[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 37 (Wednesday, February 25, 2026)]
[House]
[Page H2307]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           RECOGNIZING NATIONAL OPEN-SOURCE INTELLIGENCE DAY

  (Mr. PERRY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  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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