BGS IC CAE Conducts 3rd Annual Kentucky Intelligence Colloquium

On April 7, 2017, the Bluegrass State Intelligence Community Center of Academic Excellence (BGS IC CAE) successfully conducted the 3^rd Annual Kentucky Intelligence Colloquium.  For the second straight year, the University of Kentucky (UK) Patterson School for Diplomacy and International Commerce hosted the colloquium on the UK campus.  The Kentucky Intelligence Fusion Center (KIFC) also served as the colloquium sponsor for the second consecutive year. 

The theme of the colloquium was Asymmetric Warfare and Intelligence.  The colloquium was attended by over 100 individuals, which included students, faculty, and staff from all BGS IC CAE affiliated intuitions; intelligence community members from the local, state, and federal levels; private sector corporations, and first responders from local and state agencies.      

The morning session of the colloquium consisted of a student poster session followed by a welcome address from Dr. Kathleen Montgomery, Interim Director of the UK Patterson School.  Mr. John Holiday, Executive Director of the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security (KOHS), served as the guest speaker for the event in which he described how he has adopted an asymmetric and unconventional mentality in running the KOHS and its intelligence fusion center based on his extensive U.S. military experience in intelligence and special operations.  Dr. Duane Young from the National Intelligence University (NIU) provided the keynote address, which focused on the historical aspects of asymmetric warfare. 

The afternoon session included an IC CAE Scholar panel comprised of students from BGS IC CAE institutions.  The panel showcased student research on topics such as the Syrian civil war, India counterterrorism challenges, video surveillance privacy issues, and group marginalization.  Following the panel, concurrent panels were conducted with a focus on topics such as the radicalization process, industrial espionage, U.S. immigration vetting, and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) intelligence teams. 

The colloquium provides an opportunity where academia and the public and private sectors with intelligence responsibilities or interests come together to investigate topics.  This is one of the few opportunities in the commonwealth for this type of networking to occur.  Besides networking, the colloquium greatly benefits students at BGS IC CAE institutions.  “The colloquium is a successful venue for BGS IC CAE students to present their research and analysis and have it critiqued by members of the U.S. intelligence community,” explained Dr. Mike Collier, who serves as the BGS IC CAE Principal Investigator and Co-Director at Eastern Kentucky University (EKU).  Dr. Collier’s comments were echoed by Mr. Patrick Dowden from the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) who serves as the Lead Program Manager for all IC CAE schools across the country:

The colloquium was an ideal opportunity to foster a sense of collaboration between students, from several universities, faculty and those involved in the intelligence profession at the state and federal levels.  Not only did the colloquium provide a forum for students to demonstrate their passion, through poster displays, briefings and avocation of their topic, but also a chance to meet and network with peers and professionals alike. 

Please see gallery below for images from the colloquium.  For more information on the colloquium participants, please see the colloquium program attached at the bottom of the page.