Joint Review of Domestic Sharing of Counterterrorism Information
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Review of Domestic Sharing of Counterterrorism Information Prepared by the Inspectors General of the: INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE MARCH 2017 Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General Audit Division Report 17-21 REVIEW OF DOMESTIC SHARING OF COUNTERTERRORISM INFORMATION TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................................... i INTRODUCTION . ............................................................................................................................................. 1 BACKGROUND ................................................................................................................................................... 1 FIELD-BASED COUNTERTERRORISM INFORMATION SHARING ...................................................................................... 3 FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................................................ 7 INTEGRATION, COORDINATION, AND NATIONAL STRATEGY .......................................................................... 7 EXAMPLES OF INFORMATION SHARING AND COORDINATION ......................................................................................7 SUMMARY OF CHALLENGES ................................................................................................................................. 8 INTERCONNECTED MISSIONS OF FEDERAL PARTNERS ................................................................................................ 9 STRATEGY AND COORDINATION IN DOMESTIC INTELLIGENCE AND INFORMATION SHARING............................................ 11 DHS INTELLIGENCE ENTERPRISE ......................................................................................................................... 14 Limited Cohesiveness and Coordination of Effort across the DHS Intelligence Enterprise ................................... 14 I&A Staffing Issues ..................................................................................................................................................... 16 Insufficient Reporting of Counterterrorism Information ......................................................................................... 17 Delays in I&A Intelligence Product Review and Approval ....................................................................................... 18 DHS Lacks Consistent Access to C-LAN and SCIFs in the Field................................................................................. 20 DOJ SUPPORT OF COUNTERTERRORISM INFORMATION SHARING ............................................................................. 21 DOJ Strategy for Internal Counterterrorism Information Sharing .......................................................................... 22 JTTF Executive Board Meeting Participation and Content ...................................................................................... 23 Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council (ATAC) ................................................................................................................... 27 FBI Threat Review and Prioritization ........................................................................................................................ 29 ODNI FIELD BASED ELEMENTS SUPPORT TO COUNTERTERRORISM INFORMATION SHARING ..........................................31 The Domestic DNI Representative Program............................................................................................................. 31 The NCTC Domestic Representative Program .......................................................................................................... 38 FUSION CENTERS ............................................................................................................................................. 42 Federal Investment and Support to Fusion Centers ................................................................................................ 42 National Network Maturity Model ........................................................................................................................... 47 Need to Coordinate Granting of Security Clearances .............................................................................................. 49 National Mission Cell Initiative .................................................................................................................................. 50 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................................... 51 APPENDIX A: OBJECTIVES, SCOPE & METHODOLOGY .................................................................................. 52 APPENDIX B: RECOMMENDATIONS . ............................................................................................................ 54 APPENDIX C: THE OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCES RESPONSE TO THE DRAFT REPORT . ....................................................................................................................................................... 63 APPENDIX D: THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITYS RESPONSE TO THE DRAFT REPORT ............... 67 APPENDIX E: THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICES RESPONSE TO THE DRAFT REPORT ...................................... 77 APPENDIX F: THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATIONS RESPONSE TO THE DRAFT REPORT . ................... 80 REVIEW OF DOMESTIC SHARING OF COUNTERTERRORISM INFORMATION EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Fifteen years after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, the terrorist threat remains in the United States and abroad, as evidenced by recent attacks in Paris, France; San Bernardino, California; Brussels, Belgium; Orlando, Florida; and Nice, France. The U.S.’s national security depends on the ability to share the right information with the right people at the right time. This requires sustained and responsible collaboration among federal, state, local, and tribal entities, as well as the private sector and international partners. In response to a request from the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Offices of Inspector General (OIG) of the Intelligence Community (IC), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Department of Justice (DOJ) conducted a review of the domestic sharing of counterterrorism information. The OIGs concluded that the partners in the terrorism-related Information Sharing Environment components of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), DHS, DOJ, and their state and local partners are committed to sharing counterterrorism information. The partners’ commitment to protecting the nation is illustrated by the actions taken before, during, and following terrorism-related incidents, as well as by programs and initiatives designed to improve sharing of counterterrorism information. However, the OIGs also identified several areas in which improvements could enhance information sharing. To share information effectively, the federal, state, and local entities actively involved in counterterrorism efforts must understand each other’s roles, responsibilities, and contributions, especially with the involvement of multiple agencies, such as the DOJ’s Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and DHS’ U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in complex investigations. Updating or establishing new information sharing agreements among such entities should enhance coordination and collaboration, and reaffirm and formalize the roles and responsibilities of partners in the current information sharing environment. Similarly, although there is a national information sharing strategy, its implementation has been viewed to be uneven. The OIGs believe that the ODNI, DHS, and DOJ should review the interagency information sharing memorandum of understanding (MOU) and take necessary actions to update intelligence information sharing standards and processes among the departments, which we believe would result in better implementation of the strategy. i The OIGs also identified improvements in various practices and processes of the partners involved in counterterrorism. At DHS, a lack of unity in its Intelligence Enterprise, issues in the field related to staffing and access to classified systems and facilities, as well as problems with intelligence reporting processes, have made the DHS Intelligence Enterprise less effective and valuable to the IC than it could be. DOJ can improve its counterterrorism information sharing efforts by developing and implementing a consolidated internal DOJ strategy, and evaluating the continued need and most effective utilization for the United States Attorney’s Offices’ Anti-Terrorism Advisory Council (ATAC) meetings. Further, the FBI should spur participation associated with Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTF) and improve its efforts to obtain partners’ input in the process of identifying and prioritizing counterterrorism threats. Within the ODNI, the Domestic DNI Representative program is hindered by large geographic regions, as well as the lack of a clear strategic vision and guidance. In addition, the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) Domestic Representative program, although well received in the field, has also struggled to sufficiently cover its