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Department of Homeland Security
Posted by admin on Saturday, December 11, 2010
Department of Homeland Security Overview
In 2008, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) signed the Department of Homeland Security Information Sharing Strategy. This strategy was developed by the Information Sharing Governance Board (ISGB) and is highlighted below:
The President and Congress have directed the DHS to perform an essential and multi-faceted mission: prevent and protect against terrorist attacks; respond to both man-made and natural disasters; perform the law enforcement and other crucial functions of the Department’s component agencies; and play a central role in augmenting the Nation’s ability to gather, analyze and disseminate information and intelligence.
To ensure that information and intelligence flow where and when they should, DHS must foster information sharing, consistent with law, regulation and policy, in each of the following ways: i) internally within DHS, ii) horizontally within the U.S. government between both law enforcement agencies and the intelligence community, iii) vertically with State, local, territorial, tribal and private sector partners, and iv) horizontally with the law enforcement and intelligence agencies of foreign allies and appropriate international institutions.
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The Secretary of DHS has made significant strides in creating the environment and infrastructure necessary to foster information sharing by streamlining communication within DHS components, incorporating resources in fusion centers, working with the intelligence community to develop information exchange integrity standards, and developing a senior level governing board that oversees information sharing practices and policy – all in compliance with Constitutional, statutory, regulatory, and other legal requirements, including privacy and civil liberties standards, and internal policies.
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In January of 2007, the Information Sharing Coordinating Council (ISCC) was established. Now a working body of the ISGB, the ISCC is a forum for the offices and components of DHS to collaborate on information sharing initiatives and raise information sharing issues for consideration to the ISGB.
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In February of 2007, the Secretary issued the DHS Policy for Internal Information Exchange and Sharing, referred to as the “One DHS” memorandum, to further mandate open information exchange within DHS.
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“One DHS” established the ISGB as the senior-level DHS governing body for information sharing policy and dispute resolution. The ISGB is chaired by the Under Secretary of Intelligence and Analysis.
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On October 2, 2007, the Secretary included an Information Sharing objective as one of his top priorities for management, policy and operational integration. Information Sharing Objective 13 established objectives and milestones to improve information sharing.
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DHS has launched a number of initiatives and pilots to increase operational information sharing, including but not limited to: the DHS Secure Border Initiative; the Coast Guard-led Inter-agency Operational Centers; and the ICE Agreements of Cooperation in Communities to Enhance Safety and Security (ACCESS) program. DHS has also increased support for, and presence in, State and local Fusion Centers.
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DHS has taken a proactive role in supporting the continued development of the National Network of Fusion Centers. In coordination with federal interagency partners, DHS has developed and provided a wide range of resources and services to assist fusion centers in becoming centers of analytic excellence that serve as focal points within the state and local environment for the receipt, analysis, gathering, and sharing of threat-related information.
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