NASIC team combines visual design, analytic tradecraft

For more than a century, the National Air and Space Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base has been the nation’s authority on foreign air, space, missiles and cyber threats. NASIC’s expertise is sought around the globe and around the clock to address some of our nation’s most complex problems.

With a broad range of customers spanning the acquisition community, policymakers and joint military operators, NASIC analysts are continually challenged to deliver relevant content to the appropriate audience.

With a focus on this content, NASIC recently stood up the Design, Tradecraft and Analytic Conveyance Office – a team dedicated to the substance, format and delivery of analytic products.

“Some customers want to know how adversaries build the watch, but many just want to know what time it is,” said NASIC Chief Analyst Joe Herrmann. “We created the DTAC to partner with analysts and better communicate complex issues, using a team of skilled professionals that includes visual designers, analytic tradecraft experts, professional writers and editors.

“The vision of the DTAC is to continually improve the effectiveness of our intelligence products through clear language, compelling data and hard-hitting graphics,” he continued. “Our customers are challenged with an increasingly complex threat. We must strive to do whatever we can to create decision advantage through our analytic products.”

With guidance from NASIC Commander Col. Parker Wright to “think like entrepreneurs,” the team started by benchmarking prominent intelligence organizations and industry partners. This led to a successful 100-day proof-of-concept where the team developed analytic processes and completed storyboarding exercises to align and refine their communication objectives.

Now the DTAC is ready to scale its efforts and bring in additional talent to collaborate on significant intelligence production.

If you have analytic tradecraft, visual design, writing, editing, or journalistic skills and are interested in learning more about DTAC, contact nasic.jobs@us.af.mil.

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