Association for Intelligence Officers

                            

  

Chapter

Suncoast

                                

 

                                  

 

  The mission of the Navy is to maintain, train and equip combat-ready Naval forces capable of winning wars, deterring aggression and maintaining freedom of the seas.                    The mission of the Navy is to maintain, train and equip combat-ready Naval forces capable of winning wars, deterring aggression and maintaining freedom of the seas.                   The Central Intelligence Agency collects intelligence through human sources and engages in research, development, and deployment of high-leverage technology for intelligence purposes. It also correlates and evaluates intelligence. As a separate agency, the CIA serves as an independent source of analysis on topics of concern.                    The mission of the Navy is to maintain, train and equip combat-ready Naval forces capable of winning wars, deterring aggression and maintaining freedom of the seas.                 The mission of the United States Air Force is to deliver sovereign options for the defense of the United States of America and its global interests to fly and fight in air, space and cyberspace. Home About Calendar Articles Scholarships National AFIO Contact

The Suncoast Chapter of the Association For Intelligence Officers (AFIO) is pleased that you've visited this site. If you are a current member of the National organization of AFIO in McLean, Virginia, and live in the Florida sun coast area, we invite your participation in this local Chapter. If you are not a member, but are interested in US intelligence and security activities, we invite you to attend one of our meetings and then, hopefully, become a member of the National organization and the Suncoast Chapter.

The chapter was established in the Tampa Bay area in 1977 to accommodate "former intelligence officers." Several evolutions have occurred during the past 30 years both here and at AFIO National in Washington, D.C. The term "intelligence officers" has been expanded to include counterintelligence and security professionals. The term "former" intelligence officer has been dropped from the title so that we now include many members who are currently active intelligence and security professionals. With that cast of characters, our Suncoast roster now includes over 90 intelligence and security professionals.. Members travel from as far as Punta Gorda to the south, Ocala to the north, and Lakeland to the east. Membership includes all five armed services, FBI, DIA, NSA, US State Department, Florida law enforcement agencies and the CIA.

 

Because many of our Suncoast AFIO members enjoy their summers in the northern states, our chapter meetings are scheduled for October, December, February and April. We try to schedule our meetings on the second Tuesday of the month and usually at the MacDill AFB Officers' Club. We are always on the alert for "speakers of opportunity" that may be available to lecture at ad hoc events other than our regular meetings.

 

Chapter meetings are enjoyable and informative. A social period with refreshments is typically scheduled before lunch at 11:30 a.m. After a short opening ceremony at high noon, lunch is served. Next a guest speaker with pertinent intelligence or security related topics talks for about twenty to thirty minutes. Questions and answers usually follow the talk. Our speakers enjoy an atmosphere of "non attribution." We frequently enjoy information and discussions not otherwise available to the public. Our luncheon meetings are well attended by as many as 70 members, spouses and guests. Although increased security measures prevail at MacDill AFB, we are able to arrange for our members and invited guests to gain access to the MacDill military facility on meeting dates.

 

Suncoast Chapter members occasionally participate with local colleges and universities that offer intelligence and security related courses. We encourage chapter members to monitor classes or contribute material from their personal experiences. We invite students who are pursuing studies in US intelligence, security, or foreign relations to attend our luncheon meetings so they can benefit from the experiences and knowledge of our speakers and chapter members. The chapter also has an active program that awards scholarship to local students in cooperation with AFIO National scholarship programs.

 

If you are interested in attending a chapter meeting, please click here and you will be contacted by a chapter officer:

 

The Director of National Intelligence acts as the principal advisor to the President; the National Security Council, and the Homeland Security Council for intelligence matters related to the national security; and oversees and directs the implementation of the National Intelligence Program.

Responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications, it coordinates, directs, and performs highly specialized activities to produce foreign signals intelligence information, which involves a significant amount of cryptanalysis. It is also responsible for protecting U.S. government communications and information systems from similar agencies elsewhere, which involves a significant amount of cryptography.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation protects and defends the United States against terrorist and foreign intelligence threats, and upholds and enforces the criminal laws of the United States. The FBI produces and uses intelligence to protect the nation from threats and to bring to justice those who violate the law.

The Defense Intelligence Agency provides timely, objective, and cogent military intelligence to war fighters, defense planners, and defense and national security policymakers.

The NRO is a joint organization engaged in the research and development, acquisition, launch and operation of overhead reconnaissance systems necessary to meet the needs of the Intelligence Community and of the Department of Defense. The NRO conducts other activities as directed by the Secretary of Defense and/or the Director of National Intelligence.

The Department of Energy's overarching mission is to advance the national, economic, and energy security of the United States; to promote scientific and technological innovation in support of that mission; and to ensure the environmental cleanup of the national nuclear weapons complex

Create a more secure, democratic, and prosperous world for the benefit of the American people and the international community

The Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence (TFI) marshals the department's intelligence and enforcement functions with the twin aims of safeguarding the financial system against illicit use and combating rogue nations, terrorist facilitators, weapons of mass destruction (WMD) proliferators, money launderers, drug kingpins, and other national security threats.

USCG has a broad and important role in homeland security, law enforcement, search and rescue, marine environmental pollution response, and the maintenance of river, intracoastal and offshore aids to navigation (ATON). It also lays claim to being the United States' oldest continuous seagoing service.

AFMIC's mission, always critical to protecting the health of deployed forces, has grown even more important recently with support to Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom and the global war on terrorism. At the same time, the center is increasing its use of new technologies to transform its delivery of timely, forward-leaning, customer-focused medical intelligence.