INFORMATION AND INTEL SHARING
Taking It to a Whole New Level

09/30/05

If you want some insight into the many, many ways that the FBI now shares information with its military, law enforcement, and intelligence partners, take a read of the recent testimony of Gary Bald, head of our National Security Branch, before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary.

If you don't mind wading through all the acronyms, you'll find plenty of details on new policies, processes, and pipelines that are ensuring a constant flow of information and intelligence between the FBI and its partners.

For example:

... New high-level groups like the FBI's Information Sharing Policy Group, the Department of Justice Intelligence Coordinating Council, the GLOBAL Intelligence Working Group and the GLOBAL Criminal Intelligence Coordinating Council are providing and continuously refining national policy guidance, standards, and processes to help get the right information to the right people.

... New interagency initiatives that the FBI either sponsors or is participating in have co-located personnel from across the law enforcement and intelligence community, providing fusion points for gathering and sharing information. They include the National Counterterrorism Center , our 103 Joint Terrorism Task Forces , a host of Regional Intelligence Centers, and the National Virtual Translation Center.

... New and improved tools and pipelines—from Law Enforcement Online for sensitive but unclassified information...to INTELINK for secret and top secret information—share our growing number of intelligence products with those who need to know.

Our coordination with the Department of Defense, in particular, has never been stronger. For example, we have special agents serving as liaisons to several DOD Combatant Commands worldwide and personnel embedded in military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Cuba. Defense personnel are assigned to our National Joint Terrorism Task Force and our local Joint Terrorism Task Forces. We share data and collaborate with DOD on initiatives such as the Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task Force and the Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center. We're also working closely with the military to share fingerprints, photographs, and biographical data of detainees and others.

The result, in Mr. Bald's words? "The FBI has made significant progress in its efforts to share information with partners in the intelligence and law enforcement communities. We have established policies and created the necessary organizational structures to make it easier for us to disseminate our intelligence and provide access to those who need it." All of which is helping to better protect America from terrorists, spies, and major criminals.

Resources: More on FBI Intelligence efforts