Stratfor

Strategic Forecasting, Inc. — known as Stratfor — is an American publisher and global intelligence company founded in 1996 in Austin, Texas, by George Friedman, who was the company's chairman. Shea Morenz is president and chief executive officer. Fred Burton is Stratfor's vice president of intelligence.

Other executives include Chief Operating Officer Mark Ozdarski, a retired Navy SEAL officer who has also worked as an investment portfolio manager; former U.S. Special Operations Command officer Bret Boyd, vice president of custom intelligence services; and Editor-in-Chief David Judson.

Products

Stratfor bills itself as a geopolitical intelligence and consulting firm, with revenues derived from subscriptions to its website and from corporate clients. On the consulting side, the company says it helps clients to identify opportunities, make strategic decisions, and manage political and security risks.

Stratfor has published a daily intelligence briefing since its inception in 1996. Its rise to prominence occurred with the release of its Kosovo Crisis Center during the 1999 NATO airstrikes over Kosovo, which led to publicity in Time magazine, Texas Monthly, and other publications. Before the end of 1999, however, Stratfor had introduced a subscription service through which it offered the majority of its analyses. At the time of the September 11, 2001 attacks, Stratfor made its "breaking news" paragraphs, as well as some notable analyses predicting likely actions to be taken by al-Qaeda and the Bush administration, available freely to the public.