DCSA Identifying Big Data Analytics Tools to Support Security Missions

The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency is evaluating big data analytics tools to determine the best way to use the technologies in support of spy-thwarting and personnel security missions.

While progress was made in assessing the tools, DCSA Director William Lietzau, a past Potomac Officers Club speaker and a 2023 Wash100 winner, said the agency’s plan to make a long-term investment in analytics capabilities has yet to go beyond the pilot and experimentation phases.

The effort is part of a Department of Defense 2020 data strategy aimed at enabling the agency to rapidly analyze data for critical missions, DefenseScoop reported.

In a virtual event hosted by the Intelligence and National Security Alliance, Lietzau said the DCSA recently engaged with corporations to investigate the capability of different products to capture valuable data. He, however, noted that the agency has yet to identify the tools that are worth investing in.

The DCSA is also considering implementing software that can collect data and capture metrics to help reduce the time needed to assess companies seeking facility clearances; however, the DCSA’s IT systems need to be modernized to support the capability. According to Lietzau, the agency is currently addressing the challenges to have the technology support the “industrial security side.”

The DCSA director was appointed to the position in March 2020, bringing over 30 years of leadership experience. According to his LinkedIn profile, he previously served as director of the DOD Personnel Vetting Transformation Office, deputy assistant secretary of defense for rule of law and detainee policy and deputy legal adviser of the National Security Council.

Lietzau also previously served as the vice president of governance and institutional development at American defense and government services contractor PAE.