SYRACUSE, N.Y. —
The Air Force Office of Special Investigations personnel joined government and private-sector leaders Sept. 18 at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base in Syracuse, New York, to strengthen information sharing aimed at protecting emerging technologies shaping future military capabilities.
Much of that technology is being developed outside traditional military environments, including university laboratories, startups and private companies, according to Special Agent David Leslie, technology protection mission manager at the AFOSI Center, who represented the command during the event.
According to Leslie, those environments make early counterintelligence relationships increasingly important.
The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence hosted the event as part of its SCALE-UP series. Committee Chairman Rep. Rick Crawford of Arkansas and Rep. Claudia Tenney of New York, a committee member whose district includes Hancock Field, led the discussions.
“Information sharing has to work in both directions,” Leslie said. “Government agencies may have broader threat information and context, but businesses and universities are often the ones seeing activity firsthand.”
The Syracuse event included classified and unclassified sessions focused on foreign intelligence threats.
In addition to AFOSI, federal participants included representatives from the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, FBI, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency, Army Counterintelligence Command, Department of Homeland Security.
Local civic, government and business leaders also participated. The morning session included cleared municipal and civic leaders, while the afternoon session brought in additional business and community representatives.
In opening remarks during both sessions, Crawford said one goal of the event was to bring counterintelligence and business communities together. That theme continued throughout the discussions.
Participants said information sharing among government agencies has improved significantly since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, but gaps remain between government and the private sector. The 25th anniversary of the attacks was referenced throughout the event as participants discussed lessons learned and areas where communication can still improve.
For AFOSI, the challenge is closely tied to technology protection.
“Technologies are being developed today by companies and researchers that may have little or no traditional connection to the Department of War,” Leslie said. “We can’t wait until that technology enters a formal defense program to start thinking about protecting it, that’s why building those relationships early is critical to our mission.”
Those relationships also matter because a business may encounter activity that appears unusual but has no obvious national security significance, he added.
Participants also discussed the need for businesses and members of the public to report suspicious activity through appropriate channels.
“We don’t expect companies to make counterintelligence determinations themselves,” Leslie said.
The Syracuse forum was the fifth and final SCALE-UP event scheduled for 2026. It followed similar events around the country, including one in Huntsville, Alabama, a center for aerospace, defense technology and research.
AFOSI also assisted organizers in identifying members of the local business community to participate in the Syracuse discussions.
“What we want is for our partners to know who to call when something doesn’t look right,” Leslie said. “Reporting early gives us a chance to look at that information alongside what we and our partners already know and determine whether action is warranted.”
Source: www.osi.af.mil
