Michael Collins is the acting chair of the National Intelligence Council (NIC). He has spent 28 years in the intelligence community, starting as a career analyst in the CIA focused on East Asia before moving into leadership roles. He served as chief of staff for the CIA deputy director and worked on modernization efforts in the agency.

We discuss…

• How the intelligence community informs high-level policymaking,


• Why different institutional approaches are needed to collect intelligence on non-state actors vs nation-state adversaries,


• Challenges in assessing China’s technological and military capabilities,


• “Narrative Intelligence” and areas where intelligence agencies have a unique edge,


• Strategies for improving long-term forecasting and avoiding groupthink.

Outro music: Scorpions - Wind Of Change (Youtube Link)

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices