I joined the Army a few months after September 11, 2001 (9/11). Military service runs in my family with relatives serving in the Civil War, World War II and Vietnam. A few months before I joined, I obtained the Eagle Scout rank in the Boy Scouts and was looking forward to a new adventure as an adult. However, I also did not like—nor still do—waking up early and running long distances. One would think I should have known that is common in the Army. Thankfully, I adapted quickly. In the military, you learn rapidly that you must perform as an individual but you still work as a team. Being motivated by my fellow soldiers and helping others made difficult circumstances more bearable. All of those experiences—from getting up early, running long distances and working unbelievable hours—was good preparation for fighting financial crime.
Everyone in the anti-financial crime (AFC) industry knows this profession can be difficult at times. We have to be right all the time, while those trying to take advantage of the monetary system only have to find one scheme or pathway to ruin numerous lives. My time in the Army impressed upon me the necessity of taking challenges head on. Whatever the problem or predicament may be, half-hearted solutions and Band-Aid ideas will not accomplish the mission.
One of the main ways to do this is efficient time management. While getting up at 4:00 a.m. was not how I wanted to start my day, it allowed me to get necessary tasks out of the way. Dealing with unpleasant responsibilities or routine maintenance can be tedious, but if you either get it done early or in between things you love, this allows you to focus on the things that really matter.
The importance of persistence
Difficult problem sets can be defeating but you must be persistent in trying to achieve success. Expert practitioners know that sometimes only through repetition and willpower can you achieve breakthroughs. Thomas Edison is esteemed as one of the most creative minds not only in the U.S. but that the world has ever known. His success was not instant, nor was it consistent. When struggling to invent the light bulb, it is said that he went through nearly 3,000 different failed experiments. Such a significant number of setbacks could easily destroy anyone’s will to move forward. But Edison reportedly stated he did not fail 3,000 times; he successfully found 3,000 ways not to do it.
But what do we do when it seems like all we do is fall short? Certain drills in Army basic training are designed—especially in the beginning—to make you fail. You are given difficult tasks in impossible time frames only to be immediately punished. Tempers flare, people yell and you lose all sense of composure. Similar to Edison, you figure out all the ways you did it wrong and create new solutions.
Tying this all together is not just your own individual effort, but the contribution of each team member. No matter in which branch of the military you serve, we depend on each other. Moreover, within each service each occupational specialty performs a key part.
As an intelligence analyst, I depended on good signals and geospatial intelligence to make sound assessments. Similarly, cultural and economic experts were necessary to create well-rounded reports. The same holds true for the cooks, clerks and individuals in human resources that make the things we take for granted work when we need it most. I cannot tell you how satisfying a good meal is after a long day in the field or knowing the vehicles I depend on to get from point A to Z are well maintained and operated so I am not stranded in a dangerous zone. Being able to depend on others not only provides peace of mind, but the ability to stay focused on your assigned lane.
Fighting financial crime involves everyone’s efforts
In the AFC industry, no one person holds a monopoly on value added. Everyone contributes to culture and group success. As valuable as a senior vice president is in crafting strategy and policy, they cannot replace the first-line defenses at banks. Examples of first-line defenses include a bank teller who notices the same young, dispirited woman depositing large sums on an irregular basis with no listed occupation or a suspicious activity report writer who stumbles upon an astonishing find missed by everyone else when they researched the target company in a foreign language. In basic training when we were being smoked—military parlance for calisthenics that tire you out—the first part of the exercise you would yell “attention to detail!”, with the second half being, “teamwork is key!”
For this reason, teamwork is not just a practice but a philosophy that must be implemented at all levels. Morale must be considered as much a part of the mission as the final objective. Simple acts of visiting those you depend on even if it is out of your way make a huge difference. Taking time to hear their viewpoint and suggestions can make all the difference when you are trying to solve difficult problems.
“Adapt and overcome.” I got so tired of hearing that as a soldier because whenever something went wrong those were the words we heard. It provided no advice or plans for the future. Because I joined soon after 9/11, many changes took place at a rapid pace throughout the armed forces. Lessons were learned the hard way in Afghanistan and Iraq, but they were also implemented quickly back home at garrison. Whenever new orders came out, or training was changed, it seemed like they would always say operational tempo (OPTEMPO) dictates that we do it this way.
Three key lessons from the Army
Those were hard times but very good preparation for my job in fighting financial crime. It seems like every week a new way to game the system, hide assets and hurt people emerges. It is easy to get discouraged when it seems like there is no way to win, especially if you deal with vulnerable victims like the elderly. That is why the first two lessons—being persistent in difficulty, and teamwork—are so important.
The third lesson is simple: Adapt and overcome. Yes, I am repeating the same advice that I disliked but there is a strong reason this refrain resonates so well. When we are successful in our jobs, the enemy will change until they find something that works. We must be relentless and nimble to anticipate what is to come.
AFC threats looming
Cryptocurrencies are not a new phenomenon, but the growing types and widespread usage is. It is a frontier that will continue to grow and challenge regulators, analysts and AFC specialists. The use of artificial intelligence as a tool to manipulate authentication methods looms just as large. Organizations and individuals must prepare themselves to confront these developments directly.
Whether it is maintaining a weapons qualification or CAMS certification, continuous learning and practice is key. It enables you to learn about the different methodologies, tools and case studies to stay a step ahead. Financial crime specialists must learn that to face the new wave of threats, we must all be more interdisciplinary in our skill set.
This will require companies to make more investments in training across the board. Managers must lead from the front to not only set the example but assist their teams in treading uncharted waters. The challenges can be daunting, but if you train as you fight, individuals and teams will be better prepared to meet them.
Erik Tisthammer, CAMS, Cysa+, intelligence specialist, U.S. Attorney’s Office
Southern District of Florida, 
