On the road to an intelligent future

(Editor’s note: This is the next in a series of interviews with key leaders of the 100-day science and technology road mapping project. The project centers on seven focus areas: weapons and defense science; nuclear counterterrorism and forensics; cyber and space security and intelligence; biosecurity; regional climate modeling and impacts; LIFE — Laser Inertial Fusion-Fission Energy (LIFE); and advanced laser optical systems and applications. Today, hear from Wes Spain, who is heading the cyber and space security and intelligence area of the plan.)

Related story in this issue: The road to climate change predictions

Wes Spain is the program director for Intelligence in the Global Security Principal Directorate.

He oversees the Laboratory’s contributions to the national intelligence effort, which includes assessments of foreign technology development and acquisition, patterns of international cooperation, foreign cyber threats, counterterrorism and homeland security.

Before joining LLNL in 1997, he served with the Central Intelligence Agency. He holds an master’s degree in international relations and a bachelor’s degree in political science.

Why did you want to be a part of this road mapping plan?

The road mapping plan is really a unique opportunity to chart the future direction of the Laboratory. We find ourselves at the national security and community level, at a real crossroad. Clearly, the national security environment has evolved in such a way that a lot of the old programs, activities and even organizations aren’t really up to the challenge posed by the complexity of the threats we face today. The Lab, under this initiative, is taking a real step toward addressing that by stepping back and reassessing where we put these strategic investments, and how we position ourselves to be more useful to the national security community. And (we want) to undertake a much more strategic and deliberate process to make the right investments in the S&T base; investments we need to serve this evolving mission. So it’s really exciting; I think it’s a unique time at the Lab, given the changes the Lab’s going through, and given the changes that the country’s going through. And to be a part of that, to me personally, is very exciting and very rewarding. And certainly, with all due respect to my colleagues, this cyberspace and intelligence thrust is certainly one of the leading priorities in the country with the biggest potential impact. I believe this Lab is well-positioned to have a great impact in this area.

What are your areas of interest?

My area of interest is almost exclusively the intelligence enterprise and understanding the role and how the intelligence enterprise and activities can support the national security mission. Before coming to the Lab, I spent about a decade at the Central Intelligence Agency and have been here at the Lab now for a little more than a decade. For the past 20 years, this is what I’ve done, both as a practitioner and now in a role where we’re actually trying to develop and evolve the intelligence capability and the work the Lab is doing in fundamental S&T research. This work is directly applicable to the broader intelligence enterprise, which is going through a significant transformation.

What is your team working on now?

Right now we’re just coming out of the phase one part of the planning exercise, which was at the 100,000-foot level to lay out what the strategic vision was for this thrust area of cyber, space and intelligence. Now we are busy trying to put meat on those bones, really digging down to the detail level, and starting to define real programmatic or substantive activity that we could do if the Lab makes some strategic investments in these areas. So what exactly would you be able to do for what level of investment? Also in parallel with that, we’re working with potential external partners to look for ways to bring other resources to the table and to make this a really robust program area, both with internal strategic investments and external investments that would lead to program growth as we build the S&T base.

Where do you see this work in five years and how does the overall mission of the Lab fit in?

In five years, this could certainly lead us to be in a position of leadership in the national security community, specifically in the intelligence community. We’re providing the type of S&T and the type of analytic support that the country needs and that the intelligence community desperately needs as it seeks to transform itself. And the types of investments that are being considered in this process are those that will enable us to get there. This fits in directly with the broader national security mission of the Laboratory. The intelligence domain is becoming increasingly important at the national level. This Laboratory’s capability — with its understanding of the threats and the threat technologies — is critical to informing the national security community and informing the intelligence community. I think if we make the type of investments that we’re discussing in this S&T road-mapping exercise and we sustain those, in five years, we will be at a place of leadership in the community by providing a rich S&T center, one that is a center of excellence in the area of intelligence.