KCSI Digest - May 2026 | King’s Centre for the Study of Intelligence

May 2026 Digest

Contents:

Events
Call for Papers
Conferences
Recent Publications
Podcasts

Events:

Tradecraft and Dirty Tricks: Inside Putin’s Secret Intelligence War
4 May 2026
Institute of World Politics, Washington D.C.

Unmask the shadowy world of Russian espionage with this riveting exploration of the Russian Intelligence Services (RIS) and their global clandestine operations. With decades of experience as a CIA operations officer, author Sean M. Wiswesser takes readers deep into the heart of Maskirovka—the Russian art of denial, deception, and manipulation. Using historical examples and firsthand accounts, this book reveals the tactics employed by the three main services of Russia’s intelligence apparatus: the SVR, GRU, and FSB. Learn about the RIS’ use of double agents, surveillance, and “street work,” honeytraps, sabotage, active measures, assassinations, the RIS roles in the Russo-Ukraine War, and much more.

Sean M. Wiswesser has nearly thirty years of experience working as a national security professional with intelligence, foreign service, and defense organizations. As a senior operations officer with the CIA, he served on multiple overseas tours and many other deployments on temporary duty, including war-zone service. He was a chief of station and had multiple joint-duty assignments with intelligence community partners. Sean was a Morehead Scholar at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill with a bachelor’s degree in history and Russian & Slavic linguistics. He was awarded a Master of Strategic Studies in 2023 from the Air War College and received the Russia Integrated Deterrence Award.

More details here.

Spy Chat: Elliot Ackerman
13 May 2026
International Spy Museum, online

Join us for an online discussion of the latest intelligence, national security, and terrorism issues in the news. Spy Museum Executive Director Chris Costa will lead the briefing. Joined by Elliot Ackerman, a decorated former military officer and award-winning author. Ackerman is a Marine and CIA veteran who served five tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he received the Silver Star, the Bronze Star for Valor, and the Purple Heart. He has drawn on his military experiences in writing both fiction and nonfiction. His newest book 2084: A Novel of Future War is the last in a trilogy that he has co-authored with Admiral James Stavridis imagining the fierce conflicts ahead. Ackerman is the author of the memoirs The Fifth Act: America’s End in Afghanistan and Places and Names: On War, Revolution, and Returning as well as the novels Sheepdogs, Halcyon, Red Dress in Black and White, Waiting for Eden, Dark at the Crossing, and Green on Blue. He is a best-selling author, and his books have been nominated for the National Book Award, the Andrew Carnegie Medal in both fiction and nonfiction, and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. He is a columnist at The Free Press and CBS News contributor.

More details here.

Mademoiselle Docteur – A Career in the Secret Service
14 May 2026
German Spy Museum, Berlin, Germany

Two significant female agents in 20th-century espionage history. One in the spotlight of world history, the other almost unknown in the shadowy realm of espionage. Mata Hari, alias "Agent H21," and "Mademoiselle Docteur," alias Elsbeth Schragmüller. What connects them: they knew each other, but what is almost unknown is that "Mademoiselle Docteur" trained Mata Hari.

Both women began their intelligence careers in World War I. While one became a renowned agent and double agent, the other became the first senior female officer in the German Army's military intelligence service. Both agents volunteered for the fields of espionage, counter-espionage, and counterintelligence. Was one truly a dazzling and brilliant agent, and the other a coldly calculating analyst? This provides ample reason to retell a little-known versus famous espionage story with two female historians. And fittingly, 2026 marks the 150th anniversary of Mata Hari's birth. What is the current situation for women in the intelligence world? Often, their perception is limited to the "honey trap." But things have changed considerably. They have become key players in espionage and counter-espionage and hold leadership positions in German domestic intelligence agencies. *This lecture will be conducted in German

More details here.

The Cambridge Spy Ring: 75 Years since the first defections
21 May 2026
The National Archives, Kew – Richmond, UK

Join Gordon Corera in discussion with Gill Bennett as they investigate the legacy of the Cambridge Spies, 75 years on. How did the public revelations about the Cambridge Spies unfold, and how did they change British society? In May 1951, two British diplomats, Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean, seemingly disappeared from the country, sparking a media frenzy and a worldwide hunt to locate them. Soon after, as new allegations about their past emerged, they became the face of a wider espionage operation that was now understood to have compromised Britain for decades, prompting ongoing debate about the extent of the ring, how it had ever occurred, and how their motives should be understood.

Seventy-five years later, join Gordon Corera (author and journalist) in discussion with Gill Bennett (historian) as they investigate the legacy of these spies. What were their motivations? What was the impact on government and the intelligence services? And how did they change perceptions of loyalty, security, and espionage across modern British society and culture?

More details here.

‘It’s “All About the People”: Early reflections on the First Decade of the DNI/DCIA Relationship’ with Sarah-Jane Corke
22 May 2026
Cambridge Intelligence Seminar, online

Twenty-two years ago, in fall 2004, Congress passed the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act (IRTPA). Although it was the most significant piece of intelligence legislation in sixty years, by all accounts, it was a “deeply flawed document.” The bureaucratic structure, which resulted, has led several scholars, journalists, and pundits to claim, as did historian Tom Nichols in his article last month for the Atlantic, that it may be time to scuttle it. In his view the DNI never really did what it or s/he was supposed to do, which was to oversee the Intelligence Community (IC). As a result, the Director of the CIA, which had been subordinated to the DNI under IRTPA, has emerged with, “a lot more power, more information and sometimes, more sway with presidents, than the DNI” has.

In contrast to Nichols’ argument in my presentation, I am going to suggest that this was not consistently the case during the first decade of the DNI’s existence. Indeed, I will argue that during the tenure of the first four DNI’s--Ambassador John Negroponte, Vice Admiral Michael McConnell, Admiral Dennis C. Blair, and General James Clapper--personal characteristics, leadership skills and inter-relational dynamics played the pivotal role in the shifting power and influence of the office. I will conclude by suggesting that rather than blaming IRTPA for the contemporary problems that plague the current DNI or indeed past DNIs, future presidents should be more mindful of the individuals they select to take up this position. In other words, who stands at the center of the IC’s organizational chart is more important than the organizational chart itself.

More details here.

Life and Death in the KGB, with Gordon Corera
28 May 2026
Conway Hall, London, UK

Life and Death in the KGB, with The Rest is Classified’s Gordon Corera. As the main intelligence and security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 to 1991, the KGB instilled fear across Russia and sought to sow discord abroad. This network of government spies was notorious for the often-brutal methods it used to keep enemies, loyalists and common people under the thumb of the state. And far from fading as the USSR old guard fell from power, the operatives, methods and networks of the KGB remain at the heart of the Russian state today. Putin himself was a KGB officer for 16 years, including six years as a foreign intelligence officer stationed in Dresden, East Germany. On May 28, veteran security correspondent and Rest is Classified co-host Gordon Corera joins us to unveil the inner workings of the KGB and the hidden power struggles that shaped modern Russia. Corera will explore the real-life stories of those on the inside; from the spies who lived and died enforcing its rule, to those who were brave enough to resist it. Join us live at Conway Hall to hear how the influence and evolution of the KGB continues to shape Russia, and have your questions answered in the audience Q&A.

More details here.

‘From Raison d’etat to Public Policy? The Transformation of the DGSE since 1982’ with Damien Van Puyvelde
29 May 2026
Cambridge Intelligence Seminar, online

This talk examines how France’s foreign intelligence service, the DGSE, has evolved since its creation in 1982. It argues that, over the past four decades, intelligence in France has moved beyond its traditional association with raison d’état to become a more institutionalised and visible domain of public policy. Using the DGSE as an organisational lens, the talk traces adaptation across its structure, leadership, relations with policymakers, operational practices, and public representations, while highlighting the uneven and contested nature of this transformation. Despite these changes, the DGSE’s organisational culture remains closely tied to the imperatives of secrecy and shaped by the enduring tension between France’s global ambitions and the constraints of a middle power.

Alongside this argument, the talk reflects on the challenges of writing the contemporary history of a secretive institution. Limited access to sources is not only a methodological constraint, but also a revealing feature of intelligence governance, shaping both what can be known and how intelligence is understood in democratic states.

More details here.

Call for Papers:

16th Annual International Student Conference of the Cold War History Research Center, Budapest
Abstracts Due: 15 May 2026
Conference: 30-31 July 2026
Location Budapest, Hungary

The Cold War History Research Center is now accepting proposals for its 16th Annual International Student Conference to be held at Corvinus University of Budapest on July 30–31, 2026. The conference will take place in Budapest, Hungary and organized in collaboration with the Cold War Archives Research Institute and the London School of Economics and Political Science, Department of International History, Contemporary International History and The Cold War Studies Program.

As was the case with our previous conferences, this year’s Conference will focus on the Cold War era in general, and on the post-Cold War period. Possible topics may include (but are not limited to) the following sections:

East Central Europe in the Cold War and its Aftermath
Hungary in the Cold War Western Europe and the Cold War
The Soviet Union and the United States in the Cold War
Asia and Africa in the Cold War and its Aftermath
International Relations during the Cold War
International Relations in the post-Cold War era

Abstracts should be approximately 3000–5000 characters long. Please note that in person attendance at the conference is mandatory, online presentations are not permitted.

More details here.

Bobby R. Inman Award for Student Scholarship
University of Texas at Austin
Submissions Due: 30 June 2026

The Inman Award competition is designed to recognize outstanding research and writing by students at the undergraduate or graduate levels on topics related to intelligence and national security. There is no prescribed topic or format. However, there is a limit on the essay length (less than 50 pages). It is presumed that most papers will have been prepared to satisfy a course or degree requirement of the author’s academic program. The award recognizes more than six decades of distinguished public service by Bobby R. Inman, Admiral, U.S. Navy (Ret.). Admiral Inman served in multiple leadership positions in the U.S. military, intelligence community, private industry, and at The University of Texas. His previous intelligence posts include Director of Naval Intelligence, Vice-Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Director of the National Security Agency, and Deputy Director of Central Intelligence. He continues to serve as an advisor and mentor to UT students and faculty members, and current government officials.

All undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at an accredited U.S. higher education institution during the 2025-26 academic year are eligible to participate. A student may submit only one paper that has not been published previously. Co-authored and “team project” papers will be accepted. Full, unedited PhD dissertations will no longer be reviewed in connection with the competition. Doctoral candidates (or recent PhD recipients) are encouraged to select and submit an edited chapter or chapters from their dissertation to the competition.

More details here.

Conflict Early Warning in Times of Power Competition: Limits and Challenges
Abstracts Due: 30 June 2026
Notified of acceptance: 31 July 2026
Conference: 13-14 October 2026
University of the Bundeswehr Munich, Germany

We are pleased to invite contributions to the CCEW Symposium 2026 on “Conflict Early Warning in Times of Power Competition – Limits and Challenges”. This year’s event deals with implications of recent global developments for conflict early warning needs and practices. Further it focusses on power competitions that affect different stakeholders in conflict early warning in different ways.

The CCEW Symposium has three aims:

Strengthening interdisciplinary research to enhance predictive capabilities.
Fostering data-driven strategies for crisis early warning and strategic foresight within conflict research.
Establishing a collaborative space for academia, practitioners, and decision-makers.

We invite empirical, conceptual, and theoretical papers from scholars at all career stages that address the following topics:

Conflict early warning in times of geopolitical competition and shifting conflict dynamics
Hybrid threats and their implications for conflict early warning
Data-related challenges and the use of unstructured data (e.g. text, images) for conflict analysis and prediction
Innovative approaches to data generation and model design for the study of conflict, political violence, and instability

Interested scholars should submit an abstract of max. 300 words and a short bio via kompzkfe+symposium@unibw.de until June 30, 2026.

More details here.

Conferences:

International Association for Intelligence Education Annual Global Conference
1-3 June 2026
University of North Georgia, Dahlonega, GA

UNG will be hosting the International Association for Intelligence Education (IAFIE) Annual Global Conference for 2026. This conference is open to all that are interested in intelligence studies, global security, cyber education, international relations, psychology, criminal justice, and history.

The conference theme will be “The Convergence of Artificial Intelligence, Cyber, and Intelligence on Global Security Interests.”

IAFIE advances research, knowledge and professional development in intelligence education which aligns with UNG's strategic big bet, Get in the National Security Game and which builds upon our programs such as strategic & security studies, cybersecurity, spatial data and information science, criminal justice, and more.

More details here.

Intelligence College Europe Academic Conference: Science and Intelligence
17-19 June 2026
University of the Bundeswehr, Munich, Germany

The ICE Academic Conference is held under the auspices of the rotating Presidency of the Intelligence College in Europe, in close consultation with its Academic Advisory Board. Previous conferences took place in Salamanca under the Spanish Presidency in 2024 and in Bucharest under the Romanian Presidency in 2023.

The 2026 Academic Conference will be hosted under the German Presidency at the University of the Bundeswehr in Munich, from 17–19 June 2026. It responds to the growing need for scholarly engagement with intelligence and security matters by bringing together experts on Intelligence and Security Studies in a pan-European academic context. The conference aims to boost the development of Intelligence Studies as an academic discipline in Europe and to establish ICE as one of the central nodes in the European Intelligence Studies network.

More details here.