Original Broadcast Date: 08/30/2026
Sponsored by CACI
Dave Reynolds, Senior Vice President and Division Manager for Mission and Engineering Support at CACI, says intelligence fusion is increasingly about connecting information from across different domains and giving analysts the ability to turn that data into useful insight for decision-makers.
During an interview with Fed Gov Today at DoDIIS 2026, Reynolds explains that intelligence fusion starts with bringing together information that historically resides in separate systems.
“Intel fusion is about taking those stovepipes and taking the correlation of data to gain mission insight for decision advantage,” Reynolds says.
That means pulling information from multiple intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance domains and finding ways to correlate it. The objective is not simply to collect more information. Reynolds says organizations need to understand what the data tells them about the mission and use those insights to make decisions that provide an advantage over an adversary.
The challenge is growing as the amount and variety of available data expands.
Reynolds points to information from classified environments as well as publicly available information and open-source intelligence. As those sources continue to evolve, agencies need systems capable of bringing different kinds of information together while protecting the infrastructure that carries it.
One of the first steps is moving away from legacy systems and toward open architectures.
Reynolds says organizations need to understand how to transition legacy technology so they can share data regardless of the format in which it arrives. That evolution is happening quickly as agencies gain access to new sources of information.
He points to the Indo-Pacific as an example. Intelligence organizations operating in the region have access to significant amounts of ISR information while simultaneously considering how to protect that information against pacing adversaries. That requires connecting cyber, infrastructure and intelligence capabilities while building resilience into the flow of information.
Structured and unstructured data add another layer to that challenge.
Reynolds says managing those different forms of information is a key focus for both government and industry. He also sees a change in how the two sides approach the problem.
Over the past two to three years, Reynolds says the thinking around government-industry partnerships has evolved. There is greater recognition that organizations need to work together and embrace open architectures rather than remain defensive about how information is shared.
For CACI, Reynolds says openness is central to its approach.
He describes a model that combines knowledge of the operational environment, mission expertise and AI engineering. Working alongside warfighters at the tactical edge gives industry insight into the challenges they face. That knowledge can then be combined with an understanding of the desired mission outcome and technical capabilities that help create decision advantage.
Artificial intelligence plays a role in that process, but Reynolds' focus remains on what the technology enables people to do.
He says AI workflows can help reduce the amount of time analysts spend aggregating and correlating information. That gives them more time to concentrate on areas where human expertise remains especially important, including critical thinking and judgment.
The workforce therefore remains an important part of the intelligence fusion conversation. Reynolds discusses upskilling employees so they can use new capabilities effectively rather than tying the mission to a particular tool.
That approach connects technology modernization directly to mission outcomes. Instead of starting with a technology and looking for somewhere to use it, Reynolds emphasizes understanding the operational challenge and then applying the appropriate capabilities to it.
For government organizations trying to determine whether their intelligence modernization efforts are working, Reynolds recommends beginning with a straightforward question: What does the mission need to achieve?
He says mission outcome should be one of the first markers agencies consider. From there, government and industry need openness and transparency in their collaboration.
That means government communicating its pain points while industry communicates the challenges it faces in delivering solutions. With both sides working from a common understanding of the mission, Reynolds says they can work together to solve problems.
Ultimately, Reynolds describes intelligence fusion as more than connecting systems or accumulating data. It is about making information usable.
As intelligence sources grow and technology evolves, open architectures, collaboration and AI-enabled workflows provide ways to bring information together more efficiently. The goal is to reduce the burden of data aggregation on analysts and help them focus their attention on turning that information into mission insight and decision advantage.