The Central Florida Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence is proud to present its colloquium for 2022. With Covert Operations: Causes, Consequences, and Morality, we hope to have a thoughtful and informative discussion on one of the most popularized and often misunderstood aspect of the intelligence community. With our keynote speaker, thirty year veteran of the CIA’s Directorate of Operations James Olson, and a panel expert guests, we will go through aspects of the practice and theory of covert operations, as well as their ethics, and break down where it fits overall in the intelligence community.

There will also be a catered lunch and a poster session showcasing the research of UCF students related to intelligence and national security.

Current Schedule:

9:30-9:40: Welcome and Introduction
9:40-11:10: What is Covert Action and Who Does It?
11:20-11:50: Catered Lunch
11:50-1:20: The Ethics of Espionage and Covert Operations
1:30-2:30: Covert Regime Change: What does the Data Say?
2:30-3:30: Student Poster Session

9:40-11:10
What is Covert Action and Who Does It?

David Robarge (CIA Chief Historian) will review the CIA’s involvement in covert operations, including its goals and its record of success and failure. Bianca Adair (CIA Officer-in-Residence, University of Texas) will follow by telling the story of how the CIA emerged as the designated covert action authority within the US government.

11:10-11:20
Careers in the CIA

A local CIA recruiter will give an introduction and speak briefly about CIA careers and the application process.

11:20-11:50
Catered Lunch

11:50-1:20
The Ethics of Espionage and Covert Operations

James Olson (former Chief of Counterintelligence at CIA, now at the Bush School at Texas A&M) will speak about the morality of, and ethical dilemmas involved in covert action and spying in general.

1:30-2:30
Covert Regime Change: What do the Data Say?

Lindsey O’Rourke (Boston College) will [present her quantitative analyses and case studies of US regime change operations during the Cold War.

2:30-3:30
Student Poster Session