# Atlantic Council panel discusses threat intel to policy careers

Published: 2023-05-30 · Severity: low
Canonical: https://vorant.io/reports/d9fef3df-0f92-593a-a29c-8e1adbfd2b6b/atlantic-council-panel-discusses-threat-intel-to-policy-careers

> Five cyber professionals share insights on transitioning between threat intelligence and policy roles, emphasizing complementary skills and persistent misconceptions about career paths.

The Atlantic Council's Cyber Statecraft Initiative convened five professionals with experience in both cyber threat intelligence and policy to discuss career transitions between the two fields. Panelists included representatives from the Atlantic Council, Hewlett Foundation, Red Canary, and CrowdStrike. They addressed common misconceptions, such as the belief that Hill experience is mandatory for policy work or that technical and policy paths are mutually exclusive.

Participants identified key transferable skills: analytical rigor in examining complex systems, the ability to tailor communications to different audiences, and understanding second- and third-order effects of decisions. They noted that threat intelligence professionals often lack awareness that policymakers want opinions and recommendations, not just objective analysis. The panel also highlighted that researchers themselves are targets of state-sponsored cyber operations from North Korea, Russia, China, and Iran, yet lack government-level protections.

Practical advice included pursuing non-resident fellowships at think tanks, volunteering at policy-focused conferences like Policy@DEF CON, and engaging with public comment processes on regulations. The consensus was that the two communities need deeper dialogue, with threat intelligence providing essential ground truth about how threats operate to inform effective policymaking.

## Mentioned in this report

- Threat actors: China, Iran, North Korea, Russia

Source reporting: https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/content-series/the-5x5/the-5x5-cross-community-perspectives-on-cyber-threat-intelligence-and-policy

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