Tom Drake

And so I was sitting on the terrorism desk, terrorism desk doing incredibly advanced link analysis. Link analysis meaning we're doing advanced social – I'll just – to simplify this, right, without getting into the weeds, social network analysis. Wow. You're going beyond just raw intelligence. What you're doing is because it's terrorism, which is an idea, right, right? But where is it embedded?

It's embedded in people who decide, you know what? I'm going to commit acts of violence or the equivalent against others, right? Because I have an ideology. I have a beef. I've got a bone. It could be historical. It could be personal. But it's not basically non-state actors, although states obviously involve themselves in terrorism. They even help sponsor with proxies and everything else.

It's embedded in people who decide, you know what? I'm going to commit acts of violence or the equivalent against others, right? Because I have an ideology. I have a beef. I've got a bone. It could be historical. It could be personal. But it's not basically non-state actors, although states obviously involve themselves in terrorism. They even help sponsor with proxies and everything else.

It's embedded in people who decide, you know what? I'm going to commit acts of violence or the equivalent against others, right? Because I have an ideology. I have a beef. I've got a bone. It could be historical. It could be personal. But it's not basically non-state actors, although states obviously involve themselves in terrorism. They even help sponsor with proxies and everything else.

I'm gonna sit on the terrorism desk. Guess what happened in 1993 in lower Manhattan? People forget about this. They attempted to drop the World Trade Center towers of truck bombs. And if they went off, people were killed, people were injured. There was a lot of damage. And if they'd been positioned differently, it may have caused way more damage. I'm sitting, I'm in the alert center.

I'm gonna sit on the terrorism desk. Guess what happened in 1993 in lower Manhattan? People forget about this. They attempted to drop the World Trade Center towers of truck bombs. And if they went off, people were killed, people were injured. There was a lot of damage. And if they'd been positioned differently, it may have caused way more damage. I'm sitting, I'm in the alert center.

I'm gonna sit on the terrorism desk. Guess what happened in 1993 in lower Manhattan? People forget about this. They attempted to drop the World Trade Center towers of truck bombs. And if they went off, people were killed, people were injured. There was a lot of damage. And if they'd been positioned differently, it may have caused way more damage. I'm sitting, I'm in the alert center.

We're following all of this. I literally issued a report It's a written report. I am sure it's buried. I'm in the alert center. I'm wearing my uniform, my naval uniform. I'm sitting at the desk. I later, shortly thereafter, I went to the Middle East, North Africa desk. That was interesting as well.

We're following all of this. I literally issued a report It's a written report. I am sure it's buried. I'm in the alert center. I'm wearing my uniform, my naval uniform. I'm sitting at the desk. I later, shortly thereafter, I went to the Middle East, North Africa desk. That was interesting as well.

We're following all of this. I literally issued a report It's a written report. I am sure it's buried. I'm in the alert center. I'm wearing my uniform, my naval uniform. I'm sitting at the desk. I later, shortly thereafter, I went to the Middle East, North Africa desk. That was interesting as well.

But on the terrorism desk, which was a unique desk, a unique desk because it was, in essence, focused on a particular challenge of how do you deal with non-state actors, right? primarily, or the proxies of state actors. They don't wear uniforms all the time. They blend and disappear into the population.

But on the terrorism desk, which was a unique desk, a unique desk because it was, in essence, focused on a particular challenge of how do you deal with non-state actors, right? primarily, or the proxies of state actors. They don't wear uniforms all the time. They blend and disappear into the population.

But on the terrorism desk, which was a unique desk, a unique desk because it was, in essence, focused on a particular challenge of how do you deal with non-state actors, right? primarily, or the proxies of state actors. They don't wear uniforms all the time. They blend and disappear into the population.

They have their own unique ways of communicating, both in terms of language and even technology. So I'm sitting on the desk. I used to report. I said, Because we've been following any number of terrorist groups and individuals, including Al Qaeda. And when you're following them, are you working with other agencies to follow them? Yeah, it's all source. I have different phones on my desk.

They have their own unique ways of communicating, both in terms of language and even technology. So I'm sitting on the desk. I used to report. I said, Because we've been following any number of terrorist groups and individuals, including Al Qaeda. And when you're following them, are you working with other agencies to follow them? Yeah, it's all source. I have different phones on my desk.

They have their own unique ways of communicating, both in terms of language and even technology. So I'm sitting on the desk. I used to report. I said, Because we've been following any number of terrorist groups and individuals, including Al Qaeda. And when you're following them, are you working with other agencies to follow them? Yeah, it's all source. I have different phones on my desk.

I could call up and, oh yeah, or my colleagues right there in the alert center. Like the FBI and- Right there. Right, okay. Right there. That was the beauty of it. It was a fusion center. It was really the first fusion center. The 9-11 triggered all the fusion centers. But we already had that, at least the military, right, reporting to the J-2. But it wasn't just military.

I could call up and, oh yeah, or my colleagues right there in the alert center. Like the FBI and- Right there. Right, okay. Right there. That was the beauty of it. It was a fusion center. It was really the first fusion center. The 9-11 triggered all the fusion centers. But we already had that, at least the military, right, reporting to the J-2. But it wasn't just military.

I could call up and, oh yeah, or my colleagues right there in the alert center. Like the FBI and- Right there. Right, okay. Right there. That was the beauty of it. It was a fusion center. It was really the first fusion center. The 9-11 triggered all the fusion centers. But we already had that, at least the military, right, reporting to the J-2. But it wasn't just military.

You had all the other representing agencies that had anything to do with intelligence, world affairs, challenges, period. Mm-hmm. We even had people dealing with weather. I mean, we're talking, it's a holistic, as we would call full spectrum. Yes. Why were you guys worried about weather? Yeah, because depending on where you were, right? I mean, things happened. Yeah.