Chaired by Sir Richard Dearlove, former Chief of the British Secret Intelligence Service (aka MI6), the Cambridge Security Initiative (CSi) launched the International Security and Intelligence (ISI) Programme in 2016. The aim of this unique Programme is to provide an opportunity for participants to engage with leading academics and practitioners from the intelligence and security communities in the historic setting of one of the world’s foremost universities. Drawing on wide-ranging experience of and research in the field, the Programme focuses initially on transatlantic intelligence and security perspectives, before moving on to explore broader global perspectives.

The Programme Directors are;

Professor Michael S. Goodman, BA(Hons), MA, PhD, FRHistS, formerly Head of War Studies and now Professor of Intelligence and International Affairs at King’s College London. He is the official historian of the British Joint Intelligence Committee and a Visiting Professor at the Norwegian Defence Intelligence School.  He is a British army reservist and has spent many years seconded to the Cabinet Office and Ministry of Defence.

Dr. David V. Gioe, PhD, FRHistS, Visiting Professor in the Department of War Studies, King’s College, London, was recently British Academy global professor in the Department of War Studies and formerly Associate Professor of History at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Dr. Gioe brings 25 years of combined active and reserve service working in the U.S. intelligence community, including analytical and operational roles in the FBI, CIA, DIA, and the Office of Naval Intelligence.

CSi proposes that first-rate intelligence is critical both for statecraft and in military operations. Effective intelligence and security agencies – with appropriate democratic oversight – play a critical role in the defence of Western values. Western democracies face diverse and complex challenges from state and non-state actors which preoccupy the highest levels of government, private industry, and civil society. Participants in the ISI Programme will explore these key questions:

• How can Western intelligence communities operate in a world of seemingly ubiquitous surveillance, and how might they compete with – or harness – the revolution in open-source data?
• What are the threats posed by cyber warfare, radicalization, acts of terrorism, regional insecurity, and information operations?
• Are modern conceptions of transparency tempered by legitimate claims for state secrecy? What is the role of the intelligence and security agencies in a modern democratic society? What are the relevant ethical considerations?
• What are the analytical challenges facing intelligence practitioners? How does intelligence function at the intelligence-policy interface?
• What are the various mechanisms of intelligence collection, analysis and dissemination? How does the delicate practice of intelligence liaison work?
• What part do counter-intelligence and covert operations play?

The teaching format closely follows that of Cambridge University with lectures, seminars and ‘supervisions’ (described below under Independent Supervised Research) designed specifically for this programme.  All instruction is conducted under the Chatham House Rule.

Note; when a meeting is held under the Chatham House Rule participants are free to use the information received but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed.

Participants in the Programme attend (with other delegates) CSi’s highly regarded two-day annual Conference entitled Intelligence and National Security in a Changing World. The conference brings together speakers and delegates from government, security agencies, academia and business to explore a wide range of contemporary security-related issues. Past speakers have included retired heads of the British Cabinet Office, the French Security Service, GCHQ, MI6, the CIA, distinguished academics, ambassadors and business leaders. Additional information can be found on the Conference page.

The Programme also offers a series of outstanding Guest Lectures covering a broad range of contemporary intelligence and security challenges. Speakers in recent years have included;

• Former Heads of the British Secret Services (MI5, MI6, GCHQ)
• The Chief Judge to the Appeals Court of the United States Armed Forces
• Gina Haspel, former Director of the CIA
• Michael Morell, former Acting Director of the CIA
• Brigadier General Eystein Kvarving (Norwegian Armed Forces)
• Doug Wise, former Deputy Director of the DIA
• and leading academics working in the field of intelligence and security studies: Dr. Kate Vigurs (Warwick), Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan (both KCL).

The Programme provides academic, pastoral, and medical support, a bespoke online learning platform, access to the Cambridge University Library and a lively social and cultural programme.

Applications are invited from undergraduates who have completed at least a year at university (and usually more), graduates and early- career professionals with an intellectual or professional interest in statecraft and the interlocking themes of intelligence, security, strategy, defence, and foreign policy.

ISI operates a rolling application process and is always fully subscribed. Early application is therefore strongly advised.