EDITOR'S NOTE: As part of our ongoing focus on student success, GNSI has partnered with the world-renowned International Security and Intelligence Programme, part of the University of Cambridge, held annually in Cambridge, England.

The ISI Programme was launched in 2016, as part of the Cambridge Security Initiative. The ISI Programme gathers the world's leading academics and practitioners from the intelligence and security communities, focusing on the intelligence dimensions of international security from a transatlantic perspective while also exploring broader global perspectives.

This summer,we're excited to be sending two USF students to the ISI Programme for the first time, giving them an opportunity to engage with and learn from some of the world's leading experts. May Birch and Kyle Rudd, the two students selected and members of the GNSI Future Strategist Program, are on the ground in Cambridge, getting ready for the next six weeks of rigorous study, research and security experiences. They might even squeeze in a little bit of fun.  

They've agreed to write this blog for us, detailing their experience at the ISI Programme. You can follow along here, as we'll post their latest blog entries below. You can also follow along on our social media platforms for even more great content, including videos, pics and more. We're at: Linkedin Twitter/X and YouTube.

We hope you enjoy the blog!

May Birch, July 22, 2025

If you had told me before this trip to Cambridge that I would be having lunch with President Rhea Law of my university and the former First Minister of Scotland, Sir Henry McLeish, I would not have believed you. Yet, that is exactly what I did this past Tuesday. Kyle and I were specially invited to attend lunch with these two influential figures in London, as well as a celebration marking USF's 10-year presence in the city. At that celebration, we were also gifted handwritten letters and challenge coins by President Law, a gift I will treasure for the rest of my life.

As for lectures, the true heart of our story here, this week we had the opportunity to learn from a high-ranking Pakistani officer about the history and current stance of Pakistan. This session gave us insight into another country's intelligence community and how current global affairs are viewed across the world. We have also continued to work in our seminar group to run through intelligence simulations and determine the best course of action for different countries. For our supervision, we continue to work with professionals in the field to update and refine our research questions, aiming to enhance our understanding of our chosen themes.

Working with former intelligence officers, we have learned how intelligence organizations think and operate. We have also learned the realities of the different forms of intelligence, the roles held within these organizations (at least the main ones), and the often exaggerated nature of much of the news surrounding the CIA and MI6. By learning how to differentiate between what is likely true and what is heavily dramatized, we’ve begun to shift the way we read literature on intelligence.

Overall, I look forward to the weeks ahead and to seeing how we continue to broaden our horizons and alter our perspectives. Stay tuned to see what we do next!

Kyle Rudd, July 15, 2025

Late on my first Sunday in Cambridge, I walked through Emmanuel College’s stone archway and paused in the courtyard. Warm light washed over the cloisters, the chapel bell rang four times across the lawn, and I knew the coming four weeks would play out within these walls. 

Each morning begins in the dining hall. Sunlight reaches the long oak tables, and conversation starts before I can pour tea. A Dutch classmate shares thoughts on cyber law, an Australian officer updates us on Pacific security trends, and someone else breaks down a recent intel brief from Washington. Breakfast lasts less than an hour, yet it feels like a seminar that no timetable could improve. 

When the dishes clear, a steady stream of students crosses the courtyard to the first lecture. We pass flowering beds and open windows where tutorials hum in the background. This rhythm eases me into the academic day without any abrupt shift. On Tuesday Sir David Dearlove, former chief of MI6 (the United Kingdom's Central Intelligence Agency equivalent), opened the week’s programme. Speaking in a large room, he described the United States and United Kingdom intelligence services as parts of one growing system. His certainty pushed me to refine my own research.

Later that afternoon a supervision group met with a PhD mentor from King’s College London department of War Studies. Six of us compared notes and shaped our individual ideas into our research questions, mine is: How can joint US–UK programmes prevent hacktivist attacks? We left with reading lists, draft outlines, and a plan to trade feedback once writing starts next week.

Theory moved into practice during a post-lecture seminar. Small teams took the roles of different states and balanced fictional intelligence budgets. My group ran a medium-sized European country with two-and-a-half billion dollars to spend. We argued over satellites, human assets, and home-front counter-intelligence, and we learned that strategy lives inside a spreadsheet long before it appears in anyone's speech.

We learned that strategy lives inside a spreadsheet long before it appears in anyone's speech.

Late afternoons carry a quieter pace. I walk narrow streets that lead to bookshops and cafes, then circle back to the college garden where I read until the chapel bell marks the hour for dinner. Formal hall happens every other night. We stand while the Head of College offers Latin grace, then sit to candlelight and four measured courses. Conversation slides easily from policy drafts to HUMINT methods, and the setting ties present study to centuries of earlier debate. 

The weekend offered a change of scene; most of us travelled to London, first to the Imperial War Museum and then to the Churchill War Rooms. In the Holocaust galleries I confronted the human cost of intelligence failure. 

Week one closes with three clear aims for the days ahead. I will stress-test my hacktivism research in class debates, share drafts with peers who ask hard questions, and keep the breakfast conversations lively because they teach as much as any scheduled lecture. In seven days the programme has shown that disciplined inquiry, paired with open dialogue, turns shared knowledge into shared security.

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