Profiles of Stephen Marrin

Gregg Sangillo and Siobhan Gorman. Smarter Intelligence: A Post-9/11 Priority. National Journal. Vol. 36. No. 21: May 22, 2004. 1572-1579. Stephen Marrin Just because Marrin is a 33-year-old, finishing up his doctoral dissertation, that doesn't mean he shouldn't be listened to. Marrin, a GAO analyst and a doctoral candidate at the University of Virginia, is not very well known in Washington. But he's been busy writing freelance articles about intelligence reform and possesses a wealth of ideas and original insight. "He is a thinker," says Bob Heibel, a former FBI deputy chief of counter-terrorism. "Obviously, he understands what intelligence is about, and he's coming up with some very interesting ideas." Marrin, a Colgate University graduate from Long Island, N.Y., entered the CIA fresh out of college in 1996 and worked as a junior analyst. He did not find the work particularly rewarding, but he began thinking about better ways of analyzing intelligence. One reform that Marrin believes should be considered is more fully developed "idea construction." In other words, whereas an academic might be too focused on theory, an intelligence analyst can become overly immersed in specifics, and both can often miss the big picture. Marrin's approach would seek a happy medium between the two poles, and he believes that the CIA's structure should accommodate this concept. For example, four junior analysts may be focused on different aspects of South Africa, but there may be nobody looking at the entire country; Marrin believes that analysis at that big-picture level is sorely needed. Marrin is also proposing a professional association for intelligence officers, based on the model of the American Medical Association, as a way to develop more-qualified intelligence officers. A professional association, Marrin said, would make people think about "what makes that endeavor a profession, and then you go about creating entry standards and educational requirements. You have a group of people who are thinking, 'OK, what does this endeavor require of its participants?' " Marrin also says one of his proposals led to creation of the CIA University, a part of the agency's Directorate of Intelligence. The university was founded in 2002, with courses in language, regional studies, and other related areas. If intelligence is often guesswork, so is choosing its future architects. But it may not be too early to identify Marrin as a rising star.

Melissa Bray. Expert Analysis. University of Virginia Arts and Sciences Magazine Online. Feb. 23, 2005. http://aands.virginia.edu/x5736.xml Steve Marrin chooses his words carefully. He used to work for the CIA; he now analyzes the agency. But having access to some of the nations most protected secrets comes at a cost. "I am bound by a post-employment security agreement," says Marrin. Anything he writes or speaks publicly about intelligence issues must go before an agency review panel -- for the rest of his life. Still, enough of Marrin's work has become public for him to be named as one of the top 10 experts on intelligence reform by the National Journal. "Just because Marrin is a 33-year-old, finishing up his doctoral dissertation, that doesn't mean he shouldn't be listened to," reads the May 2004 article which describes Marrin as a rising star in the post-9/11 world of intelligence reform. "I've no idea why I was chosen," said Marrin, who marvels at the influential names he sits alongside on the list. "It gives what I do a certain amount of legitimacy." National Journal reporter Gregg Sangillo, who helped compile the list, comments that Marrin was, "a key thinker. Somebody off the beaten path, somebody different." Marrin is different. He is a self-proclaimed creative conceptualizer, and his willingness to share his thoughts led him to be at odds with CIA expectations. "The agency has a one-size-fits-all approach to analysis," said Marrin. "This doesn't allow for different types of thinking. I could produce the type of analysis that they wanted once I stopped thinking about it in my way and started to think about it in theirs. "I ask why a lot," said Marrin. "Because of that my focus is frequently on causation or motivation. The CIA, on the other hand, is very data/fact oriented. Their goal is not to ask why." But the agency still listened to many of his ideas, including creating more links between different parts of the agency structure. Marrin's proposal, which suggested a university-like structure, led to the creation of the CIA University in 2002. Marrin's passion for intelligence reform is driven by his desire to keep the country safe. This desire grew after the father of a high school classmate died in the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in December 1988. "This was a turning point for me," said Marrin. "I thought of becoming a cop but that was too much doing for my style. I'm more of a thinker. I want to protect and serve in an intellectual way." Marrin left the CIA after deciding to pursue his interest in studying intelligence analysis, rather than working as an analyst. This brought him to U.Va.'s Woodrow Wilson Department of Politics, and in 2002 he completed his master's thesis, which described the CIA's training program and evaluated possible improvements. Marrin's study has continued into a doctorate under the guidance of the director of U.Va.'s Miller Center, Philip Zelikow, in what Marrin describes as a "work of mutual interest."

Marrin's Ph.D. work addresses the relationship between intelligence and decision making. It assesses the organizational mechanisms used to transfer information between intelligence producers and consumers in order to determine if one approach is more effective than others." Marrin is quick to dispel any hint of intrigue or glamour associated with his work and describes the CIA as a typical office environment. He cites the example of the television series, "The Agency," which was canned after one season for not getting the ratings. "The series wasn't exciting enough," says Marrin. "It was mainly about office work. It was pretty close to the truth." Marrin does admit that there are things he could say that would be cool. "But I can't talk about them. I have a way of making things uninteresting." Far from being uninteresting, Marrin's ideas and offers are coming thick and fast. "I'm pretty much booked through to May," said Marrin, citing a long list of papers to write and present while still trying to finish his doctorate. So from here to academia? "Maybe," Marrin said thoughtfully. "I've got all sorts of ideas.