Coffee and Conversation with Doug Wade

On Tuesday, March 14, Doug Wade, Chief of DIA’s China Mission Group (CMG) joined INSA’s Executive Vice President, John Doyon, for a virtual conversation to discuss the stand-up of the China Mission Group at DIA and its mission and functions, and how it will be the focal point for the agency’s China-related efforts. Its structure has been designed to harness the collective power of the agency from analysis to collectors and be the mission enablers for their stakeholders.

Mr. Wade stressed the importance of partnerships, one of the main reasons why the CMG came into existence. The relationship between U.S. Government entities and the commercial sector has always been important, however, he indicated that non-traditional partnerships were also essential – for example working with the Commerce Department to better understand the economic aspects of China and its global economic activities. Other non-traditional partnerships included academia and think-tanks.

The conversation continued as Mr. Wade addressed China’s military maturation, from hypersonic missiles to anti-satellite weapons and advancements in maritime and space capabilities. He spoke to the extensiveness of China’s modernization in weaponry, and how the entirety of those capabilities is what causes the greatest concern for USG entities and our allies.

Mr. Wade went on to stress the importance of OSINT and how this tool of intelligence analysis and collection should be treated as a separate discipline, particularly when it comes to the investment in data collection advancements in AI & ML.

Finally, Mr. Wade addressed questions from the audience, including lessons learned from Russia-Ukraine and how they will affect the United States’ approach in the event of a potential conflict related to Taiwan, the need for greater partnership with industry to support this mission area, and the importance of acquiring and retaining a talented workforce.