KCSI Digest - Aug 2025 | King’s Centre for the Study of Intelligence

August 2025 Digest

Contents:

Events
Conferences
Call for Papers
Recent Publications
Podcasts

Events:

Securing Space: Threats, Strategic Roles and Building Resilience
6 August 2025
INSA, Colorado Springs, CO

Join INSA in Colorado Springs for Securing Space: Threats, Strategic Roles, and Building Resilience, part of INSA's Common Threads series held in national security hubs across the country. Taking place under the Chatham House Rule and closed to the press, this off-the-record panel discussion, bookended by dedicated networking receptions, is tailored for defense, national security, and intelligence professionals at the forefront of space operations. Discussion topics include new and accelerating threats to space assets, distinct missions and collaboration between U.S. Space Force and U.S. Space Command, the framework guiding U.S. space warfighting strategy, initiatives to strengthen space domain awareness and operational response capabilities, building and sustaining a resilient, mission-ready workforce. Whether your work involves SATCOM, ISR, mission assurance, or advancing space operations, this event provides key insights and direct access to senior national security space leaders. Space is a contested domain—be part of the solution.

More details here.

Intelligence Liaison and Foreign Policy: The Hidden Link
13 August 2025
Johns Hopkins Inside Intelligence, Online

Join MS in Intelligence Analysis program director Michael Ard as he hosts former Intelligence Community leader Diana I. Bolsinger for a discussion on the interactions and exchanges between intelligence services. Bolsinger’s current project, No Permanent Friends: How Secret Intelligence Ties Broke the U.S. Pakistani Relationship, analyzes how Washington's secret intelligence liaison programs in Pakistan shaped the overall bilateral relationship. An assistant professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and Security Studies at The University of Texas at El Paso, Bolsinger is the former director of UTEP’s Intelligence and National Security Studies graduate program. Her research examines how Washington's clandestine security relationships historically have impacted U.S. policymaking. Prior to joining UTEP, Dr. Bolsinger served in various Intelligence Community leadership roles, including assignments in South Asia, the Balkans, Northeast Asia, and Washington, DC. She holds a PhD in Public Policy from the University of Texas at Austin’s LBJ School of Public Affairs.

More details here.

Decoded: Wars and Spies: A Museum Late
21 August 2025
Bank of England Museum, London

Prepare to step into the realm of strategy and secrets at our next Museum Late event: Decoded: Wars & Spies. Discover hidden wartime heroes and challenge your brain with our Alan-Turing inspired Enigmaze activity; a series of codebreaker games hidden throughout our museum. Not up to the mission? Enjoy a fascinating talk by our mystery guest speaker as they uncover the world of espionage and encryption.

About the talk: How can I tell my boss I’ve set Europe ablaze?

In July 1940, Prime Minister Winston Churchill is famously recorded as ordering the fledgling Special Operations Executive (SOE) to “Set Europe ablaze”. With his personal backing, often ruffling the feathers of long-established Intelligence agencies, they proceeded to do exactly that. But as an agent in enemy territory how do you communicate with London – request supplies, pass information or arrange to be picked up? From their origins at St Ermins Hotel Westminster in 1940, SOE sought out a disparate collection of technicians and craftsmen to invent, develop and manufacture a multitude of specialist items to carry out the brief handed down by Winston Churchill. In this talk will give an outline of the difficulties of clandestine radio communication in the 1940’s – without getting too technical.

Speaker Peter Evans was a member of the Territorial Army in the late 1960’s through to the late eighties. Interested in British military history from very early age, inspired by his father who had joined the Royal Flying Corps in 1917. Enjoys reviewing the technical aspects of SOE equipment, and is currently researching Women’s WW1 services, alongside collecting Army rank, trade and proficiency badges. Most of his working life was spent at Ford Motor Company where he had various finance/accounting roles until early retirement in 2009.

More details here.

The Last Assignment with Erika Robuck and Ellen McCarthy
21 August 2025
International Spy Museum, Washington D.C and online

The Hungarian Revolution. The Cuban Revolution. The Vietnam War. If it’s a pivotal global event, photojournalist Georgette “Dickey” Chapelle and her camera were there documenting it. In her new novel Erika Robuck travels to frozen wastelands, raging seas, and luscious jungles as she brings to life the perilous and awe-inspiring true story of award-winning combat photojournalist Dickey Chapelle. Ellen McCarthy, who has formerly been Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Chief Operating Officer of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and Director of Intelligence Operations, Strategy, and Policy for the United States Coast Guard, will interview Robuck about her new book The Last Assignment. Robuck is the national bestselling author of biographical fiction including The Last Twelve Miles about codebreaker Elizebeth Friedman and The Invisible Woman and Sisters of Night and Fog based on true stories of World War II spies. Robuck has now turned her attention to the ‘50s and ‘60s. In their conversation, McCarthy and Robuck will cover Dickey’s missions and highlight her connections to intelligence like her work with the CIA and the anti-Castro resistance and William “Wild Bill” Donovan. Join us to learn more about this determined and courageous woman who risked everything to show the American people the price of war.

More details here.

Conferences:

AIPIO Intelligence Conference
20-22 August 2025
Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park, Sydney, Australia

The AIPIO is the peak representative body for intelligence practitioners in Australia. Our goal is to establish and promote intelligence as a widely recognized profession in Australia. AIPIO membership is drawn from a wide range of domains, including government, national security, defense, law enforcement, business, academia, integrity agencies, regulatory bodies, information technology, and information service providers. The theme for Intelligence 2025 is "A Thriving Intelligence Profession," with subthemes of Leadership, Transformation, Empowerment, and Developing Your Tradecraft. Our highly interconnected world is being reshaped by strategic competition, with growing complexity arising at the national and local levels. All domains of intelligence practice are confronting this complexity, working to glean insights for timely and effective decision-making. A robust intelligence profession is a critical influence and key national resource in securing our defense, security, and well-being. Intelligence 2025 – the AIPIO annual conference – will examine what is needed to support a thriving intelligence profession in Australia during these challenging times. A thriving intelligence profession hinges on effective leadership, transformation, and empowerment to navigate the complexities of an ever-changing global landscape.

More details here.

INSS Disruptive Technology for Future Warfare
04 September 2025
National Defense University, Washington D.C.

Sponsored by the National Defense University’s (NDU) Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS), this conference addresses the question: How can the Department of Defense (DoD) effectively adapt emerging and disruptive technologies for future warfare and engage the defense industrial base (DIB) to compete with and remain ahead of global adversaries? Speakers will include senior members from the U.S. military and the Department of Defense, as well as representatives from academia, think tanks, and the private sector. The morning panel sessions will focus on Transformative Military and Battlefield Technologies and Information and Intelligence, while the afternoon panels will address Disruptive Biotechnologies and Leveraging Partners and Allies.

The conference will take place on 4 September 2025 at the NDU campus on Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington, DC. To reserve a spot, please register by 8 August 2025.

More details here.

2025 AFCEA and INSA Intelligence and National Security Summit
18-19 September 2025
National Harbor, Maryland, U.S.

Join us September 18-19 for the 12th annual AFCEA/INSA Intelligence & National Security Summit, the nation's premier unclassified event focused on intelligence and national security. Taking place at the Gaylord National Resort in National Harbor, MD, this flagship event brings together senior leaders from government, industry, and academia for candid, high-impact discussions on the capabilities, technologies, and challenges shaping the U.S. national security mission.

Hear From Senior Leaders: Gain insights from top officials, academic thought leaders, and technical experts on mission priorities.
Explore Game-Changing Technologies: Experience hands-on demonstrations of next-gen technologies transforming intelligence operations.
Connect Across the Community: Networking with 2,000+ professionals from across all segments of public, private, and academic sectors.
Join Mission-Driven Discussion: From AI to acquisition innovation, dive into focused plenaries and breakout discussions on the most urgent national security issues.

More details here.

Symposium on Crisis Early Warning
17-18 September 2025
German Federal Foreign Office, Berlin

We are pleased present the Symposium on Crisis Early Warning organized by the Center for Crisis Early Warning (CCEW) at the University of the Bundeswehr Munich and the German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO) on “The Potential of Data, AI, and Interdisciplinary Analysis in Situational Awareness and Decision Making”. The Symposium on Crisis Early Warning aims to bring together researchers, policy makers, and practitioners in the field to engage in different panels and discussions.

The Symposium on Crisis Early Warning has three aims:

Strengthening interdisciplinary research to advance conflict analysis.
Fostering data-driven strategies for crisis early warning within conflict research.
Establishing a collaborative space for academia, practitioners, policy and decision-makers.

More details here.

Power and Peril: Potentials and Limits of Intelligence
26-28 September 2025
Tutzing, Germany

In an age of digital surveillance, hybrid threats, and global intelligence cooperation, understanding the role of intelligence services is more essential than ever. Yet, the secrecy that surrounds them often keeps these powerful institutions out of public view – and beyond democratic scrutiny. The Akademie für Politische Bildung in cooperation with the International Intelligence History Association invites scholars, students, and professionals to explore how intelligence agencies have shaped recent history and continue to influence our world today. From Cold War legacies to current espionage risks, the program spans a broad range of topics: Clandestine collaboration, counterterrorism strategies, intelligence oversight, and more. Since the ‘Archival Revolution’ of the 1990s, intelligence history has emerged as a dynamic and rapidly growing field. Drawing on newly accessible sources, researchers now offer deeper insights into the inner workings of these secretive organizations. Join us for an engaging exchange at the intersection of history, politics, and security – where past and present intelligence practices meet open scholarly debate.

More details here.

Behörden Spiegel Intelligence Conference: The New Role of Intelligence Services
15-16 October 2025
Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin

In view of the global power shifts between the USA, Russia and China and a transatlantic paradigm shift in the Western community of states, the civil and military security architecture of Germany and Europe is facing more fundamental challenges than ever. As the "first line of defense" for our democracy, freedom, prosperity, and future prospects, intelligence services are particularly exposed and have a duty. They are required to be the first to identify and analyze security threats and risks, and to contribute to adequate and timely decision-making by governments and authorities through their reporting and warning functions. The increasingly apparent transatlantic security policy paradigm shift will influence intelligence cooperation between European states, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Japan as like-minded partners. How will the relationship develop between the previous intelligence support of EU decision-making structures and processes (EU-INTCEN, EUMS.INT, SATCEN) and an emerging "coalition of the willing" among EU member states? Under what conditions could EU structures or improved intergovernmental formats for intensified intelligence cooperation emerge? What capabilities must German and European services acquire, what powers must they be granted in order to be able to make the necessary contribution to securing their existence, even with reduced US support, in the face of a growing threat to internal and external security from espionage, cyber operations, sabotage and subversion, including the direct military threat to the European alliance territory from Russian or even distant forces using hybrid means? What consequences will this new situation have for the development of an adequate security architecture in Germany, particularly with regard to the necessary capacity building initiatives of the services, the establishment of a Federal Security Council and a cross-departmental and cross-state Situation and Analysis Center, which in turn will be based on a structure of similar centers in the departments and states?

Specific questions that will also be discussed at this year’s conference are:

What is the status of the personnel, material and structural strengthening of the German intelligence and security services?
What must be done, within the framework of what is constitutionally possible, to ensure that the services are legally adequately strengthened?
Where and in what way does the German security architecture need a technological update in terms of networking, digital security and AI-supported data management, including the establishment of digital platforms for situation assessment and evaluation in the Federal Chancellery and ministries?
How should an effective and efficient federal-state structure be organizationally reflected in the desired joint situation assessment and evaluation?
Can lessons be learned from the European Union's federal cooperation formats, particularly the EU INTCEN and EUMS.INT analysis staffs?
What consequences will the global security policy paradigm shift have for parliamentary and executive oversight bodies and institutions? How will oversight and capacity to act be adjusted?

More details here.

Call for Papers:

Twenty years After the Butler Review: Have we learned anything?
Oxford Intelligence Group Conference
Abstracts Due: 1 August 2025
Conference: 6-7 November 2025

The Oxford Intelligence Group was founded at Nuffield College in 2004 to facilitate a forum for a briefing and discussion of the Review of Intelligence on Weapons of Mass Destruction, HC898 14 July 2004 by Lord Robin Butler (aka, the Butler Review). The review concluded that key intelligence used to justify the war with Iraq was unreliable, yet it was still used in the decision-making process. Twenty years later, we celebrate the continuing work of the OIG by revisiting the Butler Review and tracking the successes and failures of the intelligence community since that time. But are the lessons identified by Lord Butler still relevant today? Or were they ever learned? Are the ambiguities and uncertainties of intelligence forecasting adequately understood? As a nation's national security depends on closer collaboration between the intelligence community and commercial corporations, what is the role of academic intelligence studies? What is the connection between strong citizen forces and the defense of liberal democracies? Can there be a 'theory of everything' that synthesizes the past's disparate approaches?

The conference will result in a special issue for the Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence. Themes may include but are not limited to the following suggestions:

Retrospective analysis of the Butler Report
Legislative developments, oversight, and organization of national security
Responses to successes – and failures in intelligence forecasting
Did the release of classified material by Edward Snowden make a difference?
The role of public opinion and trust in national security policy
Changing attitudes to OSINT or the role of technology in intelligence analysis
The future of the Five Eyes Intelligence Alliance versus bilateral intelligence sharing
Rule-based international order – whose rules are they and are they still relevant to security.

Proposals should include title and abstract (approximately 150-200 words) and a short bio of the presenter(s). The deadline is August 1, 2025.

More details here.

CfP: INS Special Edition, “The Church Committee”
Abstracts Due: 15 August 2025
First Draft Due: 31 January 2025

The 1975 Church Committee, the United States Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities, celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. It was one of the pivotal moments in global intelligence history, as it publicly revealed the inner workings and structure of various agencies within the US intelligence community. Its influence is both structural and legislative. It was responsible for the creation of the congressional oversight committees in 1976, and it was also the driving force behind the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978. Its extensive reports on domestic and foreign intelligence, published in the Spring of 1976, became the driver behind the growth of intelligence studies around the globe. The investigations influenced how intelligence and intelligence activities were perceived domestically and around the globe.

The intelligence journal, Intelligence and National Security, is dedicating a Special Issue to the Church Committee. We - Dr Luca Trenta (Swansea University) and Dr Dafydd Townley (University of Portsmouth) - have agreed to serve as editors. We have already attracted some leading scholars in the field, and we are now inviting further contributions to the Special Issue.

The piece should be approximately 9,000 words, and we anticipate the initial deadline for the first draft to be January 31, 2026. The proposed article will then go through the usual peer review process, and we expect the subsequent publication of the Special Issue in the autumn of 2026. We are happy to be contacted regarding the Special Issue. We ask prospective contributors that they send us a proposed title for the article and a brief (100 words maximum) abstract by the 15th of August.

More details here.

International Conference Need to Know XIV
Call for Papers: In a World of Mirrors. Intelligence and Disinformation
Abstracts Due: 1 September 2025
Conference: 27-28 November 2025
Kraków, Poland

Many view the Cold War as the peak of intelligence battles and disinformation campaigns. Nevertheless, in recent years, suspicions of Russian influence on the politics of other nations have sparked a resurgence in discussions on deception, influence operations, disinformation, and societal resilience. Sometimes, these operations are intended 'only' to mislead enemy special services; sometimes, they target governments and politicians, and those aimed at entire societies, states, and nations, or even global public opinion, are considered the most dangerous. The names for this phenomenon are plentiful: Denial and deception (D&D), Hybrid Warfare, Subversion, Active Measures, Political Ideological Diversion, and Psychological Warfare. The exact definitions are often blurred and overlapping but have in common the mingling of foreign intelligence services in political and (dis)information struggles.

To intelligence scholars, security authorities, and societies, the correlation between intelligence services and disinformation constitutes a significant challenge. The complicated question is when foreign intelligence services disseminate malign information and when other actors are involved. The consequences of this dilemma are not just academic, as they determine whether disinformation needs to be handled secretly by counterintelligence organizations or whether it is openly addressed by other societal institutions or even by individual citizens. During the Cold War, both the East and the West favored the first variant, albeit on different scales. In the current situation, the options still seem open.

At this year's Need to Know conference, we address topics such as.:

Examples of Intelligence Services’ actual D&D/active measures operations
Intelligence Services countering similar covert measures
The use of true or false information for covert campaigns
Long-time effect of disinformation
Biases in judging the role of Intelligence Services’ role in disinformation
Consequences of misunderstanding covert disinformation
The agent of influence and front organizations
Media and conduits of disinformation

The Need to Know conferences stimulate research and discussions on intelligence history, focusing on the 20th and 21st Centuries. A core focus is to explore new information and interpretations following the opening of archives in the East and West. The papers should be based on firm empirical documentation. The conference's language is English. The deadline for paper proposals is September 1, 2025. The submission should include an abstract of 500–700 words in English and a biographical note listing significant professional accomplishments (250 words in English). The Conference Program Committee will notify selected speakers by September 15, 2025.

More details here.

Recent Publications:

Riemer, Ofek., “Learning from Mistakes: The Impact of the October 7 Surprise Attack on the Youngest Generation of IDF Intelligence Analysts,” Intelligence and National Security

Margoni, Francesco, Giangiuseppe Pili, and Jules J.S. Gaspard “Ethics in Practice: A Pragmatist Approach to Intelligence,” International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence

Villalón Huerta, Antonio, Cyber GRU. Russian Military Intelligence in Cyberspace, Naullibres