Structured Analytic Techniques (4 MAR 2021)

Structured Analytic Techniques - Actor and Network Analysis 

The CCOE Seminar ‘Structured Analytic Techniques’ - Actor and Network Analysis focused on the methodological foundation of these specific SAT and their application from humanitarian, intelligence and military perspectives.

The leading experts and practitioners Randolph H. Pherson, CEO Globalytica, Co-Author ‘Structured Analytic Techniques for Intelligence Analysis’, Cynthia Storer, Lecturer at Johns Hopkins University, Monika Rückert, Foreign Area Specialist at the Joint Forces Command, German Federal Armed Forces and Viviana De Annuntiis, J9 Liaison and Knowledge Development Section, Allied Joint Force Command Naples, first gave a short introduction into Actor and Network Analysis while then sharing their responding practical experience.

Initial orientation was provided to the audience and speakers by the provision of the following guiding questions:

• What are the strengths, weaknesses, and limitations of Actor and Network Analysis?
• How and in what contexts should Actor and Network Analysis be applied?
• What potential pitfalls do practitioners face when conducting Actor and Network Analysis and how to respond to those challenges?

Feel invited to discover background information about the seminar and our speakers by approaching the speakers’ presentations and biographies as well as the seminar minutes and video recordings.

If you are further interested in how Structured Analytic Techniques can be applied for better analysis we would recommend you to have a look at our other seminar ‘Dissecting Structured Analytic Techniques - Strengths, Weaknesses and Limitations’.

Mr Randolph H. Pherson 

Mr. Pherson is President, Pherson Associates  and CEO Globalytica. He has taught advanced analytic techniques and critical thinking skills to analysts in most US Intelligence Community agencies, in ten Fortune 100 companies, and in many countries around the world.  He has authored or co-authored twelve books and is best known for Structured Analytic Techniques for Intelligence Analysis, Critical Thinking for Strategic Intelligence, and How to Get the Right Diagnosis: 16 Tips for Navigating the Medical System. Mr. Pherson was a career CIA intelligence analyst and manager, last serving as National Intelligence Officer for Latin America. Previously at CIA, Mr Pherson managed the production of analysis on topics ranging from global instability to Latin America, served on the Inspector General’s staff, and was Chief, Strategic Planning and Management Staff. He is a recipient of the Distinguished Intelligence Medal for his service as NIO and the Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal. He received his BA from Dartmouth College and MA in International Relations from Yale University.

Additional literature:

• Pherson & Heuer (2020) Structured Analytic Techniques for Intelligence Analysis, 3rd Edition, CQ Press, California
• Pherson (2008) Handbook of Analytic Tools and Techniques, Pherson Associates, Reston, Virginia

Ms Cynthia Storer

Ms Cynthia Storer served as a Senior Analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency, where in the mid-1990s she and her colleagues applied network analysis principles to discover and then analyze al-Qaeda. She also researched, wrote, and briefed about Afghanistan, Islamic Extremism, and various other aspects of the “War on Terror” to senior policymakers. Ms Storer is now a Lecturer at Johns Hopkins University, where she teaches for the Master's program in Intelligence Analysis.

Ms Monika Rueckert 

Major Monika Rueckert is a Foreign Area Specialist. She serves with the Joint Forces Command of the German Federal Armed Forces in Potsdam, Germany. Monika is deeply involved in network analysis.  She holds mission experience from earlier deployments to KOSOVO and IRAK. She looks back to five years of work experience advising the Commander of the German Armed Forces by analysing the local society and networks in the area of interest aiming to identify key-leaders to interact with. Monika is currently supervising FAS preparing for their deployment by sharing her findings and providing strategic direction. 

Ms Viviana De Annuntiis

Lieutenant Colonel Viviana De Annuntiis is currently responsible for the development, implementation and coordination of NATO Civil-Military Interaction (CMI) /Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) Engagement Programme, supervising the overall coordination of the liaison activities with civil organizations and actors in Allied Joint Force Command Naples (JFCNP). Prior to her current role in NATO, she has worked for more than 15 years for the United Nations, in several positions across Asia and the Pacific, Latin American and the Caribbean and the Middle East.  
Viviana is a member of the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) Team and she has been deployed to support disaster response efforts in several countries in South-East Asia and South Asia.

Additional literature:

• Borgatti, Everett & Johnson (2018) Analyzing Social Networks, 2nd Edition, SAGE Publications Ltd, London
• De Werd (2020). US Intelligence and Al Qaeda: Analysis by Contrasting Narratives, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. 
• Sadler (2017). Introduction to Network Analysis with R