Open-source intelligence (OSINT) is the collection and analysis of data gathered from open sources (overt and publicly available sources) to produce actionable business intelligence. OSINT sources can be divided up into six different categories of information flow:
Council on Foreign Relations (New York, NY) Is considered by some to be the most influential foreign-policy think tank in the United States. In policy circles, however, CFR is known for its “David Rockefeller Studies Program,” which often succeeds in influencing foreign policy by making official recommendations to the President and diplomatic community, testifying before Congress, speaking with the media, and publishing on issues of foreign policy.Founded: 1921 Notable Figures: the late Madeleine Albright (former), Tom Brokaw (former), Colin Powell (former), Fareed Zakaria (former).
Brookings Institution (Washington, DC) The Brookings Institution boasts two major claims when it comes to think tanks: it was likely the first think tank to be founded in the United States, and its studies are the most widely cited by the media. Brookings has influenced and contributed to the creation of such historic phenomena as the United Nations, the Marshall Plan, the Congressional Budget Office, and various policies of deregulation, broad-based tax reform, welfare reform, and foreign aid. Formation: 1916
Cato Institute (Washington, DC ) Founded in 1974, Cato Institute moved to Washington, DC, in 1981 in an attempt to become more influential. And become influential it has! Today, Cato is a multi-billion, multi-issue organization consisting of more than 200 faculty and staff members. Named after Cato's Letters, a series of pamphlets published in England in the 1720s which helped lay the philosophical foundation for the American Revolution, Cato's mission is “to broaden the parameters of public policy debate to allow consideration of the traditional American principles of limited government, individual liberty, free markets, and peace.” Founded: 1977 Notable Figures: 10 Nobel Prize--winners in Economic Sciences have worked with Cato, including both Friedrich Hayek and Milton Friedman; other notable former fellows include Vaclav Klaus (the second President of the Czech Republic, 2003--2013) and National Review icon P.J. O'Rourke
Heritage Foundation (Washington, DC) Founded in 1973, the Heritage Foundation rose to prominence during the Reagan administration and the Conservative Movement of the 1980s. In fact, many of Reagan's policies drew significantly from the “Mandate for Leadership,” Heritage's official policy study. Notable Figures: Michael J. Gerson (former), Rebecca Hagelin (former), Edwin Meese III (former), Walter E. Williams (former)
RAND Corporation (Santa Monica, CA) Standing for "Research ANd Development," the RAND Corporation was founded in 1948 by the Douglas Aircraft Company in order to look into the long-range planning of future weapons. Today, RAND is funded by the US government, a private endowment, universities, and major corporations (especially healthcare), and as such has extended its areas of focus to include everything from energy and the environment, to transportation and public safety. On the education front, RAND is home to the Frederick S. Pardee RAND Graduate School, the world's largest PhD-granting program in Policy Analysis. RAND also publishes the peer-reviewed RAND Journal of Economics. Notable Figures: 32 Nobel Prize recipients have been associated with RAND in the last 60 years, including John Forbes Nash, Jr., Thomas C. Schelling, and Oliver WilliamsonDefense and Aerospace related websites,
Center for American Progress (Washington, DC) Founded in 2003, Center for American Progress (CAP) is one of the youngest---yet most influential---think tanks on this list. With the motto “Progressive ideas for a strong, just, and free America,” CAP deals in major domestic issues such as Economic Policy, Education, Health, Security and International Affairs, and Social Policy.Notable Figures: Former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (former); the late Elizabeth Edwards; former Assistant Secretary of Defense Lawrence Korb (former).
Center for Strategic and International Studies (Washington, DC) The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is one of the most respected think tanks in Washington. Since 1962, CSIS has maintained its stated mission of “finding ways to sustain American prominence and prosperity as a force for good in the world” by providing non-partisan policy analyses on issues such as international relations, trade, technology, finance, energy, and geo-strategy. Over the years, a number of well-respected figures from every part of the political spectrum have worked with CSIS, including Madeleine Albright, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, and former Undersecretary of Defense Michele Flournoy. CSIS regularly publishes books, reports, newsletters, and commentaries targeted at major decision-makers. Notable Figures: former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright (former), former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak (former), former Undersecretary of Defense Michele Flournoy (former) Formation 1962; 60 years ago
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
(Washington, DC)
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars is a DC-based think tank dealing primarily in issues of international development, science and technology, and security and international affairs. Established in 1968 as part of the Smithsonian Institution, the Center named for former President Woodrow Wilson seeks to “commemorate the ideals and concerns of [Wilson] by: providing a link between the world of ideas and the world of policy; and fostering research, study, discussion, and collaboration among a full spectrum of individuals.”
https://www.wilsoncenter.org/
Hoover Institution
(Stanford, CA)
The Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace is a think tank associated with Stanford University. Since its founding by pre-presidential Herbert Hoover in 1919, the Institution has been a leader in Domestic Economic Policy, Security, and International Affairs. It describes itself as “moderate Conservative,” which makes sense once you remember that its namesake once toyed with the idea of becoming a
Notable Figures: Robert Conquest, Richard A. Epstein, Niall Ferguson, Timothy Garton Ash, Victor Davis Hanson, Henry Kissinger, Harvey Mansfield, Allan H. Meltzer, Douglass C. North, Sam Nunn, Condoleezza Rice, George P. Schultz, Thomas Sowell, Shelby Steele
https://www.hoover.org/
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace is a non-partisan think tank that specializes in foreign policy. Though its headquarters are located in the Embassy Row neighborhood of Washington, DC, it also has centers in Moscow, Beirut, Beijing, and Brussels, which make it a unique global network of policy research centers. Each center worldwide houses local experts who produce top-notch work on critical national, regional, and global issues. As intended, these experts often provide national capitals and institutions with a deeper understanding of the circumstances shaping various policy choices. The Endowment remains highly influential, and since 2005 the Endowment's asset amount has increased 44% from $243 million to $349 million.
Notable Figures: James Acton, Rachel Kleinfeld, Richard Sokolsky, Michael D. Swaine, Moises Naim, Sarah Chayes, Marwan Muasher, and Dmitri Trenin
https://carnegieendowment.org/
Freedom House
Freedom House was founded in 1941 by a list of DC powerhouses that included Eleanor Roosevelt and Wendell Willkie.
Notable Figures: Daniel Calingaert, Susan Corke, Lawrence Lessig, P.J. O'Rourke
https://freedomhouse.org/
New America Foundation
Founded in 1999, the New America Foundation is a relatively new, yet widely cited, think tank that was recently named the 25th-best think tank among “those to watch.” The Foundation seeks to bring new voices and ideas to the public eye by literally investing in exceptional individuals and policy ideas that transcend the political spectrum.
Notable Figures: Dana Goldstein, Anand Gopal, Emily Parker, Brigid Schulte
https://www.newamerica.org/international-security/
Atlantic Council
The Atlantic Council can trace its roots back to the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, during which member countries came together to promote public understanding and support for policies with the potential to bring widespread peace. Despite its early association with NATO, the Atlantic Council is a separate institution.
Notable Figures: Jon Huntsman, Frederick Kempe, Damon Wilson
https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/
Center for a New American Security
Center for a New American Security (CNAS) was founded relatively recently, in 2007, but has since become a regular resource to such media outlets as the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, C-SPAN, NBC, NPR, and a number of others. The Center specializes in domestic national security issues, especially terrorism, irregular warfare, the future of the US military, and Asia's emergence as a global power.
Notable Figures: Shawn Brimley, Jennifer Couture, James Estramonte
https://www.cnas.org/
The Institute for the Study of War
The Institute for the Study of War advances an informed understanding of military affairs through reliable research, trusted analysis, and innovative education. We are committed to improving the nation’s ability to execute military operations and respond to emerging threats in order to achieve U.S. strategic objectives. ISW is a non-partisan, non-profit, public policy research organization.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) is a United States–based think tank founded in 2007 by Kimberly Kagan. ISW describes itself as a non-partisan think tank providing research and analysis regarding issues of defense and foreign affairs. Others have described ISW as "a hawkish Washington" group favoring an "aggressive foreign policy". It has produced reports on the War in Afghanistan and the Iraq War, "focusing on military operations, enemy threats, and political trends in diverse conflict zones". It has also published real-time reports on the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The non-profit organization is supported by grants and contributions from large defense contractors, including Raytheon, General Dynamics, DynCorp and others It is headquartered in Washington, D.C.
https://www.understandingwar.org/
Modern War Institute (MWI) at West Point
The Modern War Institute (MWI) is a research center at West Point devoted to the rigorous study of contemporary conflict by convening interdisciplinary panels and speaker forums, providing rigorous policy-relevant research, and educating our future leaders on how to win on the modern battlefield.
The Modern War Institute (MWI) at West Point is a national resource within the Department of Military Instruction that studies recent and ongoing conflicts to prepare present and future leaders to win in a complex world. Leveraging the intellectual capital unique to West Point, MWI faculty use a research, educate, and integrate model to remain academically grounded, operationally connected to the force, and fully engaged with cadets and the military program curriculum. As such, MWI directly enhances the quality of cadet military education and training through scholarship, multi-disciplinary contemporary battlefield assessments, symposia, curriculum update and relevancy, academy outreach, and strategic communications
Small Wars Foundation was founded in 2008 as a nonprofit corporation whose purpose is:
Small Wars Foundation's current program activity is supporting the small wars community by operating Small Wars Journal. We are working to increase our capacity, enhance the services offered via Small Wars Journal, and add additional programs beyond the site consistent with the Foundation's exempt purposes.
https://smallwarsjournal.com/content/foundation
Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS)
The Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS) was established in 1984 by the Secretary of Defense as a focal point for analysis of critical national security policy and defense strategy issues. The Institute operates under a charter from the Secretary of Defense and a Memorandum of Understanding with the Director of the Joint Staff. A component of the National Defense University, the mission of INSS is to conduct research in support of the academic and leader development programs at NDU; to provide strategic support to the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Services and Combatant Commands; and to engage with the broader national security community in the service of the common defense.
https://inss.ndu.edu/
Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) is the U.S. Army’s institute for geostrategic and national security research and analysis. SSI conducts global geostrategic research and analysis that creates and advances knowledge to influence solutions for national security problems facing the Army and the nation. SSI serves as a valuable source of ideas, criticism, innovative approaches, and independent analyses as well as a venue to expose external audiences to the U.S. Army’s contributions to the Nation.
SSI is composed of civilian research professors, uniformed military officers, and a professional support staff. All have extensive credentials and experience. SSI is divided into two components: the Strategic Research and Analysis Department focuses on global, transregional, and functional issues, particularly those dealing with Army transformation and the Strategic Engagement Program creates and sustains partnerships with the global strategic community. In addition to its organic resources, SSI has a web of partnerships with strategic analysts around the world, including the foremost thinkers in the field of security and military strategy. In most years, about half of SSI’s publications are written by these external partners.
https://ssi.armywarcollege.edu/
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP or TWI) (Washington, D.C.) The institute's mission statement says that it seeks "to advance a balanced and realistic understanding of American interests in the Middle East and to promote the policies that secure them." WINEP was established in 1985 with the support of AIPAC and the funding of many AIPAC donors. The institute was described in 2008 as "part of the core" of the Israel lobby in the US, a characterization that WINEP rejects.
Founded: 1985
Website: washingtoninstitute.org