The Chanticleer Intelligence Brief, in association with the new Intelligence Operations Command Center (IOCC) at Coastal Carolina University, have launched a new experiential initiative. The Applied Intelligence Internship promises to be the most immersive, hands-on intelligence activity that has ever been offered for students in the Intelligence and Security Studies program at CCU. Each semester, six interns serve as Critical Mission Center (CMC) Directors, and oversee the work of up to 24 CMC Support Officers, who serve as Senior Analysts for the entire semester. These teams are tasked with collecting critical information on crises and hot spots around the world as they emerge, in a fast-paced and constantly changing environment.

Each CMC focuses on as many as three different topics each semester, which range from complex international issues of global concern, to domestic security concerns that range from terrorism to cyber threats. The intelligence products created in the course of the internship will be hosted on the website of the European Intelligence Academy, which will help oversee the work of the CMC. The Applied Intelligence Internship is supervised by CIB Faculty Mentor Dr. Joseph Fitsanakis, Professor of Intelligence and Security Studies at CCU.

The inaugural meeting of the Applied Intelligence Internship was held in the brand new, state-of-the-art IOCC Briefing Room on January 12, 2022, with the participation of over 20 CMC Directors and Support Officers. Durign the meeting, the six CMCs received their taskings for the first month of the internship, and their members were introduced to the upcoming intelligence collection training sessions, which will be held in the IOCC.

The current leadership and composition of each of the CMCs can be seen here. Upcoming intelligence products created by the CMCs will be hosted on the European Intelligence Academy website.