On April 15, 2014, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper delivered the keynote address at the GEOINT 2013 Symposium.
Director of National Intelligence
GEOINT Symposium 2013*
Tuesday, April 15, 2014 - Tampa Convention Center, Tampa, Florida
For lots of reasons, it’s great to be back here with, kind-of my roots, the Geospatial Community. I’ll spare you all my lines about how great it is to be outside the beltway.
I really think of this community as family, and as Stu [Shea, chairman of U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation] recounted so brilliantly, it’s great to see how our little symposium from 2003 is all grown up.
I want to thank the Geospatial Intelligence Foundation for bringing together government, industry, academia, Allies, state and local officials, and others involved in national security this week.
Keith [Masback, CEO of U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation], you and your team adapted superbly when our symposium, now in its “pre-teen” years, didn’t do what it was supposed to do in October.
A huge thank you as well to all the corporate participants, for sure, without whom this event simply wouldn’t happen. I think the corporate support and the attendance here, the number of exhibitors, is a great testament to the value of this symposium.
I can’t believe Keith has been doing this for six years, and he still has the same passion and the same commitment as when he started.
And of course I also want to add my thanks and praise for Stu Shea, one of the pioneers. So Stu, all I can say is thank you for your very distinguished service, not just to geospatial intelligence or to the foundation, but your distinguished service to the nation.
And I need to recognize Tish Long [Director of National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency], not just for her leadership at NGA, but also as the functional manager for geospatial intelligence. It’s no accident, no coincidence that GEOINT has matured as a collection discipline at the same time that NGA matured as an institution under Tish’s great leadership.
Personally, I’m tremendously proud of Tish, and tremendously proud of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Tish, you and your great people have brought to life things we just talked about, dreamed about, when I served as director.
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