What does intelligence look like in a world of accelerating threats, geopolitical instability and information overload?

In this episode of Siren Investigates, Siren CEO John Randles sits down with Major General John Howard, John Howard, MNZM, former NZDF Chief of Defence Intelligence and former Deputy Director for Commonwealth Integration at the DIA, whose career spans more than four decades across military operations, strategic planning and defence intelligence. His roles included Chief of Defence Intelligence for New Zealand and Deputy Director for Commonwealth Integration at the US Defense Intelligence Agency.

Their conversation explores the changing nature of conflict and the growing challenge of making good decisions when events, information and technology are moving faster than ever.

Major General Howard discusses the risk of an“escalation spiral”, the search for pathways towards de-escalation, and why the effects of conflict can continue through global energy, trade and supply chains long after the immediate crisis. As he puts it,“nothing happens in isolation.”

The discussion also explores how open-source intelligence (OSINT) is transforming intelligence gathering, the importance of finding faint signals before they become obvious threats, and why intelligence-led thinking has relevance far beyond defence and national security.

They discuss:

AI and intelligence analysis at the “speed of machine”

Escalation, de-escalation and the interconnected nature of modern conflict

Moving from data to actionable intelligence

The growing strategic importance of OSINT

Finding faint signals in increasingly complex information environments

Intelligence tradecraft, trust and analytical confidence

The danger of groupthink and confirmation bias

Why analytical diversity matters

Bringing intelligence-led decision-making into the boardroom

Why leaders need to plan rather than simply react to the next crisis

And one message runs throughout the conversation:

“Hope is not a strategy.”

For Major General Howard, the plan itself is not necessarily the most important thing. It is the planning that matters, because planning gives organisations the ability to adapt, shift resources and respond as circumstances change.

Siren Investigates explores how intelligence, investigation and technology can help keep people, assets and networks safe.

#SirenInvestigates #OSINT #Intelligence #NationalSecurity #ArtificialIntelligence #Geopolitics #OpenSourceIntelligence

What is food fraud, and why should it be considered a global security issue?

In this episode of Siren Investigates, we explore the hidden world of food fraud and the vulnerabilities that exist across global food and agricultural value chains, from fraudulent seafood and honey to the manipulation of provenance, documentation and supply routes. The discussion examines why food fraud is far more than mislabelling, and how it can intersect with organised crime, financial crime, human trafficking and wider security risks.

The conversation also looks at the challenge of tracing goods from farm to fork, particularly where products pass through multiple producers, intermediaries, processors, brokers, ports and countries before reaching consumers. The episode explores how weaknesses in traceability can create opportunities for fraudulent goods to enter legitimate supply chains.

A major theme is the role technology could play in creating greater trust.

The discussion considers blockchain and distributed ledger technology, digital identity and what the guest describes through the law-enforcement concept of a“chain of custody” for goods. Rather than simply making information public, the episode explores the idea of “translucency”, where information is available to authorised parties when deeper investigation or verification is required.

The episode also explores where Siren can contribute: helping investigators bring different datasets together to uncover relationships and anomalies that may not be visible within individual systems. The conversation discusses connecting supply-chain data with information about companies, directors, financial relationships, commodity trading and other sources to build a much fuller picture of potentially transnational networks.

What does it take to change policing technology forever?

In this episode of Siren Investigates, host John Randles sits down with Bob Griffin—founder of Coplink, former CEO of IBM i2, former CEO of Ayasdi (now SymphonyAI Sensa), and Chairman of Siren.He has served with organizations such as the Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA), the National Cyber Forensics and Training Alliance (NCFTA), and other public safety and national security initiatives.

Few people have had a greater influence on modern intelligence and law enforcement technology. Throughout his career, Bob has helped shape the platforms that investigators rely on to connect data, uncover criminal networks, and protect communities around the world.

Together, John and Bob explore:

- Why information sharing became one of the biggest challenges in policing?

- The lessons learned from major investigations and global events

- The role of AI in modern investigations—and why AI should support human judgement, not replace it

- How technology can deliver true situational awareness for investigators?

- Why Bob chose to join Siren as Chairman and invest in the company's vision for the future of investigations?

Bob also shares the moment he first saw Siren's technology and realised it represented the vision he had been pursuing throughout his career.

Whether you're in law enforcement, intelligence, public safety, defence, cybersecurity, fraud investigations, or simply interested in the future of AI-powered investigations, this episode offers rare insight from one of the industry's most influential leaders.

Subscribe for more conversations with the people shaping the future of investigations and intelligence technology.