INFORMATION
AND INTELLIGENCE SHARING
FBI Report Card to Congress
08/23/04
On 8/17, Executive
Assistant Director Maureen Baginski testified before the House Select
Committee on Homeland Security to discuss progress on the information-sharing
recommendations of the 9-11 Commission. "Our
core guiding principle at the FBI is that intelligence and law enforcement
operations must be integrated," she began. And because
operational coordination requires the full and free exchange of information, "we
have taken steps to establish unified FBI-wide policies for sharing
information and intelligence both within the FBI and outside it." Our work to date
has been on strengthening FBI capabilities so that we can be a strong
node on the information network of those who defend the nation. Vital
information about those who would do us harm is not produced by the
federal government alone. We are proud to also be part of an 800,000
strong state, local, and tribal law enforcement community who are the
first to encounter and defend against threats.
For example:
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We
placed reports officers in our Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTFs)
to ensure vital information is flowing to those who need it. These
reports officers are trained to produce intelligence reports that
both protect sources and methods and maximize the amount of information
that can be shared.
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We
established Field Intelligence Groups (FIGs) to integrate analysts,
Agents, linguists, and surveillance personnel in the field to bring
a dedicated team focus to intelligence operations. As of June 2004,
there are 1,450 FIG personnel, including 382 Special Agents and 160
employees from other Government agencies.
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We
are committed to providing those tools which assist law enforcement
in intelligence-led policing -- from the National Crime Information
Center, the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System,
and the Interstate Identification Index, to Law Enforcement Online
(LEO), a virtual private network that reaches federal, state, and
local law enforcement agencies at the Sensitive but Unclassified
(SBU) level.
We are also
proud to be partnered with the Intelligence Community.
For example:
-
We
share intelligence with other members of the Intelligence Community,
to include the intelligence components of the Department of Homeland
Security (DHS), through direct classified and unclassified dissemination
and through websites on classified Intelligence Community networks.
-
We
share intelligence with representatives of other elements of the
Intelligence Community who participate in JTTFs in the United States
or with whom the FBI collaborates in activities abroad. FBI intelligence
products shared with the Intelligence Community include both raw
and finished intelligence reports.
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FBI
intelligence products shared with the Intelligence Community include
Intelligence Information Reports (IIRs), Intelligence Assessments,
and Intelligence Bulletins.
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We
have also established a robust channel for sharing information
with the Terrorist Threat Integration Center (TTIC). TTIC's mission
is to enable full integration of terrorist threat-related information
and analysis.
And,
these are just a few examples. We encourage you to read
the entire statement. Ms. Baginski concludes, "the
FBI has a responsibility to the nation, Intelligence Community, and federal,
state, and local law enforcement to disseminate information, and to do
so is an inherent part of our mission." |