Recognizing National Open-Source Intelligence Day

Floor Speech

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Mr. PERRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the National Open- Source Intelligence Day, observed annually on February 26, and to commemorate the 85th anniversary of formal open-source intelligence activities in the United States.

February 26 marks the 1941 establishment of the Foreign Broadcast Monitoring Service, created to systematically collect and analyze publicly available foreign information during a time of global conflict.

This effort laid the foundation for what we know as open-source intelligence, or OSINT, to include the responsible use of publicly and commercially available information to support national security policymaking and informed decisionmaking.

Over the past 85 years, OSINT has evolved alongside changes in media, technology, and global communications. In recent years, it has played a critical role in understanding Russia's invasion of Ukraine, conflicts in the Middle East, and strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific. It has also been essential in enabling and cueing other intelligence collection and analysis.

Its value lies not only in access to information but in the rigorous analytic tradecraft applied to it, including adherence to privacy and civil liberty protections.

National Open-Source Intelligence Day recognizes the professionals, scholars, and organizations who advance the discipline and underscores the importance of transparency, accountability, and lawful practices.

I am honored to recognize February 26 as National Open-Source Intelligence Day.

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