defense Intelligence Agency has been given the challenge to establish an interconnected defense intelligence enterprise that includes the combat support agencies, the combatant commands and the military services. By integrating the efforts of defense intelligence with the rest of the intelligence community and by aligning our systems and processes, we will be better positioned to meet the intelligence needs of the nation.
Q: What is DIA doing to improve information sharing with other military and intelligence agencies?
A: Information sharing is fundamental to our efforts to provide better intelligence to our customers and to leverage the full capabilities of the intelligence community in doing so. DIA is fully involved in IC efforts such as the Integrated Intelligence Architecture and the Single Information Environment.
Within the Department of Defense Intelligence Information System [DoDIIS], ALIEN, the All Source Intelligence Environment, provides the defense intelligence community with an integrated, user-friendly, Web-based environment to enable information sharing.
We are assisting with Web 2.0 products like Analyst Space, or A-Space, and Intellipedia and more efficient organizations like the DIOCC. These solutions give us the ability to rapidly share information across commands and agencies with greater ease and effectiveness. We are also facilitating better information sharing and collaboration by establishing trusts between Windows domains of various DoD and IC entities, thereby allowing access to a wide variety of documents and data via Microsoft SharePoint.
DIA has been instrumental in leading efforts to improve information-sharing capabilities with our Commonwealth partners and to develop IT solutions that support the information sharing with our coalition partners.
Q: How do you see the nature of warfare changing and what are the implications for the intelligence community?
A: I believe that the threat spectrum we face is broader than ever and presents a tremendous challenge to the intelligence community to provide actionable intelligence to the right person, at the right time, for the right purpose. We are fighting an unconventional enemy that operates in the gaps and seams between borders, nations, laws, religions and belief systems. At the same time, we must closely assess the developing capabilities and intentions of potential adversaries to prevent strategic surprise. Complicating the situation is the fact that military units may be conducting combat, stability and support, counterinsurgency and humanitarian operations near simultaneously.
In this environment, we are increasingly conducting intelligence-driven operations. In the find-fix-finish sequence, it is the “find” that comes first—for a reason. We have learned that the application of the multiple disciplines of intelligence simultaneously and continuously is imperative. Information gathered on operations must be rapidly exploited and provided to those who can gain advantage from it.
Q: It was reported that DIA recently solicited bids to support a major outsourcing initiative to work with outside companies. What is the thinking behind that approach, and where do things stand today?
A: The effort was not a new outsourcing initiative, but rather a consolidation of more than 30 existing contracts that supported defense intelligence into a single contract vehicle with multiple contractors. Last December, DIA awarded a contract, Solutions for Intelligence Analysis, which allows greater flexibility to re-align government resources, improve oversight, and be more responsive with potential cost and manpower savings. Contractor personnel bring unique expertise to the work force and enable us to meet the dynamically changing needs of the enterprise in this period of conflict.
Q: Your agency has been described as a leader in government use of Web 2.0 technology. What benefits do you see in these new capabilities?
A: DIA is making extensive use of Web 2.0 technology in the user interfaces we are building under the All Source Intelligence Environment—the ALIEN framework. Examples include the DoDIIS portal, which uses AJAX and Web services to provide the ability to mesh geospatial information with unstructured and structured data, and the newly released Overwatch user interface designed exclusively using Web 2.0 technologies. Overwatch provides a ready capability to consume multiple Web services and data sources along with the ability for the analyst to create a variety of dynamic data presentation compilations including geospatial views, timelines, tables and text. Other applications include the previously mentioned A-Space and Intellipedia as well as blogs and chat rooms. All of these tools make it easier to push and pull information across the intelligence community.
Q: What is ALIEN, and what do you hope to accomplish with that program?
A: ALIEN is an integrated, Web-based environment where analysts, warfighters and decision-makers can rapidly find, access and employ intelligence information of all types and classifications, without needing to know its location or format. The ALIEN framework provides the strategy and resources needed to transition the DoDIIS community to a service-oriented architecture. We are working with our partners to ensure that ALIEN capabilities are compatible with service Distributed Common Ground Stations and NSA’s RT-10 architecture.
Q: What do you see as DIA’s chief accomplishments during your tenure so far?
A: The intelligence produced by DIA’s analysts and collectors have had a major impact on the successes achieved in Iraq, on our ability to understand and defeat terrorist networks in the global war on terror and to maintain our awareness of the developing military capabilities of potential adversaries around the world. Ultimately, the intelligence we produce and the impact that intelligence has in protecting our national security interests is how we have to measure all of our other enabling efforts. The direct relationships we have established by sustained deployments of analysts and collectors have better enabled us to apply the capabilities of the agency where they are most needed.
Recognizing that we will be engaged in coalition warfare for the foreseeable future, we have actively engaged in improving intelligence-sharing arrangements and capabilities with our international partners.
As I mentioned earlier, DIA was given a mission to create a defense intelligence enterprise and I believe we have made significant progress in doing so. The enterprise is multidimensional in nature and covers all of our mission areas.
The Defense Intelligence Analysis Program [DIAP] continues to prioritize the defense analytic effort and has been more closely aligned to the National Intelligence Priorities Framework. Our global information technology programs have been integrated into DoDIIS. We have established a Center for Human Intelligence and Counterintelligence to oversee the defense human intelligence enterprise, establish standards, improve joint training, and more closely align activities with the National Clandestine Service. I have already mentioned the establishment of the Defense Intelligence Operations Coordination Center, which conducts intelligence planning and operations and is closely aligned with the recently established National Intelligence Coordination Center to focus on intelligence priorities, strategies, collection and assessments.
By October of this year we will have transitioned administrative responsibility for analysts at the combatant commands to DIA to facilitate common professional standards, training and career development across the enterprise.
Finally, we’ve made advancements in fostering an environment of collaboration with multi-agency partners, such as the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Coast Guard, and we have formed partnerships with academia and industry representatives to leverage technologies for potential transition to DoD operational systems.
Q: What are your goals for 2008?
A: Our priority remains to provide the intelligence support required by our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and civilians who are engaged in our nation’s conflicts. We are planning for the transitions that we expect in Iraq and Afghanistan and are deeply involved in the synchronization of intelligence support to the global war on terror.
Many of the enterprise initiatives that we have underway will come to full operating capability in 2008 including the DIOCC. Completing the stand up of the Defense HUMINT and Counterintelligence Center will be a major effort for the remainder of the year. At the request of the director of national intelligence, DIA has established a new National MASINT Management Office to provide services of common concern for the IC. This too will be a major focus area.
Q: What do you see as the chief challenges facing DIA in terms of its operational effectiveness?
A: We are heavily engaged in supporting ongoing operations at the same time that we are transforming the defense intelligence community to achieve the integrated approaches that we need to be successful in the 21st century. It is imperative that we be successful at both. DIA is operating as a diverse, multifunctional global enterprise. We must ensure that we have the management programs and processes in place to ensure the success of our employees.
Q: Is there anything else you would like to add?
A: I believe that the IC has made tremendous progress and with the programs currently underway we will achieve greater interoperability in the near term. As we go forward in this time of change and uncertainty—this very critical time for our nation—the work of the GEOINT community is providing the common ground for strengthening the remaining intelligence disciplines. I greatly appreciate their efforts.
Finally, I am continually impressed by the dedication, commitment and sense of service of the men and women who serve in the Defense Intelligence Agency and our partners throughout the IC. Our nation’s citizens should proud of their willingness to deploy alongside our armed forces and to serve in areas of the world that are austere and challenging. Our nation is more secure because of their work. It is an honor to serve with them. ♦
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