Elodie Collins 
- Organizational changes are underway at NSA and CIA as agencies scale AI use
- CIA, NSA and DIA plan to employ and scale the use of AI in the near future
- Experts from government, industry and academia will share insights during an AI-focused panel at the 2026 Intel Summit
President Trump’s June 2026 national security memorandum directed the intelligence community to overhaul how it acquires and deploys AI, ordering agencies to speed up procurement of the technology and expand partnerships with the commercial sector. Agencies are responding with sweeping organizational changes, ensuring that AI is woven into workflows and their core missions.
The organizational changes happening across the IC will be at the center of discussions at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Intel Summit on Sept. 24. The Elevating Intelligence Operations With AI panel will convene current and former government leaders and industry experts to dissect current challenges and future plans for the technology’s implementation in the IC. Limited tickets are available here!
How Are Intelligence Agencies Restructuring for the AI Age?
The National Security Agency will undergo a sweeping reorganization to establish new mission centers, with one focused on AI, Nextgov/FCW reported. A source who has knowledge about the plan shared that the new structure will begin implementation in October and is expected to reach full operational capacity in January 2027.
New mission directors have been selected, but have not been announced publicly, according to sources who spoke to Recorded Future News. The new directors are expected to submit organizational plans in the coming weeks.
The report follows an announcement from CIA Director John Ratcliffe that his agency is “fundamentally reshaping” its approach to AI, including by overhauling its digital innovation office and commercial tech procurement strategy, FedScoop reported.
Under the reorganization, the CIA Directorate of Digital Innovation was renamed the Directorate of Mission Systems to focus on cybersecurity and advanced data and infrastructure services. The change removes offensive cyber and open-source responsibilities of the former directorate, which Ratcliffe said would “dramatically strengthen the foundation of our entire information technology architecture.”
CIA also established the Office of Corporate Partnerships to serve as a single point of contact for industry partners to support agency missions. The new office has already engaged with Amazon, Google, Dell and SpaceX.
Ratcliffe explained that the organizational changes will ensure that the CIA can deliver the best AI tools to its personnel, adding that the agency must excel in the use of the technology “because every algorithmic decision has implications for U.S. strategic advantage and for the national security of all of our people.”
“We’re going to take smart risks, we’re going to experiment, and then we’re going to course correct as we go,” he stated. “We simply can’t afford to wait for a risk-free approach when it comes to emerging technologies. It doesn’t exist. We have to move fast, we have to be aggressive, and we have to take full advantage of the ingenuity that sets America apart.”
Hear from 2026 Intel Summit keynote speakers Dustin Gard-Weiss, executive director of the CIA, and Tim Kosiba, deputy director of the NSA, on how their respective agencies are evolving to integrate emerging technologies into their mission. Sign up today to secure your seat!
What Are IC Leaders’ Future Plans for AI Implementation?
CIA Deputy Director Michael Ellis previously shared that the agency plans to deploy AI coworkers within its analytics platforms to support personnel. The AI coworkers, he explained at an April event Defense One covered, will not do the thinking but will help analysts draft and edit judgments. The technology will also triage and identify trends for human analysts to review.
Triaging is also one of the AI use cases that the NSA is exploring, according to David Imbordino, who was appointed as chief of the agency’s Cybersecurity Directorate in June.
“Volume has always been a problem,” he explained, and AI can enable analysts to get “to the nuggets” faster. Imbordino said that AI could reduce the time analysts spend reviewing and evaluating disparate pieces of information.
At the Defense Intelligence Agency, Maj. Gen. Robert Kinney, the agency’s chief AI officer, shared that DIA is undertaking a 90-day sprint to build an enterprise AI platform, Federal News Network reported. The official revealed at the annual DoDIIS summit in August that the agency is retooling its ChatDIA capability tool to enable the use of the Model Context Protocol, an open-source standard that securely connects AI tools to external applications.
Kinney added that DIA intends to build “agents and agents with agents” in the near future.
How Can Industry Support the IC’s AI Adoption
The expanded use of AI in the IC creates opportunities for industry to support technology deployment and advance intelligence missions.
Bill Adkins, principal deputy director of the National Reconnaissance Office and 2026 Wash100 Award winner, addressed industry directly at a recent event, calling for the commercial sector to innovate and help the agency scale to meet growing mission requirements.
“I think a big problem now is scale, whether it’s more satellites, more data, more of everything. While people may have a great idea, alone that’s not enough. It’s got to scale so it can be implemented in a mission,” he shared. “Commercial has a huge part to play in that.”
As capabilities scale, Adkins noted that AI will be critical for NRO to execute its mission.
“So we have to figure out how to leverage tools like AI to be able to get through that data at speed and at scale to support our customers,” he stated.
Ryan Lewis, chief architect of NRO’s SIGINT Directorate, will deliver a keynote speech at the 2026 Intel Summit. Lewis, who is responsible for the agency’s SIGINT systems, is expected to discuss public-private partnerships as the NRO continues to expand its space-based capabilities. Register here!
Who Are the Speakers on the Elevating Intelligence Operations With AI Panel?
The Elevating Intelligence Operations With AI panel at the 2026 Intel Summit on Sept. 24 will bring together experts from government, industry and academia to thoroughly examine how AI is impacting intelligence operations. As agencies accelerate the deployment of the technology in line with executive mandates, panelists will explore:
- Challenges that agencies encounter when scaling AI
- Real-world use cases of the technology in the IC
- Future plans for agentic AI adoption
- What industry can offer to support AI implementation for intelligence and national security applications
Panelists include:
Erik Blasch
Program Officer at Air Force Office of Scientific Research
Air Force Research Laboratory
Blasch is a senior materiel and multimodal fusion leader who specializes in designing systems for information processing, space-awareness tracking, industrial avionics and human factors, according to his LinkedIn profile. His work includes the Multi-Attribute AI Scorecard Table, or MAST, which is a checklist that promotes the development of transparent, consistent and understandable AI tools for commercial and government use, and Level 5 information fusion for human-machine teaming.
He has been at AFRL for over 30 years. He currently serves as a program officer at the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.
In addition to his career at AFRL, Blasch also served in the Air Force Reserve for nearly seven years.
Martin Holmes
Professional Staff Member
House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
Holmes’s career spans key roles across intelligence, defense and public policy. As a professional staff member on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, he oversees NSA activities across signals intelligence, cybersecurity, microelectronics and AI.
Prior to his current position, Holmes guided space domain strategy within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and worked as a space policy analyst for the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
He began his career in the Air Force, managing the assembly, integration and testing of satellite systems.
Dr. Adele Merritt
Chief Research Officer, Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security
UMD Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence & Security
Merritt previously served as the chief information officer at the National Institutes of Health. In the role, which she held until 2025, she oversaw a $1.9 billion IT portfolio supporting scientific research, infrastructure and high-performance computing.
Prior to NIH, she led modernization and cybersecurity efforts as CIO of the IC. She also held various roles at the NSA, the FBI, the Department of Energy and at the White House’s National Security Council.
David Shedd
Former Acting Director
Defense Intelligence Agency
David Shedd spent nearly 33 years in government, holding various roles across the national security and intelligence community. At the DIA, he served as deputy director for four years. He was named the agency’s acting director in 2014, overseeing a workforce of more than 16,500 military and civilian employees.
Earlier in his career, Shedd served as deputy director for policy in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. He also held leadership positions within the Office of the DNI, the White House’s National Security Council, the CIA and U.S. embassies.
After retiring from government service, Shedd joined the Heritage Foundation as a senior fellow. He now serves as an independent national security consultant.
Paul Bence
Head of Government Analytics
At Kpler, Bence works directly with government agency customers to support the integration of commercial maritime and trade data into operational and analytical use cases. As product lead for defense, a role he has held since March, he leads teams of analysts and engineers to ensure that the company continues to deliver data and tools that align with customer requirements.
Before joining Kpler in 2025, he spent five years at Chainalysis Government Solutions, where he oversaw a national security portfolio focused on countering finance-related threats.
Richard Durand
Client Executive Vice President, National Security
Durand is a longtime industry leader who has supported public sector organizations for decades. He currently oversees growth initiatives and directs business activities supporting national security and foreign affairs customers as a client executive vice president at AT&T. He joined the company in 1986.
In addition to his private sector career, he served as an aerographer’s mate in the U.S. Navy Reserve for nearly 10 years. He was honorably discharged in 2000 after achieving the rank of Petty Officer Second Class, according to his LinkedIn profile.
The 2026 Intel Summit is the prime destination for understanding how intelligence agencies are using AI. Leaders from CIA, FBI, NSA, NRO and other agencies will be present to answer questions and share insights about future AI initiatives and investments. Tickets are running out, so sign up today!
