The Real Work of Building Enduring OSINT Capability
- Jane van Tienen
- Jun 25
- 4 min read
We’re not short on data—we’re short on time, context, and confidence.
That’s where open-source intelligence (OSINT) comes in. Done well, OSINT helps decision-makers cut through noise, focus on what counts, and act with greater clarity. But producing that level of insight consistently— especially under pressure— requires much more than A-grade inputs or a lights-out tool.
Done best, OSINT requires a capability that endures.
That’s the conversation we’re opening up at this year’s Australian OSINT Symposium 2025 (18–19 September, Sydney, Australia) where the theme is just that: Building Enduring OSINT Capability.
But, what does that really mean?
Capability Isn’t Just a Tool Stack
There’s no question that tooling matters. The right platform can bring speed, scale, and reach to your investigations. But tools only work, and keep working, when they are part of an integrated whole. Capability comes from knowing how to use tools, why they matter, and when to adapt.
Enduring capability isn’t a one-off win or a single piece of software. It’s part of a connected ecosystem.
At OSINT Combine, we think about capability in four parts:
People – Practitioners who combine technical skill, intellectual curiosity, and strong intelligence tradecraft.
Teams – Structures that enable collaboration, trust, learning, and operational resilience.
Technology – The right tools for your mission. Using platforms that support deep investigation, and scale without compromising attribution or ethics. Understanding how to apply emerging tech—including Generative AI—efficiently and responsibly.
Strategy – Aligning OSINT practice with broader mission needs, whether that’s national or corporate security, regulatory compliance or humanitarian protection—always guided by ethical principles.
OSINT as a Craft of the People
One of the most important things to recognize about OSINT is that it’s a craft.
It’s not just about what you find, but how you go about it (your safety, security, tools and techniques), why you go looking (your intelligence problems, information requirements and priorities), and who you go looking for (your audience). It is a craft of the people for the people.
Strong OSINT is grounded in methodology. As a process, it demands preparation, planning, verification and validation, tradecraft, and structure. As a product, it requires audience awareness—knowing who needs the intelligence, how they’ll use it and what decisions it needs to support.
In the traditional intelligence world, we often say: intelligence doesn’t speak for itself, the analyst does. The same is true in OSINT.
The OSINT Community Is the Capability
OSINT may be practiced by individuals and teams, but it thrives in community. And that community is where much of the real capability lives.
Whether it's volunteers working to identify war crimes, national security analysts responding to fast-moving threats, or corporate investigators tracing supply chain risk —the strength of the OSINT community comes from shared values: trust, transparency and a commitment to continuous improvement.
In both seasons of our podcast, Open Secret – the power of open-source intelligence, this theme comes through time and time again: the power of the many. Even when OSINT practitioners operate in small teams, or solo, the community provides space for collaboration, support, learning and ethical alignment.
Events like the Australian OSINT Symposium exist to bring that community together—not to sell things, but to ask better questions. To share real-world case studies, explore emerging tech, challenge assumptions, and strengthen connections across law enforcement, defense, cybersecurity, human rights, journalism and more.
Enduring Capability Must Evolve
The OSINT environment is fast paced. AI is accelerating how quickly we can find, collect and process information. The volume and variety of sources continue to grow. And global events demand faster—and better-informed—decisions.
But even as tools and tech evolve, the fundamentals remain:
Tradecraft still matters.
Human judgment still matters.
Integrity still matters.
In our thinking about AI—captured in our blog series and brought to life in our course Leveraging Generative AI for OSINT—we explore the balance between scale and sensemaking, between assistance and accountability.
Our view is simple: AI can enhance, but it doesn’t replace. It can support scale, but it’s human thinking that gives OSINT its value. Enduring capability comes from the ability to evolve and embrace the tech—without losing the thinking part.
Recently, someone asked if our free How-To-Guides, A Framework for Evaluation of AI Outputs and Citing AI used in OSINT Workflows, were only for federal intelligence or defense agencies.
Emphatically, “no”.
If you’re making decisions of consequence in today’s world, OSINT belongs in your toolkit. From interrogating publicly available information, to understanding the traps of mis- and disinformation, to integrating Generative AI responsibly into your workflows—this is the operating context for all of us now, not just a few niche sectors. We’re talking about OSINT for all, and for the long haul.
We’re also working on additional How-To Guides to help organizations build their OSINT capability from the ground up, including:
· How to stand up an OSINT function from scratch
· Making smart selections in training and tooling
· Considerations for governance, compliance and policy for OSINT operations
· Operational security and team resilience in investigative environments.
All designed to help you build enduring OSINT capability.
Join the Conversation
If OSINT plays a role in your work—whether that’s in threat intelligence, crisis response, policy, enforcement or strategy—we hope you’ll join us in Sydney this September.
And if you can’t make it to Australia’s harbor city in person, virtual tickets are also available!
Capability isn’t just what you have. It’s what you continue to develop.
So, let’s get to work. Let’s build something that lasts! Get your ticket for Australian OSINT Symposium 2025 today.
The Australian OSINT Symposium 2025 will bring together voices from across the OSINT community and around the globe:
Presentations from OSINT practitioners, humanitarian advocates, AI experts, academics, critical infrastructure operators and national security professionals
Live walkthroughs of OSINT methodologies and real-world use cases
Panels and fireside chats on building OSINT capability, ethics, leadership and resilience
A chance to connect, reflect and build capability together
And don’t forget about our training series in the lead up to Symposium. These webinars are designed to help individuals and teams level up their tradecraft and apply structured OSINT techniques across disciplines—from foundational skills to advanced investigative strategies.
