The Spy Chief’s New Gospel: Buy, Don’t Build
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is shaking the foundations of the U.S. intelligence community. In a bold and calculating move, she’s advocating for a departure from the traditional in-house development of technology, urging agencies to embrace private-sector solutions. Speaking at the Amazon Web Services Summit in Washington, D.C., Gabbard emphasized the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of leveraging existing commercial technologies over building bespoke government systems.
“I want to get us away from having the government trying to build tech solutions for itself,” Gabbard stated, highlighting the need for intelligence professionals to focus on tasks that require human judgment and expertise.
Tulsi Gabbard: “I was a customer of intelligence products both in the military, deployed and here at home, as well as a member of Congress for 8 years…
And in both cases, experienced the value of it… But also in a lot of ways experienced frustration and disappointment with… pic.twitter.com/zfGm6TGfIA
— Abhimanyu Manjhi (@AbhimanyuManjh5) June 10, 2025
AI: The New Agent in Town
Artificial intelligence is at the heart of Gabbard’s vision. Under her leadership, AI has been instrumental in expediting the declassification of sensitive documents, including tens of thousands of pages related to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and Senator Robert F. Kennedy. This task, once a laborious manual process, has been significantly accelerated through AI-assisted scanning to identify sensitive content.
Gabbard’s approach isn’t only about speed; it’s about reallocating human resources to areas where they can have the most impact. By automating routine tasks, analysts can dedicate more time to critical thinking and decision-making.
The Alternatives: Private Sector Partnerships
Let’s face it—when it comes to staying on the bleeding edge of technology, the private sector runs circles around the federal government. Companies like Palantir, Microsoft, and a few fast-moving cybersecurity outfits are light years ahead of anything the Beltway crowd can whip up in-house. They’re the ones driving breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, big data analysis, and network defense. When the intelligence community links up with these innovators, it’s not just to be smart—it’s to ensure survival.
There’s also the basic question of efficiency. Government systems are notorious for duplicating effort and burning through money like it grows on trees. Private firms, on the other hand, are lean and built to move fast. In a crisis, you want tools that are field-ready now, not five years down the line after a billion-dollar procurement debacle. These partnerships let the feds focus on what they’re actually good at—human judgment, critical analysis, and making the hard calls.
Then there’s the matter of sharing information. It’s a two-way street. Private firms often get wind of cyber threats early—either from scanning their own systems or sniffing out unusual patterns across the digital landscape. When they feed that intel to the government, and the government shares back what they know, both sides get stronger. That kind of symbiosis boosts everyone’s situational awareness and gives the bad guys fewer places to hide.
Tapping into private sector networks also opens the door to a wealth of data, research, and niche expertise. A lone government analyst in a windowless office at Langley isn’t going to see everything. But plug that same analyst into a wider net of partners, and suddenly their view expands. It’s like upgrading from a rifle scope to a satellite.
You also get stronger threat detection. Corporate security shops are damn good at protecting their own turf—whether that’s tracking phishing campaigns or isolating insider threats. When those skill sets are fused with government capabilities, you end up with a more layered, resilient approach to risk management. It’s not just one team watching the wall—it’s a whole network, and everyone’s got skin in the game.
And here’s the kicker: this kind of cooperation builds public trust. When partnerships yield transparent, unclassified results—things like public-facing risk assessments or joint reports—it demystifies the intelligence world a little. That helps everyone, not just the suits in D.C. It means that the tools and knowledge being used to secure the homeland can also trickle down into private enterprise and everyday life.
Programs like IARPA, In-STeP, and the Analytic Engagement Program exist to make this all easier. They’re like diplomatic bridges between the classified world and Silicon Valley. The goal? Marry the strengths of both sides without the bureaucracy killing the momentum.
Bottom line: the private sector brings the speed, the brains, and the tech. The intelligence community brings the mission. Together, they’re a heck of a lot more effective than working in silos. And Tulsi Gabbard, whether you like her politics or not, is pushing in a direction that makes a lot of operational sense. It’s about time someone did.
A New Era for Intelligence
Gabbard’s tenure as Director of National Intelligence marks a significant departure from traditional practices.
Her embrace of private-sector technologies and AI signifies a transformative approach to intelligence operations.
By focusing on efficiency, leveraging existing tools, and promoting transparency, Gabbard aims to modernize the intelligence community (dragging them kicking and screaming into the 21st century) and better serve the American people.
And, in the end, isn’t that what we elect public servants to do?