Eliot A. Jardines was the first Assistant Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Open Source (ADDNI/OS). Assuming this position on 5 December 2005, he was responsible for developing strategic direction, establishing policy and managing fiscal resources for open source exploitation as well as document and media exploitation for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). Prior to joining the ODNI, Mr. Jardines was the founder and president of Open Source Publishing, Inc., a privately held firm providing open source intelligence support to the public and private sectors.

Mr. Jardines served in military intelligence assignments overseas and in the United States in both the active Army and the Army Reserve. He got his start in open source intelligence as a member of the US Army's 434th Military Intelligence Detachment (Strategic) which was affiliated with Yale University and commanded by then COL Rob Simmons, now a US Congressman.

Born in New York City to a Cuban father and Costa Rican mother, Jardines is fluent in Spanish and was raised in Fairfield, Connecticut and attended Fairfield High School (class of 1989). He is a graduate of the University of New Mexico with a dual degree in political science and Latin American studies. He received a Master of Arts degree in international studies from the University of Connecticut and a Master of Science in Strategic Intelligence degree from the Joint Military Intelligence College.

He is notable as the foremost U.S. federal government authority with respect to Open source intelligence who established the National Open Source Enterprise. According to an intelligence blogger, Jardines was a contender for the CIA Director position when Porter Goss resigned.