002 MEMORANDUM 1.2 dated 16 June 2014
Subject: OSA Implementation Plan Overview
1. Background. A Memorandum, 001 Creating a Defense or National Open Source Field Activity or
Agency has been provided and approval received for exploring the possibility. This Memorandum 002
summarized five elements of a proposed Implementation Plan as discussed below
2. Discussion. The five documents are summarized below.
02A Implementation Plan Staffing Calendar. The calendar assumes 50 calendar days from
commencement of the project on 8 June 2014. As a rough target the calendar pursues a Departmental
decision for execution on or about 1 September. The three preliminary activities proposed are a road
trip to the theater commanders; an inventory of existing DoD OSINT activities and investments (and
ideally also of other OSINT activities and investments across Whole of Government); and D/DIA outreach
to the Service Chiefs after the first two activities are completed. Appointment of LTG Flynn as the first
Director, on the same day as he retires, is part of our calendar.
02B Implementation Plan OSA Mission. The OSA will do for open source intelligence and open source
information technologies what Linus Torvalds did for LINUX. There will be both a human information
network and an open source information technology network.
02C Implementation Plan Cost Calculation & Justification. The cost calculation was made by Mr. Keith
Hall, then Director of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and former Director of the Budget Staff
for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI). He calculated a need for $10 million a year for
each of 150 lower tier countries, targets, or topics. This adds up to $1.5 billion a year. DD/OMB Sean
O’Keefe and subsequently ADD/NS OMB have confirmed a starting year of $125 million as being
appropriate to a national-level new initiative. A $25 million DoD redirection of funds is proposed for end
of year funding in this current fiscal year, from DIA unobligated funds (MASINT, HUMINT?).
02D Implementation Pan Location A and Location B. Two locations are envisioned. A starting location
within DIA will be used for the start-up period and then morph into a green/black classified support
capability that will leverage the DOSA or OSA on behalf of the IC, DoD, and Special Operations. A final
location is proposed on the South Central Campus, leveraging existing under-utilized buildings, so as to
be co-located with the Department of State and the US Institute of Peace while being adjacent to the
daytime parking and meeting space offered by the JFK Center. Alternatively, the USCG HQS being
vacated next to NDU could be considered, particularly if the DOSA options is chosen vice the full up OSA.
02E Implementation Plan Table of Organization & Equipment. A high-level organizational structure is
outlined. The core staffing concept is a virtual one – 120 permanent personnel, augmented by 1,200
adjunct personnel employed full-time by someone else, with the majority of the budget being spent on
single subject matter experts, information brokers, and others able to support precision acquisition.
O2F Implementation Plan Explicatory Graphics. Although briefing books are available with complex
graphical story lines, this executive summary provides a rapid overview of key concepts.