Innovations & technologies

In-Q-Tel President Chris Darby on the intelligence community's innovation challenges

Rapid technological shifts have had a profound impact on the traditional capabilities — and competitive advantages — of the U.S. intelligence and defense communities, according to Chris Darby, the president and CEO of In-Q-Tel (IQT). Created in 1999, IQT functions as a strategic investment arm of the CIA and broader national security community.

Technology "underpins society today in a way it never has before," Darby said. "I think if you look at everything from projection of power to pre-deployment of capability, it's about technology. It's about your nation's technology and the way it is deployed around the world. And we're seeing adversaries leverage that, I think, quite successfully."

In a recent interview, Darby, who took the helm at IQT in 2006, told "Intelligence Matters" host and CBS News senior national security contributor Michael Morell that a "democratization" of technologies like satellites and geolocation services had served to close the capabilities gap between the United States and other nations.