Laine Klein

"My first job in the area was with a company called Anteon where I worked on the CENTRIXS program. We engineered and built intelligence sharing classified networks with our coalition partners around the world. This was very specific to providing secure communications but it exposed me to the importance of intelligence to the mission and equally the criticality of foreign partners in the execution of U.S. national interests. This role allowed me to travel around the world working closely with military intelligence personnel and our partners during Operation Iraqi Freedom. It was an enlightening time for me as I had no government or military background and I learned a lot about the critical role these people play in keeping the rest of us safe."

"...After checking email and responding to critical actions, I go about the day checking in with my program managers and other leads. I prefer to visit my teams onsite as this is where the important work is done and allows me to interact with my team and my IC customers, so I may travel to MD, VA or jump on a plane to one of the remote locations. During the pandemic, travel has been severely limited, so I spend about 12 hours a day on the phone calling my team members to ensure they are safe, supporting their customers and providing them with whatever help they may need."

"The opportunity for collaboration enabled by technology is greater than ever. On the other hand, there is so much data, the opportunity to miss critical information is also great. What is exciting are all the tools entrepreneurs and creative thinkers are developing to help the Intelligence Community gather and analyze critical information. We need technology to ensure the best information is provided to policy makers, IC directors and military commanders in real time. We have an opportunity to address critical issues and take action more quickly than ever."

"The top news story has to be about the pandemic since it has had an impact worldwide. There is a lot to learn from what has happened with COVID-19. From gathering and responding to unusual activity in other countries, to taking action, to supply chain availability. Even more importantly though has been the impact to the Intelligence Community as a whole. The distraction of the pandemic has been huge, but aside from that, the intelligence community has the additional challenge of not being able to work remotely due to the nature of the work. Developing communication solutions, processes and policies to ensure the critical mission of the Intelligence Community can continue seamlessly in the event of a worldwide disaster will continue to be an important focus for the IC."

Favorite TV show this year: Declassified: Untold Stories of American Spies