On Wednesday, February 27th, 2013 Advantage SCI held the first of many planned seminars for the southern California Defense Contractor community. More than 30 attendees from the government and private sector, some of whom traveled to El Segundo from as far away as San Diego and Palmdale, participated in discussions about counterintelligence and cyber security from several Subject Matter Experts (SMEs).

This seminar proved to be different from others typically attended by counterintelligence and security professionals in that it provided updates to industry practices and legislation. In fact, new legislation affecting espionage and trade secrets passed in 2013 was highlighted and summarized by one of the speakers. This left the attendees hungry for more information and the three-hour time frame left attendees begging for a longer session next time. We will hold another event like this in late summer or early fall at both the East Coast and West Coast offices.

Included among the participants were representatives from the FBI, the Joint Regional Intelligence Center (JRIC), and the Los Angeles InfraGard Chapter. Northrop Grumman Corporation, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, and The Boeing Company were also represented. In addition to the cleared defense contractor community showing interest in the seminar, employees from Physical Optics Company and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power attended.

Presentations that sparked discussions were given by retired FBI Agent Mike Hartman. currently employed by El Segundo-based The Aerospace Corporation; Brian Smith, retired from the USAF as a Lieutenant Colonel whose background in counterintelligence currently serves him well as an Advantage SCI Project Manager; Deb Thomas, retired USAF OSI, currently employed by The Walt Disney Company; and Jason Smolanoff, previously a cyber investigator with the FBI, now employed as a VP with Stroz Friedberg.

-Richard Haidle, CI Manager