March 3, 2026

Former National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Director Vice Admiral Trey Whitworth, US Navy (Ret.), explores a question that is gaining traction across the national security community: Are battlefield secrets disappearing in the age of open-source intelligence?

Whitworth reacts to a recent article titled “The End of Battlefield Secrets,” which argues that publicly available information is reshaping special operations and military intelligence. While he appreciates the author’s passion and energy, Whitworth cautions against oversimplifying the role of sourcing. He explains that classification is not driven solely by where information comes from, but by the content itself. Sometimes secrets are hidden in plain sight. There are things the United States does not want adversaries to know about its capabilities, and there are things the U.S. knows about adversaries that it does not want them to know it knows. That tension, he says, is where the art of analysis and corroboration becomes essential.

Whitworth pushes back on the idea that traditional intelligence professionals resist open-source intelligence, or OSINT. In his view, the intelligence community wants “everything.” He recalls a mentor refining that idea—not “all,” which implies completeness, but “everything,” recognizing that perfect collection is unrealistic. The goal is to gather as much relevant information as possible and render accurate understanding for decision makers.

Accuracy, he emphasizes, carries real stakes. In military intelligence, being wrong can put forces at risk or lead to strategic missteps. While speed is critical—“speed is life,” as the saying goes—Whitworth stresses that corroboration and validation cannot be sacrificed. Decision advantage depends on both timeliness and confidence.

OSINT plays a central role in that balance. Whitworth shares that every morning during his tenure leading a major intelligence agency begins with a review of the press. He embraces that practice without apology. Today, that review extends beyond traditional media to social media and other digitally available sources. In vast and resource-constrained environments, such as his time supporting U.S. Africa Command, open sources often serve as the first indicator that something requires deeper exploration. OSINT becomes a powerful cueing mechanism, especially in regions where other intelligence assets are limited.

He also notes how the community’s comfort level with open sources has evolved. Social media, once nonexistent as an intelligence input, is now openly discussed as a source of decisionable information. The Department of Defense speaks publicly about leveraging it in operations—an indication of how tradecraft has matured.

Definitions of OSINT matter, but Whitworth advises against getting bogged down. The emerging understanding—information that is exclusively publicly or commercially available—helps establish guardrails, particularly regarding intelligence oversight and executive order restrictions. Clear parameters ensure professionals respect legal and ethical boundaries while doing their work.

As artificial intelligence accelerates, Whitworth sees even greater opportunity. Validation once takes significant manual effort and time. Now, AI promises faster corroboration, helping analysts distinguish authentic information from deepfakes or manipulated content. He is optimistic that technology will enhance, not replace, sound analytic judgment.

Ultimately, Whitworth frames the conversation around balance: embrace everything available, move with urgency, but never lose sight of accuracy. In today’s intelligence environment, speed matters—but trusted understanding matters more.