This document has been produced from conversations that Melanie and Ben have had with clients and potential clients within the Federal Government market including agencies such as DHS, DOJ, Federal Reserve, SEC, Treasury and Commerce; and serves as an outline of expressed interest by these agencies in specific content/solutions from Stratfor. At a high level, the following are a list of areas that all agencies have expressed an interest in:
- Terrorism (including domestic and international terrorism, aviation security, port security, border security)
- Counterterrorism
- Counterintelligence
- Domestic Terrorism (what is happening within our borders)
- Cyber Crime
- Organized Crime (International – all regions)
- White-Collar Crime/Financial crimes
- Drug related crimes/violence (what is going on in Mexico and near the border are good examples of our existing capabilities in this area)
The remaining document addresses areas of interest in specific capabilities and solutions. In a lot of these areas, it seems Stratfor has content and the capability to provide content, the content just needs to be more streamlined and easily accessible and a Portal functionality can help do that.
Homeland Security Related Portal Outline
Potential content and additional services for a security related specific Portal include the following:
- Tracking of Background Information on Terrorist Groups - (This could be a separate sort of Database product as well)
o Since we collect a lot of Intel on members of various groups and leaders that we report on, we could provide access to this raw data – Specifically the FBI has inquired about that info and how that may be used in their investigations. Areas of interest include and is not an exhaustive list:
§ Al Qaeda and its relationship to regional terrorist groups (AQAP, etc.)
§ Palestinian Terrorists Cells
§ Homegrown threats (already mentioned above)
§ Extremist Groups (Shia, Hezbollah, etc)
§ Mexican Groups (Los Zetas – which we already know and report a lot on – and others)
- A Focus on Events Happening Within our Borders
o It has been discussed that this is something Stratfor doesn’t really focus its efforts on but we include as it has been brought up on numerous occasions. Specifically what we know and hear about homegrown, domestic terror groups (i.e. ELF, ALF, anarchists, anti-war demonstration groups, left and right wing extremists, etc)
o This is also not limited to just organized homegrown, domestic terror groups, especially as we see jihadists abroad encouraging other US national radical Muslims to commit acts of terror here in the US (Lone Wolf attacks). So along those lines, what Intel we know/hear about how attacks would be carried out (i.e. small arms assault a la Fort Hood attack – biological, chemical, radiological, nuclear, cyber, etc)
o Are any known groups here in the US (even businesses) connected with or working with international terror groups?
- Aviation Security
o How do other countries implement their aviation security procedures/plans and what has and has not worked?
o El Al has specifically been brought up as an example of a very successful airline in terms of security
§ How do they do it? Can we implement their strategy here?
o What trends in aviation security are we seeing, what are the next methods of attacks, where will they be launched from, who will be the attackers (which groups, affiliations, etc)?
- Port Security
o What trends are we hearing about Port Security? Who owns the ports? Which ports are the busiest? Which ports have increased activity and traffic?
- Border Security
o Many comments that came out of my contacting the Border Patrol Sectors throughout the US include the thought that the majority of Stratfor’s analysis and Intel is on the Southern border, which make sense for obvious reasons, but some would like to see additional analysis and Intel on our other borders/ports
- Financial Components of Terrorism and General Financial Related Crimes
o Who is funding which terrorist groups? How does the funding happen? Are there groups here in the US that are potentially funding terrorist activities?
o Sort of a tracking of the finances of terrorism and the flow of money to terrorist groups or at least a general discussion on the topic
o Do we track or have the capability of tracking money laundering Intel?
- Cybersecurity
o We may not have the capability to provide Intel and data from a technical standpoint but Stratfor can focus on the geopolitical aspects of cyber attacks and the who and why behind them, not necessarily the how
- Surveillance and Countersurveillance Techniques and Terrorist Attack Cycle
o Scott and Fred worked on two reports on these topics and this data would be beneficial especially to the Fusion Centers to share with local organizations
o Basically describes surveillance techniques that operatives might be using inside our borders and what to look for in identifying potential attacks
- Weapons of Mass Destruction
o Does Stratfor have the capability to track and/or consolidate what we hear and the Intel we have on WMD? The FBI has a WMD directorate and has expressed interest in this content if available.
- Drug-related Crime Activity:
o Known suspects and any information we have gathered on individuals or organizations or methods and types of drugs prevalent today
o Points of vulnerability within the US, including supply chain
Additional Ideas for Content as well as Up-Sell Opportunities
- Dedicated Briefers/Analysts (UP-SELL OPPORTUNITY)
o Many contacts talk about the value of Stratfor and would like access to Analysts or Briefers with also the ability to have customized briefs. We often hear that the Intel we provide our clients is better, faster and usually more accurate than the Intel they are getting from their Agency (CIA) liaison (understanding that what they receive from the agency is usually watered and stripped down); having interaction with our Analysts and Briefers would be a great way to capitalize on that sentiment
o This service could be provided through a link on the Portal that would field questions back to Analysts/Briefers – this could also create opportunities for more in depth consulting services and engagements on specific projects that would fall outside Briefer or Analyst access.
- Video Content
o This could fall into each one of the categories above but specific video content either related to each Portal function or possibly to each specific account. The obvious additional work related to this could make this a non-starter but many people express their enjoyment of the video segments, however we should include the ability to have transcripts available for each video piece. In addition, some of the agencies’ firewalls block video content from Stratfor so maybe some way of including in the Portal functionality would work around that issue
- Include World Snapshot
o A lot of feedback received that the World Snapshot is the first thing they read in the morning
- Links to other Data Sources and Preferred Sites
o Stratfor could also provide the ability to incorporate other sources of data into the Portal functionality (i.e. CIA’s World Factbooks, etc) and links to client’s preferred sites for data and Intel
- Stratfor Blue Book Content
o Maybe be able to provide our Blue Book content electronically on the site for quicker access to the books and downloads for clients
- Editor Focused Areas of Interest for Client
o Part of our customization of a Portal solution for a client could include specific articles and analyses of interest to our client that an Editor or a Briefer at Stratfor has singled out for their immediate attention. Further, an executive summary or highlighted material of those articles and analyses would be emphasized for their attention.