Counterterrorism Intelligence - Fusion Center Perspectives

Counterterrorism
Intelligence:
Fusion Center Perspectives
June 2012
Frank J. Cilluffo
Joseph R. Clark
Michael P. Downing
Keith D. Squires
Founded in 2003, The George Washington University Homeland Security Policy Institute (HSPI) is a nonpartisan think
and do tank whose mission is to build bridges between theory and practice to advance homeland security through an
interdisciplinary approach. By convening domestic and international policymakers and practitioners at all levels of government,
the private and non-prot sectors, and academia, HSPI creates innovative strategies and solutions to current and future threats
to the nation.
Frank J. Cilluffo has served as Director of the Homeland Security Policy Institute since joining The George
Washington University in April 2003. He is also an Associate Vice President and leads GW's homeland security efforts
on policy, research, education, and training. The Institutes recent policy and research agenda covers a wide range of
national and homeland security matters, including counterterrorism, counter-radicalization & counter-narrative
efforts, cyber threats & deterrence, transportation security, CBRN terrorism, intelligence, national resilience,
emergency management, and the nexus of crime and terrorism. Prior to founding HSPI, Cilluffo served as Special
Assistant to the President for Homeland Security at the White House.
Dr. Joseph R. Clark is a policy analyst at HSPI. His primary research interests include military doctrine, national
security strategy, counterterrorism policy, and organizational learning. He serves as the research director for HSPI's
Counterterrorism and Intelligence Task Force. In addition, he leads HSPI's Counterterrorism Intelligence Survey
Research (CTISR) program. Clark has written on counterinsurgency doctrine, the need to engage moderate members
of the Taliban in political dialogue, piracy, and the US Army's ability to innovate doctrine in the face of strategic
failure in Vietnam and Iraq.
Deputy Chief Michael P. Downing is the Commanding Ofcer of the Los Angeles Police Departments Counter-
Terrorism and Special Operations Bureau where he leads ve operational divisions: Major Crimes Division,
Emergency Services Division, Metropolitan Division, Air Support Division, and Emergency Operations Division.
These divisions include the Anti-Terrorism Intelligence Section, Criminal Investigative Section, Organized Crime,
Surveillance Section, Hazardous Devices Section, Operation Archangel, LAX Bomb K-9 Section, Special Weapons and
Tactics (SWAT), Mounted Unit, Underwater Dive Team, and Emergency Preparedness and Response. Downing is
also a member of the Executive Board of the Los Angeles Joint Regional Intelligence Center (JRIC) and a Senior
Fellow at HSPI.
Colonel Keith D. Squires is the Deputy Commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety. He also serves as the
Governor's Homeland Security Advisor responsible for Utahs Homeland Security and Emergency Management
Division. He provides additional oversight for the State Bureau of Investigation, the Statewide Information and
Analysis Center and the State Crime Lab. In 2007, he was tasked with designing and establishing Utah's fusion
center. Col. Squires began his career with the Utah Department of Public Safety in November of 1989 as a Utah
Highway Patrol trooper and promoted through all ranks of the agency. He has previously served as the director of
the State Bureau of Investigation, deputy director of the Utah Division of Homeland Security and assistant
superintendent of the Utah Highway Patrol.
This research was made possible by the generous support of
The George Washington University and the Ahmanson Foundation.
The authors would like to thank the National Fusion Centers Association for its help with this survey,
especially Ross Ashley and Mike Sena for their advice and feedback. They would also like to thank HSPI intern Anna
Mae Gibson for her exceptional editing and support.
Research Brief Volume 2, Number 1. Washington, DC; Homeland Security Policy Institute.
This brief carries a Creative Commons license, which permits re-use of Homeland Security Policy Institute (HSPI) content when
proper attribution is provided. This means you are free to copy, display and distribute HSPIs work, or include our content in
derivative works provided that a standard source credit line is included. For more information about citation, please see the nal
page of this document. For more information about HSPIs research, please email hspi@gwu.edu.
For current and past publications of the Homeland Security Policy Institute,
please visit HSPIs website at www.homelandsecurity.gwu.edu.
ISBN: 978-0-9839904-4-4
2001
On September 9th, shortly after midnight, Maryland State Police Trooper Joseph
Catalano pulls over a red Mitsubishi. The car was traveling 90 miles per hour in a 65
mile per hour northbound stretch of Interstate 95. The troopers dashboard mounted
camera and microphone record the eight minute trafc stop.
Trooper Catalano takes the drivers Virginia license and the
rental cars registration information and walks back to his
cruiser. He asks dispatchers to check whether the car has been
reported as stolen. It has not. There is no reason to hold the
driver. The incident appears to be nothing but a routine trafc
stop. The driver is calm and polite.
Trooper Catalano walks back to the red Mitsubishi. He hands the driver a
ticket for $270 and tells him he needs to sign it. The driver signs the ticket and hands it
back. Youre free to go Catalano tells the driver before returning to his patrol car.
As he returns to his cruiser, Catalano is unaware that the driver, Ziad Jarrah, is on a
Central Intelligence Agency watchlist. Fifteen seconds later he watches the red car and
its driver disappear into the night.
Two days later, Ziad Jarrah boards United Flight 93 and takes his position in seat 1B
the closest to the cockpit.'
2011
On June 25th, around 6:00pm, ofcers from the Colorado State Patrol arrest the driver of
a green Toyota pickup truck who had been driving erratically. When the police
attempted to pull him over the driver ed. He eventually crashes
his truck on Highway 103 in Clear Creek County.
Colorado State Police arrest the driver for reckless driving, driving
drunk, having an open alcohol container in the vehicle, and felony
menacing. As they process the driver, and input information about
his pickup, they learn from the Colorado Information Analysis
Center that the green Toyota matches one used in the attempted
bombing of a bookstore in Lakewood, Colorado.
A week later, federal authorities charge the driver David
Lawless with planting a series of explosives around the
Colorado Mills Mall in Lakewood.
The arrest and prosecution of Lawless for the attempted bombings has been directly
supported by the Colorado Information Analysis Center. The fusion center successfully
gathered and disseminated information from private businesses, local police, state
authorities, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Lawless is scheduled to stand trial in 2012.
Counterterrorism Intelligence: Fusion Center Perspectives
Homeland Security Policy Institute | Research Brief | J une 2012 | Page 1 of 35
!"#$%&#
ln marklng Lhe LenLh annlversary of Lhe 9/11 auacks, Lhe uS ueparLmenL of Pomeland SecurlLy noLed
LhaL: luslon cenLers are unlquely slLuaLed Lo empower fronL-llne law enforcemenL, publlc safeLy, re
servlce, emergency response, publlc healLh, crlucal lnfrasLrucLure proLecuon, and prlvaLe secLor securlLy
personnel Lo undersLand local lmpllcauons of nauonal lnLelllgence, Lhus enabllng local omclals Lo beuer
proLecL Lhelr communlues." We agree, Lhls ls Lhe promlse behlnd Lhe concepL of Lhe fuslon cenLers. ?eL,
Lhe research conLalned ln Lhls reporL lndlcaLes LhaL Lhe promlse has yeL Lo be fullled.
A decade aer 9/11, Lhe uS lncreaslngly faces blended LhreaLs. Cur homeland securlLy sLrucLures musL be
prepared Lo address forelgn dlrecLed or lnsplred auacks, homegrown [lhadl ploLs, or hybrld LhreaLs LhaL
mlx Lhese elemenLs wlLh new Lechnologlcal resources - lncludlng Lhose ln cyberspace, where compuLer
neLwork auacks and compuLer neLwork explolLs can be leveraged by our adversarles. MeeLlng Lhe
challenges of Lhls evolvlng LhreaL envlronmenL requlres a robusL naLlonal lnLelllgence enLerprlse. lL requlres
LhaL Lhe fuslon cenLers acL as more Lhan hubs for Lhe clrculaLlng of lnformaLlon. lL requlres LhaL Lhose who
work ln Lhe cenLers be lnvesLed wlLh Lhe analyLlcal capablllLles and sklll-crafL necessary Lo fuse dlsparaLe
pleces of lnformaLlon lnLo rlsk-based LhreaL assessmenLs, expllclL warnlngs, and acLlonable lnLelllgence. uaLa
from Lhose worklng ln Lhe fuslon cenLers suggesLs such lnvesLmenLs have yeL Lo be made. lrom Lhe
perspecLlve of Lhose ln Lhe cenLers, our fuslon cenLers excel aL Lhe dlssemlnaLlon of lnformaLlon, yeL lack Lhe
analyLlcal capablllLles needed Lo fulflll Lhelr mandaLe Lo assess Lhe local lmpllcaLlons of LhreaLs.
1he uS' naLlonal neLwork of fuslon cenLers are an lmporLanL parL of our naLlonal lnLelllgence enLerprlse.
WlLh an lncreased lnvesLmenL ln Lhe analyLlcal Lralnlng afforded Lo Lhose ln Lhe cenLers, and wlLh a reLoollng
of Lhe professlonal lncenLlve sLrucLures used Lo evaluaLe and manage Lhelr performance, Lhe fuslon cenLers
can fulflll Lhelr promlse and become Lrue asseLs Lo homeland securlLy. AlLhough we are suggesLlng LhaL
addlLlonal resources be allocaLed, we recognlze Lhe reallLy of exlsLlng budgeLary consLralnLs. 1he argumenLs
presenLed here are noL ones for spendlng bllndly. lnvesLmenLs ln Lhe capablllLles of Lhe fuslon cenLers could
(and should) bulld on exlsLlng successful efforLs wlLhln Lhe lnLelllgence and law enforcemenL communlLles.
CuLslde Lhe fuslon cenLer neLwork, Lhe lnLeragency 1hreaL AssessmenL and CoordlnaLlon Croup (l1ACC)
provldes a concomlLanL example. 8y worklng Lo supporL Lhe developmenL of analysLs, supplylng guldance ln
Lhe consLrucLlon of Lallored lnLelllgence producLs, and faclllLaLlng access Lo classlfled lnformaLlon, l1ACC
provldes one model and seL of resources for movlng Lhe fuslon cenLers forward. luLure efforLs should follow
a slmllar paLLern and provlde concreLe supporL Lo speclflc cenLers ln an efforL Lo help grow and expand Lhelr
endogenous analyLlcal capablllLles.
1hose worklng ln Lhe fuslon cenLers have lmporLanL and valuable lnslghLs. 1hey are Lo be commended for
Lhelr dedlcaLlon and hard work ln boLh Lhe servlce of Lhelr communlLles and Lhls counLry. lurLhermore,
uslng Lhe perspecuve of Lhose worklng ln our nauonal neLwork of fuslon cenLers lL ls posslble Lo geL a
Counterterrorism Intelligence Survey Research | Research Brief | J une 2012 | Page 2 of 35
pracuuoner level vlew of exlsung LhreaLs, emergenL rlsks, and our level of preparedness ln addresslng
Lhem. lL ls also posslble Lo evaluaLe how well Lhe fuslon cenLers are fullllng Lhelr mandaLe Lo overcome
Lhe lnformauon sharlng and lnLelllgence shorLcomlngs of our pre-9/11 homeland securlLy sLrucLures.
1hese lasL Lwo polnLs geL Lo Lhe prlmary ob[ecuve of Lhe research conLalned ln Lhls reporL - Lo exLracL
and bulld upon Lhe lessons and lnslghLs of pracuuoners.
lL ls lmposslble Lo meeL Lhose ob[ecuves wlLh a slngle survey or reporL. WhaL ls posslble, however, ls Lo
begln Lo focus auenuon on Lhe value of pracuuoner level perspecuves and Lo begln Lo draw lessons from
whaL Lhey have Lo Leach us. 1hls reporL ls a sLep ln Lhe Pomeland SecurlLy ollcy lnsuLuLe's commlLmenL
Lo dolng [usL LhaL.
ln supporL of eorLs Lo consLrucL and conunuously lmprove our nauonal lnLelllgence enLerprlse, Lhe
Pomeland SecurlLy ollcy lnsuLuLe aL 1he Ceorge WashlngLon unlverslLy has begun Lhe !"#$%&'%&''"'()*
,$%&--(.&$/& 0#'1&2 3&)&4'/5 6!7,038 program as a long-Lerm endeavor. 1hls program represenLs an
auempL Lo sysLemaucally collecL daLa from counLerLerrorlsm professlonals aL all levels of governmenL.
C1lS8 wlll measure ptocuuooet percepuons of Lhe LhreaL and Lhe sysLems by whlch Lhey gaLher and
evaluaLe lnformauon abouL lL. WlLh such pracuuoner-level daLa, lL wlll be posslble Lo reach an emplrlcally
derlved undersLandlng of Lhe evolvlng LhreaL posed by Lerrorlsm, lLs relauonshlp Lo crlmlnal acuvlues and
oLher socleLal dangers, and Lhe sLaLus of collaborauve and cooperauve eorLs Lo combaL lL. ln shorL, wlLh
such daLa lL wlll be posslble Lo brlng a llule sclence Lo Lhe arL of counLerLerrorlsm lnLelllgence. Cnly Lhen,
can Lhe llmlLed resources avallable for LargeLed programs and pro[ecLs be uullzed ln a fashlon LhaL can
yleld Lhe greaLesL beneLs Lo Amerlcan securlLy.
C1lS8 ls, aL lLs core, lnLeresLed ln Lhe nauonal counLerLerrorlsm lnLelllgence enLerprlse of Lhe unlLed SLaLes
- by whlch, ls meanL Lhe processes and mechanlsms Lhrough whlch counLerLerrorlsm relevanL
lnformauon ls collecLed and analyzed by governmenL enuues and pracuuoners aL Lhe local, sLaLe, Lrlbal,
reglonal, and federal levels. Such processes and mechanlsms, as well as Lhe lndlvldual and organlzauonal
behavlors LhaL develop and susLaln Lhem, represenL a neLwork of acuvlues LhaL auempL Lo deLermlne
LhreaL domalns by deLecung and evaluaung rlsks Lo Lhe safeLy and securlLy of Lhe people of Lhe unlLed
SLaLes - whlle aL Lhe same ume proLecung Lhe clvll rlghLs and clvll llberues LhaL Amerlcans cherlsh and
LhaL dene Lhe pollucal culLure of Lhe unlLed SLaLes.
lrank !. Cllluo
!oseph 8. Clark
Mlchael . uownlng
kelLh u. Squlres
'()(* ,-.# /0 1"(.2
A lebruary 2012 PSl poll of lndlvlduals worklng ln
Lhe (Lhen) sevenLy-Lwo sLaLe and ma[or urban area
fuslon cenLers found Lhe followlng:
- Cn a scale of 1 Lo 10, ln whlch 10 equals hlgh
LhreaL," sllghLly more Lhan forLy-nlne percenL of
respondenLs sLaLed LhaL Lerrorlsm posed a LhreaL
of 6 or greaLer ln Lhelr reglon.
- A ma[orlLy of respondenLs, sllghLly more Lhan
sevenLy-elghL percenL, expecL Lhe LhreaL of
Lerrorlsm Lo perslsL. no one lndlcaLed LhaL Lhey
expecL lL Lo dlmlnlsh.
- When asked who posed Lhe greaLesL Lerror LhreaL,
a ma[orlLy of respondenLs, more Lhan slxLy-ve
percenL, answered homegrown [lhadl lndlvlduals
or organlzauons.
- A mlnorlLy of respondenLs, sllghLly more Lhan
LwenLy-nlne percenL, reporLed LhaL Lhelr cenLer
conducLed reglonal LhreaL assessmenLs on a yearly
basls.
- Small ma[orlues, sllghLly more Lhan y-Lwo
percenL and sllghLly more Lhan y percenL, sLaLed
LhaL Lhelr cenLers had eecuve sLraLegles for
gaLherlng lnformauon abouL Lhe capablllues and
lnLenuons of Lhose Lhey ldenued as poslng Lhe
greaLesL LhreaL ln Lhelr reglon.
- When asked who Lhey belleve Lo be Lhe mosL
l mpor L anL source f or counL er L er ror l sm
lnformauon, law enforcemenL was Lhe mosL
common answer (glven by forLy-elghL percenL of
respondenLs). 1he l8l's !olnL 1errorlsm 1ask
lorces (!11ls) were Lhe second mosL common
answer (gl ven by LwenLy-sl x percenL of
respondenLs.)
slxLy-nlne percenL, reporLed LhaL Lhey send
lnformauon Lo Lhe ma[or law enforcemenL enuues
ln Lhelr [urlsdlcuon every day.
- A ma[orlLy of respondenLs, sllghLly more Lhan y-
Lhree percenL, sLaLed LhaL Lhe owners of crlucal
lnfrasLrucLure ln Lhelr reglon were noL parL of Lhelr
fuslon cenLer.
- A ma[orlLy of respondenLs, sllghLly more Lhan y-
one percenL, llsLed analyucal capablllues as Lhe
funcuonal area ln whlch Lhelr cenLer needs Lhe
mosL lmprovemenL.
- A mlnorlLy of respondenLs, sllghLly less Lhan forLy-
slx percenL, sLaLed LhaL Lhe uS' homeland warnlng
sysLem was adequaLe.
slxLy-ve percenL, belleve Lhelr cenLer has
relauvely weak capablllues ln regard Lo Lhe
gaLherlng, recelvlng, and analyzlng of cyber
LhreaLs.
- Law enforcemenL remalns Lhe operauonal focus of
mosL fuslon cenLers. SlxLy-Lhree percenL of
respondenLs llsLed law enforcemenL as Lhelr
cenLer's mosL lmporLanL funcuon. (ApproxlmaLely
LwenLy-elghL percenL ldenued counLerLerrorlsm
as Lhelr cenLer's mosL lmporLanL funcuon - whlch
naLurally lncludes law enforcemenL funcuons.)
8esulLs from PSl's survey suggesL LhaL Lhe fuslon
cenLer sysLem ls dened by Lhe professlonal
backgrounds of Lhe lndlvlduals LhaL sLa Lhem - noL
Lhe evenLs LhaL Lrlggered Lhelr creauon. 1hose
worklng ln Lhe fuslon cenLers appear Lo recognlze
Lhls and openly express a need for Lhe personnel
lnvesLmenLs LhaL would allow Lhem Lo fulll Lhe
promlse and mandaLe under whlch Lhelr cenLers
were esLabllshed. Clven Lhese lasL Lwo polnLs,
quesuons naLurally arlse abouL Lhe quallLy and
quanuLy of Lhe local, sLaLe, and federal supporL belng
provlded Lo Lhe cenLers.
'%&34"(5.6
Accordl ng Lo gul del l nes publ l shed by Lhe
ueparLmenL of Pomeland SecurlLy (uPS) and
ueparLmenL of !usuce (uo!), A fosloo ceotet ls
dened as a 'collaborauve eorL of Lwo or more
agencles LhaL provlde resources, experuse, and
lnformauon Lo Lhe cenLer wlLh Lhe goal of
maxlmlzlng Lhelr ablllLy Lo deLecL, prevenL,
lnvesugaLe, and respond Lo crlmlnal and LerrorlsL
acuvlLy.'"
uPS recognlzes sevenLy-seven sLaLe-deslgnaLed and
ma[or urban area fuslon cenLers. 1hls number
represenLs a recenL (March 2012) lncrease from Lhe
sevenLy-Lwo recognlzed cenLers LhaL exlsLed aL Lhe
ume Lhls research was conducLed.
luslon cenLers are prlmarlly sLaed by sLaLe and local
personnel, alLhough Lhey may occaslonally have
represenLauves from uo! or uPS enuues - lncludlng
Lhe lederal 8ureau of lnvesugauons (l8l), Lhe urug
LnforcemenL Agency (uLA), lmmlgrauon and
CusLoms LnforcemenL (lCL), and CusLoms and 8order
roLecuon (C8).
luslon cenLer sLas range ln slze from four
lndlvlduals Lo more Lhan one hundred. 8egardless of
any federal presence or fundlng, fuslon cenLers are
owned and operaLed by sLaLe and local [urlsdlcuons
- each of whom Lallors Lhe mlsslon focus and
acuvlues of Lhelr cenLer Lo Lhe speclc needs of Lhelr
[urlsdlcuon.
Lach fuslon cenLer ls noL, however, a sol qeoetls
expresslon of purely local needs. lndlvldually and
collecuvely Lhey are Lhe producL of Lhe Lerror auacks
of SepLember 11, 2001 - and Lhe resulung
lnvesugauons LhaL ldenued Lhe lack of lnformauon
sharlng and envlronmenLal awareness as key facLors
LhaL allowed a growlng LhreaL Lo go undeLecLed.'
1he fuslon cenLers are, ln facL, lnLended Lo be a local,
sLaLe, reglonal, and nauonal asseLs. A polnL
lllusLraLed by Lhe facL LhaL Lhe 2010 nauonal SecurlLy
SLraLegy conunues Lo hlghllghL Lhe role of fuslon
cenLers ln prevenung acLs of Lerrorlsm and Lhe
l mporLance of l everagl ng l nLel l l gence, l aw
enforcemenL, and homeland securlLy capablllues.
Lach fuslon cenLer was esLabllshed Lo recelve,
anal yze, gaLher, and share LhreaL- rel aLed
lnformauon." lndlvldually and collecuvely, Lhe fuslon
cenLers exlsL Lo provlde early warnlng of LhreaLs from
crlmlnal and Lerror acuvlues, Lo supporL emergency
managemenL, and faclllLaLe Lhe ldenucauon,
assessmenL, and proLecuon of crlucal lnfrasLrucLure.
1o summarlze, Lhe fuslon cenLers exlsL as a neLwork
for deLecung LhreaLs, sharlng lnformauon, provldlng
warnlng, and coordlnaung responses.
The ultimate goal is to provide a
mechanism where law enforcement, public
safety, and private sector partners can come
together with a common purpose and
improve the ability to safeguard our
homeland and prevent criminal activity.
The fusion center is this mechanism; it is
key to ensuring the ow of threat- and
crime-related information between local,
state, regional, and federal partners.
Fusion Center Guidelines'
lulflllmenL of Lhe fuslon cenLer mandaLe ls predlcaLed
on Lhe collecLlon of lnformaLlon by publlc and prlvaLe
secLor enLlLles aL Lhe local, sLaLe, reglonal, and federal
levels. 1hls lnformaLlon, ln elLher raw or processed
forms musL be gaLhered from dlsparaLe sources and
merged, correlaLed, exLracLed, deconfllcLed, and
reflned. 1hls ls Lhe fuslon process. lrom lL, Lhe
developmenL of a rlch plcLure of varlous LhreaL
domalns becomes posslble.''
uaLa fuslon lncreases Lhe llkellhood of seelng Lrends
and pauerns LhaL may noL be observable from any
slngle perspecuve, source, or organlzauon. AlLhough
Lhe lnLegrauon of daLa from enuues aL Lhe local,
sLaLe, and federal levels ls a necessary sLep ln Lhe
fulllmenL of each fuslon cenLer's mlsslon - lL ls noL
a sumclenL sLep for dolng so.
ulumaLely Lhe fulllmenL of Lhe mandaLe and
promlse of fuslon cenLers resLs on skllled analysls.
WlLhouL collecuon Lhere would be noLhlng Lo
analyze - yeL, lL ls analysls LhaL Lurns lnformauon
lnLo acuonable lnLelllgence. 1he guldellnes lssued by
uo! and uPS sLaLe LhaL fuslon cenLers wlll provlde
four key beneLs. 1hey are as follows.
- Allow local and sLaLe enuues Lo beuer forecasL
and ldenufy emerglng crlme and publlc healLh
Lrends."
-
SupporL muludlsclpllnary, proacuve, rlsk-based,
and communlLy-focused problem solvlng."
- rovlde a conunuous ow of lnLelllgence Lo
omclals Lo asslsL ln developlng a deplcuon of
evolvlng LhreaLs."
- lmprove Lhe del l very of emergency and
nonemergency servlces."
1o be compleLed successfully, each of Lhese Lasks
requlres subsLanual analyucal sklll. AnalysLs
dlgesung new lnformauon musL place such daLa
wlLhln Lhe conLexL of exlsung bellefs abouL Lhe
relevanL sub[ecL mauer. AnalysLs musL also use
fused daLa Lo ldenufy and prlorluze rlsks wlLhln Lhelr
cenLer's [urlsdlcuon.
Such prlorluzauon has always been lmporLanL - lL
drl ves resource al l ocauon and operauonal
deploymenLs. lL helps answer quesuons ln regard Lo
where, when, and wlLh whaL prlvaLe and publlc
secLor acLors observe emerglng or exlsung LhreaLs.
ln a perlod of lncreaslngly llmlLed budgeLs, however,
daLa based prlorluzauon also provldes lnslghLs for
maklng Lhe mosL lnformed spendlng cholces
posslble.'
Collecuon and analysls, however, are sull noL
enough. Lven Lhe mosL presclenL lnLelllgence ls
worLhless lf lL sLays locked ln a drawer. Collecuon
and analysls musL evenLually lead Lo Lhe producuon
and dlssemlnauon of lnLelllgence producLs.
lnformauon from Lhe fuslon cenLers only becomes
acuonable lnLelllgence lf lL geLs Lo Lhe rlghL people aL
Lhe rlghL ume. 1hls requlres each cenLer achleve Lhe
followlng.
llrsL, once lnLelllgence has been developed, cenLer
personnel musL ldenufy Lhe approprlaLe consumer
audlence or audlences. 1hls can be done by asklng
who are Lhe l ndl vl dual and organl zauonal
consumers, publlc and prlvaLe, who are responslble
for prevenuon, response, and consequence
managemenL for Lhe glven LhreaL.
Second, wlLh Lhe consumer ln mlnd, cenLer
personnel musL formaL Lhe lnLelllgence ln such a
manner as Lo lncrease Lhe llkellhood LhaL Lhe
consumer audlence(s) wlll recelve, dlgesL, and acL on
lL. Lack of relevancy (ln regard Lo a speclc
consumer's needs) ls oen a complalnL assoclaLed
wlLh dlsmlsslng Lhe overall value of a fuslon cenLer's
lnLelllgence producLs. Careful conslderauon musL be
glven ln ldenufylng how lnformauon may lmpacL a
speclc [urlsdlcuon. 1houghL musL be glven Lo Lhe
mode of del l ver y ( as a warnl ng of new
developmenLs, raw lnformauon, Lhe fulllmenL of a
speclc requesL, or a full reporL, eLc.) as well as Lhe
means of dellvery (as an emall auachmenL, posung
Lo a secure server or shared daLabase, Lhe sendlng of
a hard copy, or even an alerL dellvered vla Lelephone,
eLc.). Lach of Lhese facLors aecL who sees whaL,
when, and wheLher Lhey dlgesL Lhe lnformauon.
1hlrd and nally, cenLer personnel musL declde when
Lo send lnLelllgence - Lhey musL balance beLween
rlpeness and umellness. 1wo lnLerrelaLed quesuons
help declde Lhls balance. Pow llkely ls lL Lhe
lnformauon would aecL Lhe consumers' behavlor,
operauons, or posLure? Pow llkely ls lL Lhe
lnformauon would aecL Lhe consumers' wlndow of
opporLunlLy for acuon?
1hese prlmary funcuons - collecuon (be lL by Lhe
gaLherlng or recepuon of lnformauon), analysls,
producuon, and dlssemlnauon - represenL Lhe
tolsoo Jtto of each fuslon cenLer. 1hey are Lhe
foundauon of each cenLer's operauonal capablllues.
ln 2010 aL Lhe nauonal luslon CenLer Conference ln
new Crleans, fuslon cenLer dlrecLors and federal
parLners encapsulaLed Lhese prlmary funcuons ln
four Crlucal Cperauonal Capablllues (see Lhe box
below). 1hese crlucal capablllues were Lo be
prlorluzed by each cenLer.'
WlLh Lhe deaLh of Csama 8ln Laden, and accordlng
Lo some esumaLes Lhe weakenlng of Lhe al-Caeda
organlzauon, lL mlghL be Lempung Lo quesuon Lhe
uullLy or necesslLy of a nauonal neLwork of fuslon
cenLers. 1haL would be a mlsLake, for Lhe LhreaL
domalns faced by local, sLaLe, and federal auLhorlues
conunue Lo evolve. Lven lf Lhe speclc LhreaLs LhaL
preclplLaLed Lhe creauon of Lhe fuslon cenLers
dlsappears, oLhers lncludlng LhreaLs from drug
carLels, homegrown [lhadlsLs, sLaLe sponsors of
Lerror, cyber LhreaLs, and oLhers wlll Lake Lhelr place.
1he fuslon funcuon wlll conunue Lo be necessary.'
1he lasL few years have seen a dramauc lncrease ln
homegrown Lerrorlsm. 1oday, quesuons regardlng
cyber LhreaLs loom. Cver Lhe horlzon Lhere are
lncreased concerns abouL sLaLe-sponsored LhreaLs
from counLrles llke lran.' Lach of Lhese poLenual
LhreaL domalns lllusLraLe Lhe lnLerconnecLed and
muLual dependence lssues LhaL dene Lhe
lnLelllgence enLerprlse of Lhe 21sL cenLury. Local,
sLaLe, and federal omclals cannoL be fully aware of
Lhe LhreaLs faced wlLhln Lhelr [urlsdlcuons wlLhouL
lnformauon abouL evenLs and acLors LhaL lle wlLhln
oLher [urlsdlcuons. 1he role of Lhe fuslon cenLers as
lnLelllgence hubs conunues Lo be an lmporLanL one.
1he fuslon cenLers were creaLed Lo develop a beuer
undersLandlng of domesuc LhreaL domalns. When
Lhey fulll Lhelr poLenual, Lhe fuslon cenLers can
dellver anuclpaLory lnLelllgence LhaL greaLly reduces
Lhe level of rlsk faced by Amerlcans aL all levels of
governance.
A decade aer Lhe preclplLaung evenLs LhaL led Lo
Lhe creauon of Lhe fuslon cenLers, Lwo lnLerrelaLed
quesuons presenL Lhemselves. 1o whaL degree are
Lhe fuslon cenLers fullllng Lhelr poLenual? 1o whaL
degree are Lhey operaung ln such a manner as Lo
provlde acuonable lnLelllgence Lo Lhe approprlaLe
publlc and prlvaLe consumers? 1o answer such
quesuons, PSl Lurned Lo Lhose worklng ln Lhe
Critical Operational Capabilities
(COCs)
COC 1: Receive Ability to receive
classied and unclassied information
from federal partners.
COC 2: Analyze Ability to assess local
implications of threat information
through the use of a formal risk
assessment process.
COC 3: Disseminate Ability to further
disseminate threat information to other
state, local, tribal, and territorial entities
and private sector entities within their
jurisdictions.
COC 4: Gather Ability to gather
locally generated information, aggregate
it, analyze it, and share it with federal
partners as appropriate.
fuslon cenLers Lo capLure Lhelr perspecuves and
leverage Lhelr lnslghLs.
1he percepuons of Lhose worklng ln Lhe fuslon
cenLers are vlLally lmporLanL ln addresslng fuslon
cenLer operauons and Lhe sLaLus of Lhe uS' nauonal
lnLelllgence enLerprlse. luslon cenLer workers are
besL locaLed Lo evaluaLe Lhe degree Lo whlch Lhelr
cenLers can gaLher lnformauon, analyze lL, and
dlssemlnaLe lnLelllgence. 1hey have Lhe ablllLy Lo
provlde lnslghLs lnLo Lhe levels of access Lhey have Lo
local, sLaLe, and federal sources of lnformauon. 1hey
also have Lhe ablllLy Lo evaluaLe Lhe degree Lo whlch
Lhey have Lhe anal yucal Lool s Lhey need.
lurLhermore, Lhey are well posluoned Lo evaluaLe
Lhe mechanl sms by whl ch l nLel l l gence l s
dlssemlnaLed and warnlngs are lssued.
1here ls one addluonal reason why Lhe percepuons
and lnslghLs of Lhose worklng ln Lhe fuslon cenLers
are crlucally lmporLanL - lf Lhe fuslon cenLers are
operaung as envlsloned, fuslon cenLer workers oughL
Lo have Lhe mosL well lnformed undersLandlng of Lhe
LhreaLs faced ln Lhelr reglon. 1helr percepuons of
Lhe LhreaL domaln provlde lnslghLs lnLo Lhelr cenLer's
ablllLy Lo deLecL and warn of emerglng LhreaLs
agalnsL Lhe safeLy and securlLy of Lhe unlLed SLaLes.
7#28(69
ln !anuary and lebruary 2012, a sevenLy-elghL
quesuon self-compleuon survey was admlnlsLered by
Lhe Pomeland SecurlLy ollcy lnsuLuLe (PSl) Lo
lndlvlduals worklng ln Lhe (Lhen) sevenLy-Lwo sLaLe
and urban area fuslon cenLers. SevenLy-one
lndlvlduals volunLarlly Look Lhe survey.
1hrough a parLnershlp wlLh Lhe nauonal luslon
CenLer Assoclauon (nlCA), an lnvlLauon Lo
paruclpaLe ln Lhe survey was exLended Lo every
lndlvldual worklng ln a fuslon cenLer. 1he nlCA ls a
prlvaLe non-proL professlonal organlzauon made up
of and represenung Lhose worklng ln Lhe fuslon
cenLers. 1he nlCA's mlsslon ls: 1o represenL Lhe
lnLeresLs of sLaLe and ma[or urban area fuslon
cenLers, as well as assoclaLed lnLeresLs of sLaLes,
Lrlbal nauons, and unlLs of local governmenL, ln
order Lo promoLe Lhe developmenL and susLalnmenL
of fuslon cenLers Lo enhance publlc safeLy,
encourage eecuve, emclenL, eLhlcal, lawful, and
professlonal lnLelllgence and lnformauon sharlng,
and prevenL and reduce Lhe harmful eecLs of crlme
and Lerrorl sm on vl cums, l ndl vl dual s, and
communlues."'
1o proLecL Lhose who chose Lo paruclpaLe ln Lhe
survey and allow Lhem Lhe freedom Lo answer
honesLly and compleLely - nelLher Lhelr lndlvldual
ldenuues nor Lhe locauon of Lhelr fuslon cenLers was
recorded as parL of Lhls research.
noL every lndlvldual answered every survey
quesuon. 1here are Lwo reasons for Lhls. llrsL, some
lndlvlduals chose noL Lo answer a glven quesuon. lL
can be assumed LhaL Lhey lacked elLher a sLrong
oplnlon regardlng Lhe quesuon, felL Lhe quesuon dld
noL perLaln Lo Lhelr parucular funcuon wlLhln Lhelr
fuslon cenLer, or felL Lhemselves unqualled Lo
answer. Second, lndlvlduals were noL presenLed wlLh
every quesuon. 1he survey employed sklp loglc -
meanlng LhaL dependlng on a respondenL's answer
Lhey may or may noL have been presenLed wlLh a
relaLed follow-up quesuon. 8esponse raLes varled
from a hlgh of sevenLy-one Lo a low of Lwo. Cn
average, forLy-elghL Lo forLy-nlne lndlvlduals
answered any glven quesuon.''
1he survey was open from !anuary 23, 2012 unul
lebruary 16, 2012. uurlng LhaL perlod Lhere were no
exLernal evenLs or shocks LhaL mlghL have alLered Lhe
percepuons of respondenLs who answered Lhe
quesuons aL one perlod of ume as compared wlLh
Lhose answerlng aL anoLher perlod. Addluonally,
unul Lhe survey was closed, respondenLs were able
Lo re-enLer Lhe survey and modlfy or deleLe Lhelr
responses.
1he survey was admlnlsLered vla SurveyMonkey (a
web based survey servlce). uaLa generaLed by Lhe
survey was downloaded and analyzed uslng l8M's
SSS sLausucal soware package.'
8ef or e pr es enung PS l ' s ndl ng s , L wo
meLhodologlcal polnLs need Lo be made - boLh of
whlch aecL Lhe lnLerpreLauon of Lhls survey.
llrsL, Lhe sample slze and number of responses for
each quesuon comprlse a smoll-N daLaseL. 1he
resulLs dlscussed below represenL Lhe perspecuves
of a relauvely small number of lndlvlduals - as
noLed earller, sevenLy-one people paruclpaLed ln Lhls
survey. 1haL sald, Lhe LoLal number of sLa worklng
ln Lhe fuslon cenLers ls noL large. ln 2010, a quarLer
of all fuslon cenLers reporLed havlng fewer Lhan Len
people worklng ln Lhem. 1hree-quarLers reporLed
LhaL Lhey had fewer Lhan y lndlvlduals worklng ln
Lhe cenLer.' 1he populauon of lndlvlduals worklng
ln Lhe fuslon cenLers ls lLself small. Clven Lhe 2010
sLausucs concernl ng sLamng, sevenLy- one
respondenLs llkely represenLs approxlmaLely one-
h of all Lhose worklng ln Lhe fuslon cenLers.
Clven Lhls small unlverse of poLenual respondenLs,
and Lhe focus of Lhls survey (a descrlpuon of Lhe
perspecuves of Lhose worklng ln Lhe fuslon cenLers)
- Lhe smoll-N naLure of Lhe daLaseL does noL
consuLuLe a slgnlcanL meLhodologlcal aw.
Second, Lhe daLa collecLed represenLs Lhe percepLlons
of Lhose worklng ln Lhe uS' naLlonal neLwork of fuslon
cenLers. As such, lL represenLs a valuable Lool for
evaluaLlng how well Lhe fuslon cenLers are fulfllllng
Lhelr mandaLe, Lhe role Lhey play ln Lhe uS' naLlonal
lnLelllgence enLerprlse, Lhe poLenLlal of Lhe cenLers,
Lhe level of supporL Lhe cenLers are belng glven, and
Lhe currenL naLure of Lhe LhreaL domaln. Powever,
Lhe daLa cannoL be Laken as ls." lL musL be placed
lnLo conLexL and lnLerpreLed wlLh care. 1he daLa and
Lhls brlef provlde a descrlpLlon from Lhe perspecLlves
of Lhe fuslon cenLers, noL a causal argumenL nor a
normaLlve [udgemenL.
:#95;29
1he resulLs of PSl's survey of Lhose worklng ln Lhe
uS' (Lhen) sevenLy-Lwo sLaLe and urban area fuslon
cenLers provlde lmporLanL lnslghLs lnLo Lhelr
percepuons of Lhe Lerror LhreaL and Lhe sLaLus of Lhe
uS' nauonal lnLelllgence enLerprlse and fuslon
process. ln addluon, Lhe survey resulLs yleld key
lnformauon abouL Lhe composluon of fuslon cenLer
sLas and Lhelr capablllues.
Lone offenders and other small groups
inspired by writing, web blogs, websites
and other social media. Survey
Respondents answer to the question:
Who Poses the Greatest Threat in Your Jurisdiction?
<8# <#""(" <8"#%2
PSl's C1lS8 daLa lndlcaLes LhaL Lhose worklng ln Lhe
uS' nauon neLwork of fuslon cenLers see Lerrorlsm as
boLh an exlsLenL and perslsLenL LhreaL.
When asked Lo raLe Lhe rlsk Lerrorlsm poses Lo tbelt
teqloo on a scale from 1 Lo 10, where 1 equalled no
LhreaL" and 10 equalled hlgh LhreaL" - LhlrLy-four
of slxLy-nlne respondenLs (some 49.3 of Lhose who
answered) raLed Lhe LhreaL as 6 or hlgher. (llCu8L 1)
A ma[orlLy of respondenLs, 72.3, lndlcaLed LhaL
Lerrorlsm posed a LhreaL of 3 or hlgher.
PSl Lhen asked how Lhose worklng ln Lhe fuslon
cenLers expecL Lhe Lerror LhreaL Lo change over Lhe
course of Lhe nexL year. (llCu8L 2) Cf Lhe slxLy-nlne
people who answered Lhls quesuon, 78.3 sald Lhey
expecLed Lhe level of LhreaL Lhey face ln Lhelr
[urlsdlcuon Lo remaln Lhe same. 1he remalnlng
21.7 sald Lhey expecLed Lhe level of LhreaL posed
by Lerrorlsm Lo lncrease. no one reporLed LhaL Lhey
expecLed Lhe Lerror LhreaL Lo decllne.
9,:;3< =: 8lsk 1errorlsm oses Lo ?our 8eglon
9,:;3< >: 1error 1hreaL Level Cver Lhe nexL ?ear
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
4.3%
11.6%
11.6%
23.2%
18.8%
13.0%
13.0%
1.4%
2.9%
Increase Stay the Same Decrease
0
15
30
45
60
When asked who poses Lhe greaLesL LhreaL Lo Lhelr
[urlsdlcuon, forLy-slx ouL of slxLy respondenLs clLed
homegrown LerrorlsL groups or lndlvlduals.'
(llCu8L 3) 1hls quesuon was followed by one LhaL
asked abouL wheLher Lhey made [udgemenLs
regardlng whaL consuLuLes Lhe greaLesL LhreaL" on
Lhe basls of Lhe llkellbooJ of a glven ouLcome ot Lhe
coosepoeoces of a glven ouLcome - forLy-Lwo of
slxLy-respondenLs answered llkellhood. (llCu8L 4)
9,:;3< ?: Who oses CreaLesL 1hreaL
9,:;3< @: 8asls for !udglng CreaLesL 1hreaL"
Multiple Groups / Unclassied
Drug Trafcking Organizations / Organized Crime
Homegrown Jihadi Groups & Individuals
Homegrown Non-Jihadi Groups & Individuals
Foreign Jihadi Organizations & Individuals
10.0%
5.0%
65.0%
11.7%
8.3%
Likelihood Consequence
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
LOW HIGH
When asked abouL Lhe capablllues of Lhe group or
lndlvlduals Lhey ldenued as poslng Lhe greaLesL
LhreaL ln Lhelr [urlsdlcuon, respondenLs clLed small
scale auacks (lncludlng Lhe use of lmprovlsed
exploslve devlces), fundralslng, and/or recrulLmenL
and radlcallzauon. (llCu8L 3) lly-Lwo lndlvlduals
responded Lo Lhls open quesuon, several ldenued
muluple capablllues. 8ased on Lhelr answers four
caLegorles were creaLed: ConducL Small Auack
(agalnsL elLher lndlvlduals or properLy), romouon of
vlolenL narrauve or Spread ropaganda, 8ecrulL or
8adlcallze lndlvlduals, and 8alse Money or 1raln.
9,:;3< A: Capablllues of Croup/lndlvlduals Who
ose Lhe CreaLesL 1hreaL ln ?our !urlsdlcuon
When Lhose ln Lhe fuslon cenLers were asked abouL
Lhe lnLenuons of Lhe group or lndlvlduals Lhey
belleved pose Lhe greaLesL LhreaL ln Lhelr [urlsdlcuon,
respondenLs agaln provlded answers LhaL could be
caLegorlzed as Lo auack," Lo fundralse," or Lo
radlcallze." uslng [usL Lhose Lhree caLegorles,
however, would mask much of Lhe dlverslLy and
lnformauon conLalned ln Lhe respondenLs' answers.
Recruit/Radicalize Propaganda/Narrative
Small Attack Raise Money/Train
0%
12%
24%
36%
48%
60%
lor example, ln regard Lo auacks, respondenLs llsLed
a range of lnLenuons - from small scale auacks
Largeung unlformed mlllLary personal (llke Lhe auack
agalnsL Lhe recrulung sLauon ln Llule 8ock,
Arkansas), Lo mass casualLy auacks, Lo auacks meanL
Lo serlously dlsrupL or brlng down Lhe uS
governmenL. Cne lndlvldual even llsLed cyber-
Lerrorlsm as Lhe chlef lnLenuon of Lhe group Lhey
conLend poses Lhe greaLesL LhreaL ln Lhelr
[urlsdlcuon.
1o capLure Lhe rlchness of Lhe responses of Lhe y-
one lndlvlduals who answered Lhls quesuon, Lhe
fol l owl ng caLegorl es were creaLed: Cl vl l -
ulsobedlence ulsLurbance, Small Auack, Large
Auack, Crlme-based lundralslng, lundralslng,
8ecrulL/8adlcallze, 1raln, ulssemlnaLe ropaganda.
(llCu8L 6)
9,:;3< B: lnLenuons of Croup/lndlvlduals Who ose
Lhe CreaLesL 1hreaL ln ?our !urlsdlcuon
Disturbance Small Attack
Large Attack Crime-Fundraising
Fundraising Recruit/Radicalize
Train Propaganda
12.2%
28.6%
14.3%
10.2%
12.2%
6.1%
6.1%
10.2%
A Mumbai-style attack is always of high
concern. Survey Respondent
lnslghLs from Lhose worklng ln Lhe fuslon cenLers
palnL an lnLeresung plcLure of Lhe currenL Lerror
LhreaL domaln. 1he daLa suggesLs Lhey see a
complex, raLher Lhan monollLhlc LhreaL. 1he overall
lmage ls LhaL of a moderaLe, perslsLenL LhreaL more
llkely Lo be reallzed by small, yeL sull poLenually
deadly, auacks execuLed by homegrown LerrorlsLs.
1he daLa also suggesLs, however, LhaL Lhose ln Lhe
fuslon cenLers conunue Lo worry abouL Lhe
asplrauons of LerrorlsLs and ablllLy of LerrorlsLs Lo
expand Lhelr capablllues. 8esponses Lo an PSl
quesuon abouL Lerror plannlng lllusLraLes Lhe
percelved complexlLy of Lhe LhreaL and why vlgllance
agalnsL forelgn dlrecLed ploLs ls sull warranLed.
When asked on a scale of 1 Lo 10, where 1 equals
homegrown lndlvlduals or organlzauons" and 10
equals forelgn based lndlvlduals or organlzauons,"
who do you Lhlnk plans Lhe speclc [lhadl Lerror ploLs
of Loday - Lhe aggregaLe daLa from Lhe forLy-elghL
lndlvlduals who answered Lhe quesuon provldes
Lhree peaks (aL 3, 3, and 8). (llCu8L 7)
AL leasL Lwo lnLerpreLauons of Lhe daLa are posslble.
Cne lnLerpreLauon ls LhaL Lhere ls dlsagreemenL
wlLhln Lhe fuslon cenLer neLwork abouL who ls
plannlng Lhe bulk of Loday's ploLs. 1he second
lnLerpreLauon ls LhaL Lhe range of oplnlon LhaL PSl's
survey capLures wlLhln Lhe fuslon cenLer neLwork
represenLs a new reallLy ln Lerror plannlng. 1he
fuslon cenLer neLwork could be deLecung a change ln
Lhe Lerror ecosysLem. 1he developmenL of ploLs may
be lncreaslngly occurrlng aL home, abroad, as well as
belng [olnLly planned by acLors wlLhln and ouLslde
Lhe unlLed SLaLes.
9,:;3< C: Who lans Lhe Speclc !lhadl loLs of
1oday - Pomegrown or lorelgn 8ased AcLors
When asked how oen Lhelr fuslon cenLer conducLs
reglonal LhreaL assessmenLs, nearly half of Lhe forLy-
elghL lndlvlduals who answered Lhe quesuon
lndlcaLed LhaL Lhelr cenLer dld noL conducL reglonal
LhreaL assessmenLs. (llCu8L 8) 1hls represenLs a
somewhaL surprlslng resulL, glven an expressed
recognluon of an exlsLenL and acuve LhreaL.
9,:;3< D: Pow Cen uoes ?our CenLer ConducL
8eglonal 1hreaL AssessmenLs?
0
2
4
6
8
10
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Every 3-6 months
Every 7-9 months
Every 10-12 months
Every 13-18 months
Every 19-24 months
Every 25-36 months
My Center Does Not Conduct Regional Assessments
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
HOME- FOREIGN
GROWN BASED
8ased on PSl's survey daLa, lL appears LhaL many of
Lhe lndlvlduals worklng ln Lhe fuslon cenLers vlew
counLerLerrorlsm as a shared responslblllLy beLween
federal and local auLhorlues. When asked on a scale
of 1 Lo 10, where 1 equals local responslblllLy" and
10 equals federal responslblllLy," where does
prlmary responslblllLy for counLerLerrorlsm resL - 3
was Lhe mosL common answer (lL was Lhe response
glven by 33.4 of Lhe forLy-elghL lndlvlduals who
answered Lhe quesuon). Powever, Lhe aggregaLe
daLa suggesLs Lhe exlsLence of a sllghL federal
responslblllLy" skew ln Lhe fuslon cenLer perspecuve
- 10.3 of respondenLs answered ln Lhe 1 Lo 4
(local) range of Lhe scale, whlle 34.2 answered ln
Lhe 6 Lo 10 (federal) range of Lhe scale. LasL year an
PSl survey of Lhe counLerLerrorlsm lnLelllgence
perspecuves of law enforcemenL produced slmllar,
Lhough sllghLly less skewed, resulLs. (llCu8L 9)
9,:;3< E: Where uoes rlmary 8esponslblllLy for
CounLerLerrorlsm 8esL?
Fusion Center Perspectives
Law Enforcement Perspectives
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
<8# =.2#;;-4#.&# >.2#"0"-9# ? 159-(. @#.2#"9
As noLed earller ln Lhe background secuon, Lhe
ablllLy Lo gaLher, recelve, analyze, and dlssemlnaLe
lnformauon represenLs Lhe crlucal operauons of Lhe
fuslon cenLers (boLh lndlvldually and collecuvely).
PSl's C1lS8 survey of Lhose worklng ln Lhe fuslon
cenLers provldes lnslghL lnLo how - and from Lhe
perspecuve of Lhose worklng ln Lhe cenLers, how
well - Lhese Lasks are belng carrled ouL.
As one would expecL glven Lhe hlsLory of Lhe fuslon
cenLers, Lhose worklng ln Lhe cenLers vlew Lhelr work
as a shared parL of a larger enLerprlse. !usL as Lhere
ls a general percepuon LhaL counLerLerrorlsm ls a
shared responslblllLy (llCu8L 9), Lhere exlsLs wlLhln
Lhe fuslon cenLers a general percepuon LhaL Lhe
collecuon and analysls of counLerLerrorlsm relevanL
lnformauon ls also a responslblllLy LhaL ls shared
beLween local and federal auLhorlues.
When asked on a scale of 1 Lo 10, where 1 equals
local responslblllLy" and 10 equals federal
responslblllLy," where prlmary responslblllLy for Lhe
collecuon of counLerLerrorlsm relevanL lnformauon
resLs - 3 was Lhe mosL common answer (lL was Lhe
response glven by 30.9 of Lhe y-ve lndlvlduals
who answered Lhe quesuon).
When asked where prlmary responslblllLy for Lhe
analysls of counLerLerrorlsm relevanL lnformauon
resLs - 3 was agaln Lhe mosL common answer (lL
was Lhe response glven by 29.1 of Lhose who
answered Lhls quesuon). lly-ve lndlvlduals
responded Lo Lhe quesuon uslng a scale of 1 Lo 10,
where 1 equaled local responslblllLy" and 10
equaled federal responslblllLy." (llCu8L 10)
...to assist fusion centers in becoming
centers of analytic excellence.
DHS on The Path Ahead
LOCAL FEDERAL
AUTHORITIES AUTHORITIES
9,:;3< =F: Where uoes rlmary 8esponslblllLy for
Lhe Collecuon and Analysls of CounLerLerrorlsm
8elevanL lnformauon 8esL?
8eyond acLual responslblllLy, however, Lhose ln Lhe
fuslon cenLer do percelve dlerences beLween local
and federal capablllues. When asked wheLher local
or federal auLhorlues had greaLer capablllLy ln regard
Lo Lhe collecuon of lnformauon, respondenLs
expressed a wlde range of oplnlon. (llCu8L 11). A
falrly wlde range of oplnlon was also expressed when
asked wheLher local or federal auLhorlues had
greaLer capablllLy ln regard Lo Lhe analysls of
lnformauon - ln regard Lo analysls, Lhe daLa ls
skewed ln favor of greaLer federal capablllLy.
(llCu8L 11) lly people answered each of Lhese
quesuons. lor each quesuon Lhey used a scale of 1
Lo 10, where 1 equaled local responslblllLy" and 10
equaled federal responslblllLy."
Most of our intelligence functions still
deal with every-day criminal activity.
Survey Respondent
Analysis Collection
8%
16%
24%
32%
40%
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
9,:;3< ==: Who Pas CreaLer CapablllLy for Lhe
Collecung and Analyzlng of CounLerLerrorlsm
8elevanL lnformauon?
ln regard Lo Lhelr own operauons, a ma[orlLy of
respondenLs lndlcaLed LhaL Lhelr cenLer has a formal
process for developlng sLandlng and prlorlLy
lnformauon needs. ln regard Lo sLandlng lnformauon
needs, 73.3 of respondenLs reporLed LhaL Lhelr
cenLer has a process for developlng such. (llCu8L
12) 8egardlng prlorlLy lnformauon needs, 67.3 of
respondenLs lndlcaLed Lhelr cenLer has a process for
developlng such. (llCu8L 13) 1hls lnqulry was asked
as Lwo separaLe quesuons. lorLy-nlne lndlvlduals
answered each quesuon.
There is no other state level
agency which focuses on
Counterterrorism or provides
a POC for federal agencies
responsible for Counterterrorism
Survey Respondent
Analysis Collection
4%
8%
12%
16%
20%
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
LOCAL FEDERAL
LOCAL FEDERAL
9,:;3< =>: uoes ?our CenLer Pave a rocess for
ueveloplng SLandlng lnformauon needs?
9,:;3< =?: uoes ?our CenLer Pave a rocess for
ueveloplng rlorlLy lnformauon needs?
A sllghLly smaller ma[orlLy of respondenLs, some
61.2, sald Lhelr fuslon cenLer had a wrluen plan for
gaLherlng counLerLerrorlsm speclc lnformauon.
(llCu8L 14). lorLy-nlne lndlvlduals answered Lhls
quesuon.
Yes Dont Know No
73.5%
8.2%
18.4%
Yes Dont Know No
67.3%
16.3%
16.3%
9,:;3< =@: uoes ?our CenLer Pave a Wrluen lan for
CaLherlng CounLerLerrorlsm lnformauon?
Several addluonal quesuons shed llghL on Lhe fuslon
cenLers' currenL capablllues ln regard Lo Lhe
gaLherlng of counLerLerrorlsm lnformauon.
When asked wheLher or noL Lhelr cenLer had an
eecuve sLraLegy for qotbetloq lnformauon on Lhe
group or lndlvlduals Lhey ldenufy as poslng Lhe
greaLesL Lerror LhreaL ln Lhelr [urlsdlcuon, 60.3 of
Lhe slxLy-elghL respondenLs sald Lhelr cenLer dld,
23 sald Lhelr cenLer dld noL, and 14.7 replled LhaL
Lhey dld noL know. When a slmllar, yeL more speclc
quesuon, was asked abouL wheLher or noL Lhelr
cenLer had an eecuve sLraLegy for qotbetloq
lnformauon abouL LhaL same group's or lndlvldual's
copoblllues, 32.4 of Lhe slxLy-Lhree respondenLs
sald Lhelr cenLer dld, 23.8 sald Lhelr cenLer dld noL,
and 23.8 lndlcaLed Lhey were noL sure lf Lhelr
fuslon cenLer had an eecuve sLraLegy for such.
When asked abouL Lhe loteouoos of LhaL group or
lndlvldual, 30.8 of Lhe y-nlne respondenLs sald
Lhelr cenLer had an eecuve sLraLegy for qotbetloq
lnformauon on Lhelr loteouoos, 23.7 sald Lhelr
Yes Dont Know No
61.2%
8.2%
30.6%
cenLer dld noL, 23.4 sald Lhey dld noL know lf Lhelr
cenLer had an eecuve sLraLegy. (llCu8L 14)
9,:;3< =@: uoes ?our CenLer Pave an Lecuve
SLraLegy for Cotbetloq lnformauon abouL 1hose Who
ose Lhe CreaLesL 1error 1hreaL ln ?our !urlsdlcuon?
When asked abouL who Lhey belleve are Lhe mosL
lmporLanL lnsuLuuonal or organlzauonal sources for
counLerLerrorlsm lnformauon, local law enforcemenL
was Lhe answer mosL oen clLed. Cf Lhe y
lndlvlduals who answered Lhls quesuon, 48 sald
lnformauon from pollce omcers and deLecuves was
Lhe mosL lmporLanL. 1he l8l's !olnL 1errorlsm 1ask
lorces (!11ls) were Lhe second mosL oen clLed:
26 sald Lhe !11ls were Lhe mosL lmporLanL source
for counLerLerrorlsm lnformauon. A rank order of
Lhe respondenLs cholces ls provlded ln Lhe nexL
column. (llCu8L 13) PSl's survey supplled Lhe
llsLed caLegorles.
[We] do not have the needed access to
HSDN sites. Survey Respondent
Yes Dont Know No
0% 50% 100%
Information
Capabilities
Intentions
9, :;3< =A: MosL l mpor L anL Sour ces of
CounLerLerrorlsm lnLelllgence
ln Lhe quesuon concernlng lnsuLuuonal or
organlzauonal sources for counLerLerrorlsm
lnformauon, respondenLs were asked Lo rank order
each of Lhe poLenual sources from 1 (meanlng mosL
lmporLanL) Lo 10 (meanlng leasL lmporLanL). no one
ldenued elLher CLher luslon CenLers" or rlvaLe
SecLor arLners" as Lhe mosL lmporLanL source of
counLerLerrorlsm lnformauon. 1he CLher luslon
CenLers" caLegory was selecLed by 6.3 of
respondenLs as Lhe Lhlrd mosL lmporLanL source of
counLerLerrorlsm lnformauon - Lhe caLegory's
hlghesL ranklng. 1he mosL common ranklngs for
CLher luslon CenLers" were 3 and 8: each was clLed
by 19.6 of respondenLs. 1he caLegory represenung
rlvaLe SecLor arLners" was selecLed by 6.4 of
respondenLs as Lhe second mosL lmporLanL source of
lnformauon. 1he mosL common ranklng for rlvaLe
SecLor arLners" was 9 - chosen by 17 or
respondenLs.
1hese resulLs from Lhe fuslon cenLers mlrror Lhe
resulLs from an Aprll 2011 PSl survey of Lhe Ma[or
Cl ues Chl efs Assocl auon' l nLel l l gence unl L
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50%
LAW ENFORCEMENT
JOINT TERRORISM TASK FORCES
LOCAL CITIZENS/GROUPS
YOUR CENTERS EFFORTS
YOUR CENTERS ANALYSTS
COMMUNITY LEADERS
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
NATIONAL COUNTERTERRORISM CENTER
OTHER FUSION CENTERS
PRIVATE SECTOR PARTNERS
Commanders Croup. When asked Lo name Lhe mosL
lmporLanL sources of counLerLerrorlsm lnLelllgence,
members of Lhe lnLelllgence Commanders Croup
clLed lnformauon from cluzens, law enforcemenL,
and Lhe !11ls as belng Lhe mosL lmporLanL.
When asked abouL Lhelr level of access Lo sLaLe and
local daLabases from whlch Lhey mlghL gaLher
lnformauon, forLy-seven respondenLs supplled Lhe
followlng lnformauon. Large ma[orlues lndlcaLed
Lhey had compleLe access Lo local crlmlnal hlsLory
daLabases, sLaLe llcenslng daLabases, and moLor
vehlcle daLabases - 91.3, 70.2, and 87.2
respecuvely. A much smaller ma[orlLy, 32.2,
reporLed LhaL Lhey had access Lo local records
sysLems. (llCu8L 16)
9,:;3< =B: Levels of SLaLe Local uaLabase Access
When asked abouL Lhelr level of access Lo nauonal
daLabases, 63.8 sLaLed Lhey had compleLe access Lo
Lhe Pomeland Secure uaLa neLwork (PSun). AL Lhe
same ume, only 23.3 lndlcaLed Lhey had compleLe
access Lo l8lneL. Lven fewer, 17.4, reporLed
Criminal History State Licensing
Motor Vehicle Local Records Systems
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
1 2 3 4 5 6
havlng compleLe access Lo Lhe SecreL lnLerneL
roLocol 8ouLer neLwork (Sl8neL). (llCu8L 17)
lorLy-nlne lndlvlduals answered Lhls quesuon.
9,:;3< =C: Levels of nauonal uaLabase Access
ln regard Lo pald daLabase servlces, lncludlng Lexus
nexus and AccurlnL, 83 of Lhe forLy-nlne lndlvlduals
who answered sLaLed LhaL Lhey had compleLe access.
Relevant counterterrorism information
products are not shared proactively.
General products like watch out for
people stealing propane tanks are shared,
but not a group of Somali refugees are
attempting to purchase small arms.
Survey Respondent
When asked lf Lhelr cenLer had a formal sLraLegy for
gaLherlng lnformauon on demographlc changes
wlLhln Lhelr [urlsdlcuon, 81.3 sald Lhey dld noL,
14.6 lndlcaLed Lhey were noL sure, and 4.2 sald
HSDN FBINet SIPERNet
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
1 2 3 4 5 6
NO COMPLETE
ACCESS ACCESS
NO COMPLETE
ACCESS ACCESS
Lhey dld. lorLy-elghL lndlvlduals answered Lhls
quesuon.
Cverall, PSl's survey deLecLed a sLrong percepuon
among Lhose worklng ln Lhe fuslon cenLers LhaL
Lhere are slgnlcanL gaps ln Lhe Lypes of lnLelllgence
producLs Lo whlch Lhey have access.
When asked abouL lL dlrecLly, equal numbers of Lhe
forLy-elghL respondenLs sLaLed Lhere elLher were
gaps or LhaL Lhey were unsure as Lo wheLher Lhere
were gaps ln Lhe Lypes of lnLelllgence producLs Lo
whlch Lhey had access. (llCu8L 18)
9,:;3< =D: Are Lhere Caps ln Lhe 1ypes of
lnLelllgence roducLs Lo Whlch ?ou Pave Access
PSl's C1lS8 survey asked Lhose worklng ln Lhe
fuslon cenLers several quesuons abouL Lhelr cenLer's
ablllLy Lo send and recelve lnformauon. uaLa from
Lhelr responses produced Lhe followlng resulLs.
When asked wheLher or noL Lhelr cenLer had an
eecuve sLraLegy for Jlssemloouoq lnformauon on
Lhe group or lndlvlduals Lhey ldenufy as poslng Lhe
greaLesL Lerror LhreaL ln Lhelr [urlsdlcuon, 92.6 of
Lhe slxLy-elghL respondenLs sald Lhelr cenLer dld,
Yes Dont Know No
41.7%
41.7%
16.7%
4.4 sald Lhelr cenLer dld noL, and 2.9 replled LhaL
Lhey dld noL know. When a slmllar, yeL more speclc
quesuon, was asked abouL wheLher or noL Lhelr
cenLer had an eecuve sLraLegy for Jlssemloouoq
lnformauon abouL LhaL same group's or lndlvldual's
copoblllues, 83.7 of Lhe slxLy-Lhree respondenLs
sald Lhelr cenLer dld, 4.8 sald Lhelr cenLer dld noL,
and 9.3 lndlcaLed Lhey were noL sure lf Lhelr fuslon
cenLer had an eecuve sLraLegy for such. When
asked abouL Lhe loteouoos of LhaL group or
lndlvldual, 82.8 of Lhe y-elghL respondenLs sald
Lhel r cenLer had an eecuve sLraLegy for
Jlssemloouoq lnformauon on Lhelr loteouoos, 3.2
sald Lhelr cenLer dld noL, 12.1 sald Lhey dld noL
know lf Lhelr cenLer had an eecuve sLraLegy.
(llCu8L 19)
9,:;3< =E: uoes ?our CenLer Pave an Lecuve
SLraLegy for ulssemloouoq lnformauon abouL 1hose
Who ose Lhe CreaLesL 1error 1hreaL ln ?our
!urlsdlcuon?
A qulck comparlson of Lhe daLa lllusLraLed by llCu8L
14 and by llCu8L 19, suggesLs Lhose worklng ln Lhe
fuslon cenLers have a hlgher level of condence ln
Lhelr ablllLy Lo dlssemlnaLe lnformauon Lhan ln Lhelr
ablllLy Lo gaLher lL.
Yes Dont Know No
0% 50% 100%
Information
Capabilities
Intentions
ln Lhe aggregaLe, Lhe daLa suggesLs Lhe fuslon
cenLers are acung as lnformauon hubs - wlLh Lhe
ow of lnformauon generally movlng from federal
parLners, Lhrough Lhe cenLers, and Lhen ouL Lo law
enforcemenL, sLaLe homeland securlLy omclals, and
publlc safeLy and/or emergency response personnel.
1he prlvaLe secLor was generally absenL from Lhls
ow of lnformauon. (llCu8L 20)
When asked how oen Lhey tecelve lnformauon
from feJetol pottoets, 63.3 of Lhe forLy-nlne
respondenLs reporLed LhaL Lhey recelve lnformauon
every day. Some 20.4 lndlcaLed Lhey recelved
lnformauon every Lwo or Lhree days, 10.2 sLaLed
Lhey dld so every week. 1he remalnlng 6.1
reporLed LhaL Lhey recelved lnformauon from federal
parLners aL leasL once a monLh.
When asked how oen Lhey Jlssemloote lnformauon
Lo feJetol pottoets, 41.7 of Lhe forLy-elghL
lndlvlduals who answered Lhe quesuon sLaLed LhaL
Lhey senL lnformauon every day. AnoLher 29.2
reporLed LhaL Lhey send lnformauon every Lwo or
Lhree days, whlle 16.7 lndlcaLed Lhey senL
lnformauon every week. 1he remalnlng 12.3
reporLed sendlng lnformauon Lo federal parLners
every Lwo or Lhree weeks Lo slx monLhs.
from mojot low eofotcemeot eouues ln Lhelr
[urlsdlcuon, 49 of Lhe forLy-nlne lndlvlduals who
answered Lhe quesuon sLaLed LhaL Lhey recelve
lnformauon from such every day. AnoLher 30.6
responded LhaL Lhey recelved lnformauon every Lwo
or Lhree days, 14.3 LhaL Lhey dld so every week,
and Lhe remalnlng 6.1 LhaL Lhey recelved
lnformauon every Lwo or Lhree weeks.
Lo mojot low eofotcemeot eouues ln Lhelr
[urlsdlcuon, 69.4 of Lhe forLy-nlne lndlvlduals who
answered Lhe quesuon reporLed LhaL Lhey senL
lnformauon every day. An equal number, 14.3,
reporLed LhaL Lhey send lnformauon elLher every
Lwo or Lhree days or every week. 1he remalnlng 2
lndlcaLed Lhey senL lnformauon Lo law enforcemenL
every Lwo or Lhree weeks.
I am designated as Homeland Security
Coordinator for our Fusion Center, but am
excluded from briengs given to top level
ofcials including the Governor. Survey
Respondent
uaLa regardlng Lhe ow of lnformauon from and Lo
sLaLe homeland securlLy omclals suggesLs Lhere ls a
greaLer range ln Lhe frequency of lnformauon
sharlng beLween fuslon cenLers and sLaLe homeland
securlLy leaders.
from stote bomelooJ secotlty o[clols ln Lhelr
[urlsdlcuon, respondenLs reporLed Lhe followlng. Cf
Lhe forLy-seven people who answered Lhls quesuon,
29.8 reporLed LhaL Lhey recelved lnformauon every
day, 19.1 LhaL Lhey dld so every Lwo or Lhree days,
19.1 LhaL Lhey dld every week, and 8.3 LhaL Lhey
recelved lnformauon from sLaLe homeland securlLy
omclals every Lwo or Lhree weeks. Some 2.1 of
respondenLs sLaLed LhaL Lhey recelved lnformauon
every monLh, 6.4 LhaL Lhey dld so every Lwo or
Lhree monLhs, 2.1 LhaL Lhey dld so every slx
monLhs, and 12.8 Lhey Lhey recelved lnformauon
from sLaLe omclals every slx monLhs Lo a year.
Lo stote bomelooJ secotlty o[clols ln Lhelr
[urlsdlcuon, 44.9 of Lhe forLy-nlne respondenLs
sLaLed LhaL Lhey senL lnformauon Lo sLaLe omclals
every day. AnoLher 16.3 lndlcaLed LhaL Lhey senL
lnformauon every Lwo or Lhree days, 18.4 LhaL Lhey
send lnformauon every week, and 8.2 LhaL Lhey dld
so every Lwo or Lhree weeks. Some 2 sLaLed Lhey
send lnformauon every monLh, 6.1 every Lwo or
Lhree monLhs, and 4.1 LhaL Lhey send lnformauon
Lo sLaLe omclals every slx monLhs Lo a year.
from pobllc sofety ot emetqeocy tespoose/
ptepoteJoess eouues ln Lhelr [urlsdlcuon, 23 of Lhe
forLy-elghL lndlvlduals who answered Lhe quesuon
sLaLed LhaL Lhey dld so dally. AnoLher 14.6
reporLed LhaL Lhey recelved lnformauon every Lwo or
Lhree days, 27.1 LhaL Lhey dld so every week, and
14.6 LhaL Lhey recelved lnformauon every Lwo or
Lhree weeks. Cf Lhe respondenLs, 4.2 lndlcaLed
LhaL Lhey recelved lnformauon from publlc safeLy or
emergency response/preparedness enuues every
monLh, an equal number, 4.2, every Lwo or Lhree
monLhs. Some 2.1 sald Lhey recelved such
lnformauon every slx monLhs and 8.3 LhaL Lhey
recelved lnformauon every slx monLhs Lo a year.
Lo pobl l c sofety ot emetqeocy tespoose/
ptepoteJoess eouues ln Lhelr [urlsdlcuon, Lhe forLy-
nlne respondenLs reporLed Lhe followlng. Some
44.9 of Lhose who answered Lhe quesuon lndlcaLed
LhaL Lhey dld so every day, 18.4 LhaL Lhey send
lnformauon every Lwo or Lhree days, 20.4 every
week, and 2 every Lwo or Lhree weeks. AnoLher
10.2 reporLed LhaL Lhey send lnformauon every
monLh, 2 every slx monLhs, and 2 LhaL Lhey send
lnformauon Lo safeLy and emergency response/
preparedness enuues every slx monLhs Lo a year.
from ptlvote sectot enuues ln Lhelr [urlsdlcuon, 2.1
of Lhe forLy-elghL respondenLs sLaLed LhaL Lhey dld so
07J7<
PGI<LJHQ
9,:;3< >F: ercenLage of 8espondenLs Who lndlcaLed 1hey 8ecelve/ulssemlnaLe lnformauon lrom/1o Lhe
lollowlng Lnuues on a ually 8asls
9<Q<3JL
NJ37H<30
IJKG3
LJM
<H9G3!<I<H7
0J9<7R S
<I<3:<H!R
3<0NGH0<
N3,OJ7<
0<!7G3
9;0,GH
!<H7<30
27.1%
49%
29.8%
63.3%
2.1%
41.7%
10.4% 44.9%
69.4%
44.9%
every day. AnoLher 12.3 of respondenLs lndlcaLed
LhaL Lhey dld so every Lwo or Lhree days, 6.3 every
week, and 33.4 LhaL Lhey dld so every Lwo or Lhree
weeks. A smaller number, 12.3 of respondenLs
answered LhaL Lhey recelved lnformauon from Lhe
prlvaLe secLor every monLh, 14.6 LhaL Lhey dld so
every Lwo or Lhree monLhs, and 8.3 LhaL Lhey dld
so every slx monLhs and Lhe same number, 8.3,
LhaL Lhey dld so every slx monLhs Lo a year.
When asked how oen Lhey dlssemlnaLe lnformauon
Lo prlvaLe secLor enuues ln Lhelr [urlsdlcuon, 10.4
of Lhe forLy-elghL respondenLs answered LhaL Lhey
dld so every day. Some 18.8 lndlcaLed LhaL Lhey dld
so every Lwo or Lhree days, 23 LhaL Lhey send
lnformauon every week, and 18.8 LhaL Lhey do so
every Lwo or Lhree weeks. Some 8.3 Lold PSl LhaL
Lhey send lnformauon Lo prlvaLe secLor enuues every
monLh, 6.3 LhaL Lhey do so every Lwo or Lhree
monLhs, 4.2 LhaL Lhey do every slx monLhs, and
8.3 LhaL Lhey do so every slx monLhs Lo a year.
1he relauve weakness of relauonshlps LhaL exlsL
beLween fuslon cenLers and prlvaLe secLor enuues ls
lllusLraLed by Lhe daLa from anoLher survey quesuon.
When asked wheLher or noL Lhe owners and
operaLors of crlucal lnfrasLrucLure ln your [urlsdlcuon
are parL of your fuslon cenLer, a ma[orlLy of Lhe forLy-
nlne respondenLs sald no. (llCu8L 21)
9,:;3< >=: Are Lhe Cwners and CperaLors of Crlucal
lnfrasLrucLure arL of ?our luslon CenLer
Yes
Dont Know
No
42.9%
4.1%
53.1%
ln regard Lo Lhe analyucal capablllues of Lhe fuslon
cenLer, PSl's survey found Lhe followlng. 1hose
worklng ln Lhe fuslon cenLers vlew analysls as a
crlucally lmporLanL funcuon - nearly as lmporLanL
as Lhe recelvlng and gaLherlng of lnformauon. AL Lhe
same ume, however, Lhose worklng ln Lhe fuslon
cenLers belleve analysls ls Lhe area ln whlch Lhe mosL
lmprovemenL ls needed.
When asked Lo raLe Lhe lmporLance of lnLelllgence
analysls as an operauonal Lask on a scale of 1 Lo 6,
where 1 equals hlghesL prlorlLy" and 6 equals
lowesL prlorlLy," Lhe mosL common raung was a 2.
Cf Lhe y-one lndlvlduals who answered Lhls
quesuon, 33.3 raLed lL as such. AnoLher 17.6
raLed lL as a 1 - hlghesL prlorlLy Lask. 1he response
raLes for 3, 4, 3, and 6 were 23.3, 13.7, 3.9, and
3.9 respecuvely. (llCu8L 22)
9,:;3< >>: 8aLe Lhe lmporLance of Analysls
PSl's survey daLa suggesLs LhaL more Lhan half of
Lhose asked would selecL analysls as elLher Lhe rsL
or second mosL lmporLanL of Lhe four Crlucal
Cperauonal Capablllues esLabllshed by Lhe 2010
new Crleans conference.
8ecognlzlng Lhe lmporLance of a glven Lask ln Lhe
absLracL ls much dlerenL from lLs operauonallzauon.
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
1 2 3 4 5 6
HIGHEST LOWEST
PRIORITY PRIORITY
lurLhermore, Lhe need Lo balance lLs lmporLance
agalnsL oLher lmporLanL Lasks (Lhe gaLherlng and
recepuon of lnformauon, Lhe producuon of
producuons, and Lhe dlssemlnauon of lnformauon)
compllcaLes Lhe endeavor before Lhe fuslon cenLers.
8ecognlzlng Lhls, PSl dld Lhe followlng.
Survey paruclpanLs were asked Lo rank order several
operauonal Lasks. 1helr responses provlded boLh
lndependenL and relauve measures of Lhe
lmporLance of Lhese Lasks as [udged by Lhose
worklng ln Lhe fuslon cenLers. llCu8L 23 (below)
lllusLraLes Lhe paruclpanLs' answers. 1he scale runs
from 1 Lo 6, where 1 equals mosL lmporLanL" and 6
equals leasL lmporLanL." Lach polnL on Lhe scale
provldes Lhe relauve rank orderlng of Lhe percelved
lmporLance of each Lask: Lhe gaLherlng or recelvlng
of lnformauon, Lhe analysls of lnformauon, Lhe
producuon of lnLelllgence producLs, and Lhe
dlssemlnauon of lnformauon. 8eLween y-one and
y-Lhee lndlvlduals answered Lhese quesuons.
9,:;3< >?: 8aLe Lhe lmporLance of key 1asks
Analysis Gather/Receive
Production of Product Dissemination
0
10
20
30
1 2 3 4 5 6
1he gaLherlng or recelvlng of lnformauon was mosL
oen selecLed as Lhe mosL lmporLanL Lask: 36.7 of
respondenLs raLed lL as 1. ln Lhe 1 raung, lL ls
followed by dlssemlnauon (23.3) , analysls (17.6),
and Lhe producuon of producLs (10.2). Clven Lhe
daLa presenLed ln llCu8L 22, where analysls ls
ldenued as Lhe second hlghesL prlorlLy by a
subsLanual number of respondenLs, Lhe daLa
presenLed here may appear Lo be counLerlnLuluve.
Looklng aL Lhe relauve measure of respondenLs'
ranklng of Lhe second mosL lmporLanL Lask, however,
supporLs Lhe resulLs expressed earller.
Looklng aL where each Lask peaks" suggesLs LhaL
Lhose ln Lhe fuslon cenLers rank order Lhe gaLherlng
or recelvlng of lnformauon as Lhe mosL lmporLanL
Lask, followed by analysls. WhaL comes nexL appears
Lo be up for debaLe: boLh analysls and producuon of
producLs, barely edge ouL dlssemlnauon. 1he
producuon of producLs, however, was commonly
chosen as Lhe forLh mosL lmporLanL Lask - and
edges ouL Lhe oLhers aL Lhe 3Lh and 6Lh posluons as
well. lnLeresungly, Lhe paruclpanL responses lndlcaLe
LhaL dlssemlnauon ls never seen as belng more
lmporLanL Lhan Lhe oLher Lasks.
Survey paruclpanLs were also asked abouL Lhelr
cenLer's capablllues ln regard Lo Lhe execuuon of
Lhese Lasks - uslng a scale from 1 Lo 6, where 1
equals hlghesL capablllLy" and 6 equals leasL
capablllLy." (llCu8L 24) Llke Lhe prevlous gure,
llCu8L 24 provldes a relauve measure - Lhls ume
of fuslon cenLer capablllues. Lach polnL on Lhe scale
provldes Lhe relauve rank orderlng of Lhe percelved
capablllues of Lhe respondenL's fuslon cenLer ln
regard Lo each Lask: Lhe gaLherlng or recelvlng of
lnformauon, Lhe analysls of lnformauon, Lhe
producuon of lnLelllgence producLs, and Lhe
dlssemlnauon of lnformauon. 8eLween LhlrLy-seven
and y-one lndlvlduals answered Lhese quesuons.'
MOST LEAST
IMPORTANT IMPORTANT
ulssemlnauon was mosL oen selecLed as Lhe area ln
whlch Lhe fuslon cenLers have Lhe mosL capablllLy:
26.8 of respondenLs raLed lL a 1. ulssemlnauon
was also Lhe hlghesL raLed cholce for 2: 22 raLed lL
as such. 1hls ls parucularly lnLeresung glven Lhe
resulLs presenLed above ln llCu8L 23. 1he daLa
suggesLs LhaL Lhose ln Lhe fuslon cenLers percelve
LhaL Lhelr cenLer's greaLesL capablllLy lles ln carrylng
ouL Lhe Lask Lhey hold Lo be of Lhe leasL lmporLance.
9,:;3< >@: 8aLe ?our CenLer's Capablllues 8egardlng
key 1asks
When asked whlch Lask consumes Lhe mosL amounL
of Lhelr ume, Lhe gaLherlng or recelvlng of
lnformauon was Lhe answer mosL commonly glven.
(llCu8L 23) Cf Lhe forLy-elghL lndlvlduals who
answered Lhls quesuon, 31.9 clLed Lhe gaLherlng or
recelvlng of lnformauon.
0
10
20
30
1 2 3 4 5 6
9,:;3< >A: Whlch 1ask Consumes Lhe MosL AmounL
of ?our 1lme
When asked Lo rank order Lhe ume Lhey spend on
Lhese same four Lasks (gaLherlng or recelvlng
lnformauon, analyzlng lnformauon, produclng
l nL el l l gence producL s, and dl sseml naung
lnformauon), Lhe forLy-slx Lo forLy-elghL lndlvlduals
who answered Lhese quesuons provlded Lhe
followlng daLa uslng a scale where 1 equals Lhe
mosL amounL of ume and 4 equals Lhe leasL
amounL of ume. (llCu8L 26)
9,:;3< >B: 8ank Crder of 1lme SpenL on Lach 1ask
Analyzing
Gathering/Receiving
Producing Products
Disseminating
29.2%
31.3%
27.1%
13%
0
10
20
30
1 2 3 4
MOST LEAST
TIME TIME
MOST LEAST
CAPABLE CAPABLE
llCu8L 26 agaln hlghllghLs Lhe percelved lmporLance
of analysls. When asked abouL Lhe amounL of ume
spenL on each of Lhe four Lasks relauve Lo one
anoLher, Lhe daLa for analysls ls Lhe mosL conslsLenL.
Some 29.2 raLed lL as Lhe Lask Lhey spend Lhe mosL
ume on, 31.3 raLed lL as Lhe Lask Lhey spend Lhe
second greaLesL amounL of Lhelr ume, anoLher 31.3
raLed lL as Lhe Lask upon whlch Lhey spend Lhe Lhlrd
mosL ume.
lL can be assumed LhaL some of Lhe varlance on how
respondenLs spenL Lhelr ume can be accounLed for
by dlerences ln Lhe [ob funcuon or role Lhey play ln
Lhelr fuslon cenLer. Lven accounung for LhaL,
however, lL appears LhaL Lhose worklng ln Lhe fuslon
cenLers hold analysls Lo be lmporLanL enough LhaL
Lhey devoLe ume Lo lL regardless of Lhelr speclc [ob
funcuon.
1he percelved lmporLance of analysls ls also revealed
by respondenLs' answers Lo a survey quesuon abouL
where Lhey would llke Lo see Lhelr cenLer lmprove.
When asked Lo rank order Lhe capablllLy where Lhey
would llke Lo see Lhe mosL lmprovemenL ln Lhelr
cenLer, Lhe mosL common answer was analysls. Cf
Lhe forLy-nlne lndlvlduals who answered Lhe
quesuon, 31.1 responded LhaL lmprovlng Lhelr
cenLer's analyucal capablllues was Lhelr rsL prlorlLy.
1he gaLherlng and recelvlng of lnformauon came ln
second, 19.1 selecLed lL as Lhelr rsL prlorlLy.
AnoLher 6.3 selecLed dlssemlnauon, whlle 2.1
chose Lhe producuon of producLs. (llCu8L 27)
As wlLh earller quesuons regardlng Lhe lmporLance
of key Lasks and Lhelr cenLer's capablllues, Lhls
quesuon was presenLed as a serles LhaL asked
respondenLs Lo make a relauve rank-ordered
[udgemenL. 1he slmllar 1 Lo 6 scale was used, where
1 equaled hlghesL prlorlLy for lmprovemenL" and 6
equaled lowesL prlorlLy for lmprovemenL." Clven
Lhe resulLs reporLed above, Lhe daLa ls noL surprlslng.
1hose worklng ln Lhe fuslon cenLers expressed Lhe
oplnlon LhaL lL was more lmporLanL Lo lncrease Lhelr
analyucal capablllues and Lhelr ablllLy Lo gaLher and
recelve daLa Lhan Lhelr capablllLy Lo produce
producLs or dlssemlnaLe lnformauon. (llCu8L 28)
9,:;3< >C: rlorlLy Area for lmprovemenL
9,:;3< >D: 8elauve 8ank-Crdered Areas for
lmprovemenL
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
0
10
20
30
1 2 3 4 5 6
MOST LEAST
NEEDED NEEDED
IMPROVEMENTS IMPROVEMENTS
When asked abouL wheLher or noL Lhey would
prlorluze lmprovemenLs ln Lhelr Lechnologlcal
resources, paruclpanL responses were mlxed. AbouL
half of Lhe respondenLs lndlcaLed Lhey would lnvesL
ln Lechnologlcal resources - Lhough noL aL Lhe
expense of lmprovemenLs ln analyucal capablllues or
Lhe gaLherlng and recepuon of lnformauon. llCu8L
29 lllusLraLes Lhe rank order for Lechnologlcal
lmprovemenLs as expressed by respondenLs.
9,:;3< >E: 8elauve lmporLance of 1echnologlcal
lmprovemenLs
1he lssue of Lechnology presenLs lLself ln four oLher
lmporLanL quesuons. 1he rsL belng ln regard Lo
Lhelr cenLer's lnformauon Lechnology (l1) sLa.
When asked wheLher or noL Lhelr cenLer had full-
ume l1 sLa, nearly half lndlcaLed Lhey dld noL.
(llCu8L 30) lorLy-elghL lndlvlduals answered Lhls
quesuon.
Technology Analysis
Gather/Receive Production of Product
Dissemination
0
10
20
30
1 2 3 4 5 6
9,:;3< ?F: uoes ?our CenLer Pave lull-1lme l1 SLa?
1he real lmporLance of Lhe l1 sLamng quesuon,
however, lles ln lLs relauonshlp Lo Lhe second and
Lhlrd addluonal quesuons regardlng Lechnology -
boLh of whlch address cyber securlLy.
When asked Lo rank order Lhelr cenLer's capablllLy
for qotbetloq ot tecelvloq cybet secotlty televoot
lofotmouoo, only a few respondenLs lndlcaLed LhaL
Lhelr cenLer had hlgh capablllLy ln Lhls area. Cn a
scale from 1 Lo 10, where 1 equaled no capablllLy"
and 10 equaled hlgh capablllLy" - 34 of Lhe forLy-
seven lndlvlduals who answered Lhe quesuon raLed
Lhelr capablllLy aL a 3 or lower. Cnly 8.3 raLed lL aL
8 or hlgher. (llCu8L 31)
9,:;3< ?=: Cyber SecurlLy Capablllues
Yes
Dont Know
No
52.1%
47.9%
Analyze Information Gather/Receive Information
10%
20%
30%
40%
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
MOST
CAPABLE
LEAST
CAPABLE
MOST LEAST
NEEDED NEEDED
IMPROVEMENTS IMPROVEMENTS
When asked Lo rank order Lhelr cenLer's capablllLy
for ooolyzloq cybet secotlty televoot lofotmouoo, Lhe
daLa was slmllar. Cn a scale from 1 Lo 10, where 1
equaled no capablllLy" and 10 equaled hlgh
capablllLy" - 44.1 of Lhe forLy-seven lndlvlduals
who answered Lhe quesuon raLed Lhelr capablllLy aL
a 3 or lower. Some 14.9 of respondenLs raLed lL aL
8 or hlgher. (llCu8L 31)
1he fourLh and nal Lechnologlcally drlven quesuon
also Louches on cyber securlLy. When asked Lo rank
order Lhelr cenLer's capablllLy for ptotecuoq Jlqltol
lofotmouoo, survey respondenLs expressed a falr
amounL of condence. Cn a scale from 1 Lo 10,
where 1 equaled no capablllLy" and 10 equaled
hlgh capablllLy" - only 13.1 of Lhe forLy-slx
lndlvlduals who answered Lhe quesuon raLed Lhelr
capablllLy aL a 3 or lower. Some 34.4 of
respondenLs raLed lL aL 8 or hlgher.
noneLheless, Lhe daLa suggesLs Lhere ls reason for
concern. Several respondenLs lndlcaLed LhaL securlLy
mlghL be an lssue. lurLhermore, glven Lhe very
naLure of Lhe fuslon cenLer endeavor as an
lnformauon sharlng neLwork, Lhe weakesL llnk
deLermlnes Lhe sLrengLh of Lhe enure chaln - boLh
ln regard Lo Lhe lnLelllgence enLerprlse and ln Lhe
proLecuon of Lhe prlvacy rlghLs of Lhose lndlvlduals
whose lnformauon may be exposed. (llCu8L 32)
9,:;3< ?>: AblllLy Lo roLecL ulglLal lnformauon
Cyber Security Protection
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1he nal seL of daLa dlrecLly ued Lo Lhe role of Lhe
fuslon cenLers ln Lhe lnLelllgence enLerprlse
addresses Lhe uS' homeland securlLy warnlng
sysLem.
When asked wheLher or noL Lhe unlLed SLaLe has an
adequaLe homeland securlLy warnlng and alerL
sysLem, respondenLs were evenly spllL. Cf Lhe forLy-
elghL lndlvlduals who answered Lhe quesuon, 43.8
sald lL dld and 43.8 sald lL dld noL. (llCu8L 33)
When asked Lo make commenLs regardlng Lhe basls
for Lhelr assessmenL of Lhe uS' warnlng sysLem many
who answered yes clLed Lhelr level of access Lo lL, lLs
relauve slmpllclLy, and/or Lhe facL LhaL Lhe new
nauonal 1errorl sm Advl sory SysLem (n1AS)
represenLs an lmprovemenL over Lhe old program.
1hose who answered no clLed a lack of deLall or
dlerenuauon ln Lhe warnlngs, lll dened proLocols,
and a lack of Lesung. Many - lncludlng Lhose who
answered yes," no," and don'L know" Lo Lhe
quesuon regardlng Lhe adequacy of Lhe uS' warnlng
sysLem - expressed a concern abouL wheLher or noL
Lhere ls a rm concepLual undersLandlng of how besL
Lo warn Amerlcans so as Lo ellclL Lhe deslred
response on Lhe parL of Lhe publlc.
NTAS is an improvement over the old
system. Survey Respondent
NTAS is very at preferred old system.
Survey Respondent
NTAS is new and I am not sure of its
adequacy. Survey Respondent
VULNERABLE SECURE
9,:;3< ??: ls Lhe uS' Pomeland SecurlLy Warnlng
SysLem AdequaLe?
<8# 159-(. @#.2#"9 A B. C0#"%D(.%; !"(E;#
As was noLed ln Lhe background secuon, Lhe sLamng
levels of Lhe fuslon cenLers varles - from a
mlnlmum of four lndlvlduals Lo a maxlmum of one
hundred. ulerences ln sLa slze can be expecLed
Lo eecL Lhe operauonal capablllues of a glven
cenLer. ?eL, sLamng levels are noL Lhe only
deLermlnanL of such.
luslon cenLers also vary ln regard Lo Lhe professlonal
backgrounds and sklll seLs of Lhelr sLas. varlance ln
Lhe presence of local law enforcemenL, sLaLe pollce
agencles, sLaLe deparLmenLs of homeland securlLy,
emergency managemenL enuues, Lhe nauonal
Cuard, and varlous federal bodles (lncludlng uPS and
Lhe l8l) each eecL Lhe professlonal composluon and
organlzauonal behavlor of each cenLer. ln shorL,
fuslon cenLers are aecLed noL [usL by how many, buL
who sLas Lhem. lor LhaL reason, PSl asked survey
paruclpanLs a serles of quesuons abouL Lhe
demographlc and operauonal prole of Lhelr cenLers.
As a seL of skllls, Lralnlng, and experlences, law
enforcemenL denes Lhe professlonal background
Yes Dont Know No
45.8%
8.3%
45.8%
and eLhos of Lhe fuslon cenLers. When asked, whlch
of four caLegorles besL descrlbed Lhelr professlonal
background, 68.6 of Lhe sevenLy respondenLs
answered law enforcemenL. lnLelllgence analysls
came ln second, 24.3 selecLed lL. (llCu8L 34)
9,:;3< ?@: Whlch CaLegory 8esL uescrlbes ?our
rofesslonal 8ackground
When asked how long Lhey had served ln Lhelr
currenL posluon, Lhe mosL common answer was Lwo
years. nearly a quarLer, some 24.3 of Lhe sevenLy
lndlvlduals who answered Lhe quesuon, gave LhaL
response. 1he nexL Lwo mosL common answers were
Lhree years and less Lhan 1 year - each of whlch
was selecLed by 13.7 of respondenLs. (llCu8L 33)
9,:;3< ?A: Pow Long Pave ?ou Served ln ?our
CurrenL osluon
Law Enforcement Intelligence Collection
Intelligence Analysis Policy Management
0%
14%
28%
42%
56%
70%
0%
6%
12%
18%
24%
30%
<1 1 2 3 4 5 6 6<
MosL respondenLs lndlcaLed Lhey would be
consldered experlenced lndlvlduals. Cnly 4.3 of
respondenLs sald Lhey would be consldered enLry-
level personnel. Some 21.4 sLaLed Lhey had
masLered Lhe skllls and compeLencles of Lhelr
currenL posluon and were famlllar wlLh Lhose of
superlor posluons. AnoLher 21.4 wenL beyond LhaL
and reporLed LhaL ln addluon, Lhey also played a
Lralnlng and overslghL role. A full 32.9 reporLed
LhaL Lhey provlde lnpuL and dlrecuon ln regard Lo
organlzauonal declslons.' SevenLy people answered
Lhls quesuon.
When asked Lo provlde a relauve rank orderlng of
whaL Lhey consldered Lo be Lhelr cenLer's mosL
lmporLanL acuvlues, Lhe ma[orlLy clLed law
enforcemenL. lly-Lhree people answered Lhe
quesuon whlch asked Lhem Lo rank order varlous
Lypes of acuvlues. (llCu8L 36)
9,:;3< ?B: 8elauve 8ank-Crdered MosL lmporLanL
Acuvlues
Law Enforcement
Counterterrorism
Public Safety / Emergency Response
Infrastructure Protection
Private Sector & Cyber Security
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
1 2 3 4 5
Survey respondenLs expressed a conslsLenL rank
orderlng of lmporLance. 1haL order ls as follows: Law
LnforcemenL, CounLerLerrorlsm, ubllc SafeLy/
Lmergency 8esponse, lnfrasLrucLure roLecuon, and
rlvaLe SecLor SecurlLy (lncludlng Cyber SecurlLy).
1he order holds wlLhln Lhe MosL lmporLanL"
caLegory ranklng. Some 63.3 of respondenLs
selecLed Law LnforcemenL as Lhe mosL lmporLanL. lL
ls followed by counLerLerrorlsm, whlch was selecLed
as Lhe mosL lmporLanL fuslon cenLer acuvlLy by
27.3 of Lhose who answered Lhls quesuon. ubllc
SafeLy/Lmergency 8esponse was chosen as Lhe mosL
lmporLanL by 8.2. lnfrasLrucLure roLecLed was
ranked mosL lmporLanL by 4.1, followed by rlvaLe
SecLor Cyber SecurlLy whlch were ranked mosL
lmporLanL by 4 of respondenLs. 1hls ranklng also
holds across Lhe charL, each caLegory peaks aL a
dlerenL polnL (1, 2, 3, 4, or 3) - buL Lhelr order
sLays Lhe same.
When asked a follow-on quesuon abouL whaL shapes
Lhelr rank orderlng of Lhelr cenLer's mosL lmporLanL
acuvlues, mosL sLaLed LhaL such was Lhe producL of
Lhelr cenLer's lnsuLuuonal pedlgree (Lhe agencles
LhaL creaLed Lhelr cenLer), Lhe key relauonshlps and
cusLomer base Lhey serve, Lhe declslons of elecLed
omclals or senlor declslon-makers, hlsLory or
sLandard operaung procedures, or Lhe auacks of
SepLember 11, 2001. Cf Lhe LhlrLy lndlvlduals who
answered Lhls quesuon, none of Lhem referenced
Lhe currenL or expecLed LhreaL domaln.
As noLed earller, many ln Lhe fuslon cenLers
expressed Lhe bellef LhaL Lhe Laklng-ln of lnformauon
(boLh vla gaLherlng and recelvlng senL lnformauon)
and lLs analysls are vlLally lmporLanL. When asked
who Lhey look Lo for guldlng seLs of prlnclples and
assumpuons abouL Lhe lnLelllgence enLerprlse, 36.7
of Lhe slxLy lndlvlduals who answered reporLed LhaL
Lhey look Lo federal omclals or agencles. AnoLher
16.7 lndlcaLed Lhey look Lo sLaLe omclals or
MOST LEAST
IMPORTANT IMPORTANT
agencles for lnLelllgence guldance, whlle 10 sald
Lhey look Lo local omclals or oLher fuslon cenLers for
guldance. (llCu8L 37)
9,:;3< ?C: Who uo ?ou Look 1oward for Culdance ln
Lhe lnLelllgence LnLerprlse
AlLhough lnLelllgence was wldely recognlzed as
lmporLanL, respondenLs were less condenL abouL lLs
vlablllLy as a career. When asked lf Lhe lnLelllgence
enLerprlse represenLed a vlable career paLh wlLhln
Lhelr professlon, 31 of Lhe forLy-nlne lndlvlduals
who answered sald elLher Lhey dld noL know, or no.
(llCu8L 38)
9,:;3< ?D: uoes lnLelllgence represenL a vlable
career paLh wlLhln your professlon?
Local Ofcials/Agencies State Ofcials/Agencies
Federal Ofcials/Agencies Other Fusion Centers
Professional Organizations None of the Above
0%
12%
24%
36%
48%
60%
Yes
Dont Know
No
49.0%
24.5%
26.5%
Many of Lhose worklng ln Lhe fuslon cenLers
expressed Lhe bellef LhaL Lhelr cenLers have
esLabllshed mechanlsms for Lhe lnformal sharlng of
lnformauon - boLh wlLhln and ouLslde Lhelr cenLer.
PSl asked Lhese quesuons as a means for evaluaung
Lhe poLenual of Lhe fuslon cenLers Lo overcome Lhe
sLove-plplng of lnformauon. 1hey also hlghllghL
wheLher or noL Lhose ln Lhe cenLers are able Lo
engage ln Lhe Lypes of free-owlng/Lhlnklng
conversauons LhaL fosLer organlzauonal learnlng.
ln regard Lo boLh lnLernal and exLernal dlalogues, an
overwhelmlng ma[orlLy reporLed Lhey felL Lhelr
cenLer had processes for sharlng lnformauon LhaL
mlghL be lnLeresung or lmporLanL even lf noL
lmmedlaLely perunenL. Some 98.2 of Lhe y-ve
lndlvlduals who answered Lhe quesuon abouL Lhe
lnformal sharlng of lnformauon wlLhln Lhe cenLer
sald Lhey felL such was posslble. Cf Lhe y-four
lndlvlduals who answered Lhe quesuon abouL
lnformal sharlng wlLh Lhose ouLslde Lhelr cenLer,
88.9 sald Lhey felL proLocols Lo make such happen
were ln place.
llnally, when asked wheLher or noL Lhere were Lools
or procedures ln Lhe prlvaLe secLor LhaL could or
should be adopLed by Lhe fuslon cenLers, many
(abouL one-h Lo one-quarLer) sald yes. Among
Lhose Lhlngs mosL clLed were soclal medla Lools,
encrypuon and decrypuon Lools LhaL could be used
LhroughouL Lhe neLwork of fuslon cenLers, common
cusLomer feedback Lools, as well as mechanlsms LhaL
collecL polnL of sale and aggregaLe daLa concernlng
purchaslng hlsLory and pauerns.
@(.&;59-(.
PSl's survey of lndlvlduals worklng ln Lhe fuslon
cenLers provldes an lmporLanL gllmpse lnLo a
denlng feaLure of Lhe uS' modern nauonal
lnLelllgence enLerprlse.
ln an absoluLe sense, Lhe paruclpauon of sevenLy-
one lndlvlduals represenLs a small sample slze. ?eL, lL
should be noLed LhaL Lhe value of any daLa seL, or Lhe
[udgemenLs drawn from lL, are Lhe producL of
assumpuons abouL Lhe dlsLrlbuuon of LhaL daLa. ln
shorL, Lhe quesuon becomes: ls lL represenLauve of
Lhe larger populauon? We belleve lL ls. Clven Lhe
homogenous naLure of Lhls populauon (Lhose
worklng ln Lhe fuslon cenLers), lL ls doubul a larger
sample slze would have produced radlcally dlerenL
daLa. 1hus, lL can be assumed LhaL Lhe responses
gaLhered by Lhls survey can be used Lo draw Lhe
followlng general concluslons.
lrom Lhe perspecuve of Lhose ln Lhe fuslon cenLers,
Lerrorlsm represenLs a perslsLenL LhreaL Lo Lhe safeLy
and securlLy of Lhe unlLed SLaLes. AlLhough Lhe level
of rlsk wlll vary by locauon and overume, ln an
absoluLe sense, Lhe LhreaL ls here Lo sLay.
Much needs Lo be done Lo sLrengLhen Lhe ablllLy of
fuslon cenLers Lo deLecL and analyze cyber LhreaLs.
uesplLe a growlng number of warnlngs abouL cyber
securlLy, Loo llule has been done Lo enhance Lhe
capablllues of Lhe fuslon cenLers ln Lhls area. A
vlLal condulL for Lhe exchange of cyber lnLelllgence
among publlc and prlvaLe parLners aL Lhe local, sLaLe,
and federal levels remalns underdeveloped. As a
resulL, our level of cyber awareness and our ablllLy Lo
respond Lo LhreaLs are noL whaL Lhey could (or
should) be. 1he uS' nauonal neLwork of fuslon
cenLers ls noL belng fully leveraged ln Lhe sLruggle Lo
address a growlng cyber LhreaL Lo homeland securlLy.
1he nauonal neLwork of sLaLe and ma[or urban area
fuslon cenLers ls supporung greaLer lnformauon
sharlng. A ma[orlLy of respondenLs reporLed LhaL
Lhey send and recelve lnformauon from local, sLaLe,
and federal auLhorlues on a regular basls. 1he fuslon
cenLers are acung as hubs for lnformauon - buL are
Lhey acung as hubs for lnLelllgence? AL Lhls polnL,
Lhe answer ls: noL qulLe, noL yeL. Accordlng Lo Lhe
resulLs of PSl's survey, Lhe ablllLy and frequency
wlLh whlch fuslon cenLers conducL reglonal LhreaL
assessmenLs ls anemlc aL besL, desplLe Lhe facL LhaL
boLh Lhe losloo ceotet ColJelloes and 8oselloe
copoblllues 5opplemeot from uPS and Lhe uo! sLress
Lhe lmporLance of such.
1wo key facLors are prevenung Lhe fuslon cenLers
from fullllng Lhelr mandaLe as lnLelllgence
resources. Cne facLor ls Lhe generally homogenous
bureaucrauc and professlonal background of Lhose
worklng ln Lhe fuslon cenLers. 1he second facLor ls
Lhe lack of lnvesLmenL ln Lhe analyucal skllls of Lhose
worklng ln Lhe cenLers. 1hese lnLerLwlned condluons
work agalnsL Lhe ablllLy of Lhe cenLers Lo fully
LranslaLe lnformauon lnLo lnLelllgence. 1hey prevenL
Lhe meanlngful fulllmenL of whaL was ldenued aL
Lhe 2010 new Crleans conference as a Crlucal
Cperauonal CapablllLy - Lhe analysls and
assessmenL of LhreaL lnformauon.'
Law enforcement partners built the fusion
center and dominate its executive board.
Further, the Statewide Integrated
Intelligence Plan focuses on law
enforcement activities. Survey Respondent
When asked abouL Lhelr professlonal background,
slxLy-elghL percenL of respondenLs reporLed LhaL
Lhey came from law enforcemenL. Clearly Lhere ls
slgnlcanL overlap beLween counLerLerrorlsm
acuvlues and Lradluonal law enforcemenL. 1he sklll
seLs are largely funglble. ?eL, Lhere are key
dlerences.
1he presence of a predomlnanL law enforcemenL
background wlLhln Lhe fuslon cenLers leads Lo an
emphasls on Lhe lmmedlaLe or sLrlcLly uullLarlan
value of lnformauon. CuL of necesslLy, Lhe law
enforcemenL perspecuve oen dl sml sses
lnformauon LhaL lacks speclc acuonable worLh -
narrowlng Lhe focus Lo Lhe few key pleces of
lnformauon LhaL may be used Lo lnLerrupL an auack
and make arresLs. Cbvlously Lhls sllng and
narrowlng capablllLy ls of crlucal value Lo Lhe law
enforcemenL professlon. 1o employ an analogy, Lhe
law enforcemenL perspecuve ls LhaL of a chess
player. 1o wln, Lhey musL focus on Lhe maLch aL hand
and Lhe moves of Lhelr opponenL. 1he perspecuve
of Lhe lnLelllgence analysL, however, ls LhaL of a
[lgsaw puzzle masLer. 1o be successful Lhey musL
dlscern clues from Lhe envlronmenL and esLabllsh Lhe
proper relauonshlp beLween Lhe pleces. 1o perform
well, analysLs musL move beyond slmply llnear
Lhlnklng. 1he skllls of Lhe analysL lead Lo an
emphasls on lnformauon LhaL expands Lhelr
undersLandlng of Lhe scope and conLexL of whaL Lhey
see before Lhem. ln counLerLerrorlsm, boLh are vlLal.
ln Lhe fuslon cenLers, boLh are needed - ln balance.
Case speclc Lacucal experuse, such as LhaL supplled
by Lhe l8l's !11ls, musL be balanced wlLh conLexLual
sLraLeglc undersLandlng, such as LhaL provlded by Lhe
nC1C or uPS's Cmce of lnLelllgence and Analysls.
AL presenL, Lhe fuslon cenLers have Loo much of Lhe
law enforcemenL perspecuve and noL enough of Lhe
analysL. 1hls aecLs boLh Lhe focus and Lhe
operauon of Lhe fuslon cenLers. lL leads background
and bureaucracy Lo Lrump percepuon of LhreaL. lor
example, alLhough respondenLs lndlcaLed LhaL
Lerrorlsm, parucularly homegrown Lerrorlsm, posed
a dlrecL and perslsLenL LhreaL ln Lhelr [urlsdlcuons -
mosL lndlcaLed LhaL law enforcemenL was Lhe
prlmary operauonal focus of Lhelr fuslon cenLers.
Addluonally, Lhe presence of a predomlnanL
professlonal background Lends Lo lead Lo a blas
Loward speclc sources of lnformauon. noLe, mosL
respondenLs raLed law enforcemenL enuues and Lhe
l8l's !11ls as more lmporLanL sources of lnformauon
Lhan uPS and Lhe nC1C - mosL llkely because
lnformauon from law enforcemenL or Lhe !11ls are
belleved Lo have lmmedlaLe and concreLe value.
Cver ume, a hablLual rellance on cerLaln sources
over oLhers wlll skew percepuons of LhreaL and
organlzauonal relauonshlps. 1he resulL could be a
sLove-plplng of lnformauon, someLhlng Lhe fuslon
cenLers were creaLed Lo overcome.
1o Lhelr credlL, Lhose ln Lhe fuslon cenLer recognlze
Lhls lmbalance. PSl's survey lndlcaLes LhaL Lhose ln
Lhe fuslon cenLer acknowledge Lhe lmporLance of
analyucal skllls. MosL respondenLs selecLed analysls
as Lhe area Lhey would focus on and prlorluze ln
Lhel r cenLer for fuLure l mprovemenL and
developmenL. 1hls concluslon ls supporLed by
anecdoLal evldence from conversauons beLween Lhe
auLhors of Lhls reporL and lndlvlduals aL Lhe nauonal
luslon CenLer Assoclauon. 1hese dlscusslons
uncovered frusLrauon on Lhe parL of Lhose ln Lhe
fuslon cenLers over an lnablllLy Lo rouunely secure
Lhe skllls and crlucal Lhlnklng Lralnlng necessary Lo
produce maLure analysLs.
1o maxlmlze Lhe poLenual of Lhe fuslon cenLers and
fulll Lhe mandaLe under whlch Lhey were creaLed,
greaLer lnvesLmenL needs Lo be made ln Lhe
professlonal developmenL of Lhose worklng ln Lhem.
uL anoLher way, we musL lnvesL ln people Lo reallze
Lhe full poLenual of Lhls lnsuLuuonal asseL.
1wo areas, ln parucular, should be sLressed. llrsL, as
Lhe above suggesLs, Lhere oughL Lo be lncreased
lnvesLmenLs ln Lhe analyucal and crlucal Lhlnklng
skllls of Lhose worklng ln Lhe cenLers. Such
lnvesLmenLs musL go beyond one-ume enLry (or even
sporadlc) Lralnlng currlcula, and lnclude regular
opporLunlues Lo develop as lnLelllgence analysLs -
lncludlng opporLunlues for eld experlence. Second,
lnvesLmenLs need Lo be made ln Lhe professlonal
lncenuve sLrucLures of Lhe fuslon cenLers. 1he
currenL guldellnes and evaluauons LhaL domlnaLe Lhe
fuslon process and cenLers Loo oen focus on
process raLher Lhan ouLcome. 1o reap Lhe beneLs
of daLa fuslon, whaL ls needed ls an lncenuve sysLem
LhaL promoLes Lhe developmenL of quallLy reporLs,
sLandlng relauonshlps, and rlgorous analysls over Lhe
quanuLy of lnformauon recelved and dlssemlnaLed.
ln a perlod of budgeL ausLerlLy, addluonal
lnvesLmenLs may appear Lo be an unaordable
expense. AcLually, Lhe opposlLe ls Lrue. lnvesLmenLs
ln people, especlally lndlvlduals ln Lhe rsL half of
Lhelr careers, appreclaLe over ume. Such
lnvesLmenLs led Lo Lhe dlrecL beneLs of beuer
collecuon, beuer analysls, and enhanced response
capablllues LhaL lmprove Lhe enure lnLelllgence
enLerprlse and supporL more lnformed rlsk
assessmenLs. lrom Lhese ouLcomes, a second (scal)
beneL ylelds lLself - a rlcher plcLure of Lhe LhreaLs
and conLexL under whlch spendlng declslons musL be
made. Conslder Lhe followlng.
1he susplclous acuvlLy reporung sysLem (SA8S) has
proven Lo be more of a passlve collecuon mechanlsm
based on observed behavlor reasonably lndlcauve of
pre-operauonal plannlng relaLed Lo Lerrorlsm or
oLher crlmlnal acuvlLy. Whlle Lhls ls cerLalnly a good
basellne for deplcung anomalles, and whlle
lnsuLuuonallzlng Lhls Lype of reporung wlLhln pollce
deparLmenLs and Lhelr respecuve communlues has
lmproved collecuon, lL has ooded fuslon cenLers,
law enforcemenL, and oLher securlLy enuues wlLh
whlLe nolse.
1hls whlLe nolse compllcaLes Lhe lnLelllgence process
and dlsLorLs resource allocauon and deploymenL
declslons. lf fuslon cenLers are golng Lo be Lrue
homeland securlLy asseLs capable of focuslng
auenuon on emergenL rlsks, Lhen more focused,
LhreaL based collecuon, analysls, and dlssemlnauon
musL be Lhe goal. ln essence, we need Lo move from
passlve collecuon and dlssemlnauon (SA8S) and
enhance Lhe daLa Lhrough more acuve and lnformed
processes - lncludlng LhreaL based organlzauonal
behavlors. Cne way of achlevlng Lhls would be Lo
fully leverage Lhe lnLelllgence enLerprlse Lhrough Lhe
lncluslon of sLaLe and local collecuon eorLs.
?es, Lhese recommendauons requlre spendlng
money. ?eL, we recognlze Lhe reallLy of exlsung
budgeLary consLralnLs aL all levels of governance. We
cannoL aord Lo spend bllndly, nor do we need Lo.
lnvesLmenLs ln Lhe capablllues of Lhe fuslon cenLers
could (and should) bulld on exlsung successful eorLs
wlLhln Lhe lnLelllgence and law enforcemenL
communlues. 1he lnLeragency 1hreaL AssessmenL
and Coordlnauon Croup (l1ACC) provldes an
example for how Lhls may be done. l1ACC works Lo
supporL Lhe developmenL of analysLs by connecung
Lhem wlLh oLher analysLs ln Lhe lnLelllgence
communlLy and wlLh Lhelr counLerparLs ln law
enforcemenL. lL also supplles guldance ln Lhe
consLrucuon of Lallored lnLelllgence producLs and
faclllLaLes analysL access Lo classled lnformauon.
lurLhermore, l1ACC acLs as a brldge beLween Lhe
perspecuve of law enforcemenL professlonals and
Lhe perspecuve of Lhe analysLs - lL helps avold Lhe
sLove-plplng of perspecuves and lnformauon by
connecung el emenL s wl L hl n L he nauonal
CounLerLerrorlsm CenLer, uPS, and l8l Lo lndlvlduals
wlLhln Lhe fuslon cenLers.
CreaL er l nvesL menL s l n L he professl onal
developmenL of lndlvlduals, reLooled lncenuve
sysLems, and Lhe greaLer use of programs llke Lhe
l1ACC wlll move Lhe fuslon cenLers Loward Lhe
fulllmenL of Lhelr full poLenual and promlse. 1here
ls a real cosL Lo Lhese lnvesLmenLs, buL Lhere ls also
real value - Lhey would lead Lo lmproved homeland
securlLy and greaLer economy of force and resources.
@<=F:
1he Pomeland SecurlLy ollcy lnsuLuLe's C1lS8
program represenL s L he rsL auempL Lo
sysLemaucally and rouunely collecL daLa from
counLerLerrorlsm professlonals aL all levels of
governmenL.
ln SepLember 2011, Lhe resulLs of PSl's flrsL C1lS8
were released. 1haL survey measured Lhe perspecLlves
of local law enforcemenL (lL can be found on PSl's
webslLe: www.homelandsecurlLy.gwu.edu). luLure
surveys wlll conLlnue Lo measure how counLerLerrorlsm
and lnLelllgence pracLlLloners - be Lhey analyLlcal or
operaLlonal - percelve Lhe Lerrorlsm LhreaL domaln
and Lhelr role ln Lhe lnLelllgence enLerprlse underLaken
Lo counLer lL.
Why ls Lhls research lmporLanL? 1he shorL answer ls
LhaL lL aecLs Lhe nauonal securlLy of Lhe unlLed
SLaLes by ldenufylng LhreaLs, besL pracuces, and
opporLunlues for Lhe lmprovemenL of our homeland
securlLy capablllues.
1he longer answer ls LhaL pracuuoner percepuons
aecL uS nauonal securlLy by provldlng a bouom-up
rlch plcLure of Lhe Lerror LhreaL faced by Lhe unlLed
SLaLes. Pow pracuuoners concepLuallze and
percelve Lhe LhreaL ls of vlLal lmporLance. 1helr
percepuons aecL whlch LhreaLs are deLecLed and
when. lurLhermore, Lhelr percepuons represenL an
emplrlcal gulde for Largeung Lhe Lools needed Lo
develop anuclpaLory lnLelllgence. WheLher, and how
well Lhls ls done, depends on Lhe percepuons of Lhe
pracuuoners Lhemselves - as well as how oen and
how well Lhose percepuons are belng measured and
analyzed.
WlLh C1lS8, Lhe Pomeland SecurlLy ollcy lnsuLuLe aL
1he Ceorge WashlngLon unlverslLy ls commlued Lo
conunulng Lhls research and learnlng all we can from
Lhe percepuons of Lhose on Lhe fronL llnes of our
homeland securlLy.
<TUTVWXY
1 Wllber, uel Cuenun. 2002. 1ape shows hl[acker's Lramc sLop."
8alumore, Mu, 1he 8alumore Sun. Accessed onllne 24 Aprll 2012
a L : h u p : / / w w w . b a l u m o r e s u n . c o m / b a l -
md.vldeo09[an09,0,7362620.sLory. nauonal Commlsslon on
1errorlsL Auacks upon Lhe unlLed SLaLes. 2004. 9/11 Commlsslon
8eporL. new ?ork, n?, W. W. norLon Company. p.4.
2 Cmce of Lhe lnspecLor Ceneral. 2011. un5 [otts 1o cootJloote
ooJ obooce lts 5oppott ooJ lofotmouoo 5botloq wltb losloo
ceotets. WashlngLon, uC, uS ueparLmenL of Pomeland SecurlLy. p.
49. Cardona, lellsa. 2011. Lakewood mall-devlce suspecL seL o
'03 bomb aL sLrlp club." uenver, CC, 1he uenver osL. Accessed
onllne 27 Aprll 2012 aL: hup://www.denverposL.com/news/
cl18373331. CaLhrlghL, Alan. 2011. Man Peld ln Colorado Mllls
8omblng Case. uenver, CC, A8C 7 news. Accessed onllne 27 Aprll
2012 aL: hup://www.Lhedenverchannel.com/news/28383133/
deLall.hLml. Larson, !ace and Chrlsuna ulcklnson. 2011. SuspecL
ln mall devlces seL o dry-lce bomb before." uenver, CC, 9 news.
Accessed onllne 27 Aprll 2012 aL: hup://www.9news.com/news/
arucle/203496/207/SuspecL-ln-mall-devlces-seL-o-dry-lce-bomb-
before.
3 2011. lmplemeouoq 9/11 commlssloo kecommeoJouoos.
rogress 8eporL. WashlngLon, uC, uS ueparLmenL of Pomeland
SecurlLy. p.12.
4 Clobal !usuce lnformauon Sharlng lnluauve and Pomeland
SecurlLy Advlsory Councll. 2006. losloo ceotet ColJelloes.
ueveloploq ooJ 5botloq lofotmouoo ooJ lotelllqeoce lo o New to.
WashlngLon, uC, uS ueparLmenL of !usuce and uS ueparLmenL of
Pomeland SecurlLy. p.2
3 1he number sevenLy-seven comes from Lhe uPS webpage
denoung luslon CenLer Locauons and ConLacL lnformauon,"
whlch was updaLed on 12 March 2012. Accessed onllne 12 !une
2 0 1 2 a L : h u p : / / w w w. d h s . g o v / l e s / p r o g r a m s /
gc1301683827333.shLm.
6 Cmce of Lhe lnspecLor Ceneral. 2011. un5 [otts 1o cootJloote
ooJ obooce lts 5oppott ooJ lofotmouoo 5botloq wltb losloo
ceotets. WashlngLon, uC, uS ueparLmenL of Pomeland SecurlLy.
pp.2-3.
7 nauonal Commlsslon on 1errorlsL Auacks upon Lhe unlLed
SLaLes. 2004. 9/11 Commlsslon 8eporL. new ?ork, n?, W. W.
norLon Company. pp.416-419. 8osenbach, Lrlc and Akl !. erlLz.
2009. cooftootouoo ot collobotouoo? cooqtess ooJ tbe
lotelllqeoce commoolty. Cambrldge, MA, !ohn l. kennedy School
of CovernmenL, Parvard unlverslLy. p.96.
8 2010. Nouoool 5ecotlty 5ttoteqy. WashlngLon, uC, Lxecuuve
Cmce of Lhe resldenL. p.20.
9 Crlucal lnfrasLrucLure ls dened as asseLs, sysLems, and
neLworks, boLh physlcal or vlrLual, whlch are so vlLal Lo Lhe unlLed
SLaLes LhaL lncapaclLauon or desLrucuon would deblllLaLe securlLy,
nauonal economlc securlLy, and publlc healLh or safeLy." Cmce of
Lhe lnspecLor Ceneral. 2011. un5 [otts 1o cootJloote ooJ
obooce lts 5oppott ooJ lofotmouoo 5botloq wltb losloo ceotets.
WashlngLon, uC, uS ueparLmenL of Pomeland SecurlLy. p.3.
Pomeland SecurlLy. p.10.
Pomeland SecurlLy. pp.11-12. LamberL, uavld. 2010.
lnLelllgence-Led ollclng ln a luslon CenLer." l8l Law LnforcemenL
8ulleun. WashlngLon, uC, lederal 8ureau of lnvesugauon.
Accessed onllne 22 Aprll 2012 aL: hup://www.l.gov/sLaLs-
servlces/publlcauons/law-enforcemenL-bulleun/uec2010/
lnLelllgencefeaLure.
Pomeland SecurlLy. pp.11-12,u-3,u-4.
13 Cmce of Lhe lnspecLor Ceneral. 2011. un5 [otts 1o
cootJloote ooJ obooce lts 5oppott ooJ lofotmouoo 5botloq wltb
losloo ceotets. WashlngLon, uC, uS ueparLmenL of Pomeland
SecurlLy. p.12.
14 AssoclaLed ress. 1enslons wlLh lran ralse uS safeLy concerns,
buL lnLelllgence omclal says auack unllkely." new ?ork, n?, lox
news. Accessed on 16 May 2012 aL: hup://www.foxnews.com/
pollucs/2012/02/17/Lenslons-wlLh-lran-ralse-us-concern-posslble-
Lerror-auack/.
13 Cllluo, lrank !., !oseph 8. Clark, and Mlchael . uownlng.
2011. CounLerLerrorlsm lnLelllgence: Law LnforcemenL
erspecuves" 8esearch 8rlef volume 1, number 1. WashlngLon,
uC, Pomeland SecurlLy ollcy lnsuLuLe. 8[elopera, !erome . and
Mark A. 8andol. 2010. Amerlcan !lhadlsL 1errorlsm: Combaung a
Complex 1hreaL." WashlngLon, uC, Congresslonal 8esearch
Servlce. 8aduege, Parry and aul nadeau. 2012. We need loLs
more cyber paLrloLs." San AnLonlo, 1, 5oo Aotoolo xptess.
Accessed onllne 27 Aprll 2012 aL: hup://www.mysananLonlo.com/
opl nl on/commenLary/arucl e/We-need-l oLs-more-cyber-
paLrloLs-3492236.php. Cllluo, lrank !. 2012. 1he lranlan Cyber
1hreaL Lo Lhe unlLed SLaLes." 1esumony before Lhe Commluee on
Pomeland SecurlLy's Subcommluee on CounLerLerrorlsm and
lnLelllgence, and Subcommluee on CybersecurlLy, lnfrasLrucLure
roLecuon and SecurlLy 1echnologles. WashlngLon, uC, uS Pouse
of 8epresenLauves. Accessed on 27 Aprll 2012 aL: hup://
homeland.house.gov/slLes/homeland.house.gov/les/1esumony
20-20Cllluo.pdf. Apuzzo, Mau, Anne Cearan, Adam
Coldman, Allcla A. Caldwell, and 8andy Perscha. 2012. Law
enforcemenL on lookouL amld lran Lenslons." Sprlngeld, vA, Atmy
1lmes. Accessed on 27 Aprll 2012 aL: hup://www.armyumes.com/
news/2012/02/ap-counLerLerrorlsm-omclals-lookouL-lranlan-
operauves-021712/.
16 nauonal luslon CenLer Assoclauon webslLe. Accessed on 30
Aprll 2012 aL: hup://www.nfcausa.org/.
17 lor any of Lhe Lhree measures of cenLral Lendency (mean,
medlan, or mode) Lhe average response raLe for each quesuon
was abouL Lhe same - 48.77, 49, and 48 respecuvely.
18 PSl bears sole responslblllLy for Lhe survey lLself. 1he
quesuons were wrluen, edlLed, and ordered by Lhe PSl. nelLher
SurveyMonkey nor l8M supplled any supporL for Lhls survey. 1he
use of Lhelr servlces and/or producLs should noL be consLrued as
an endorsemenL by PSl or 1he Ceorge WashlngLon unlverslLy.
lor more abouL elLher SurveryMonkey or SSS, see Lhelr
respecuve webslLes hup://www.surveymonkey.com/mp/abouLus/
and hup://www-01.lbm.com/soware/analyucs/spss/.
19 unlLed SLaLes CovernmenL AccounLablllLy Cmce. 2010. lederal
Agencles Are Pelplng luslon CenLers 8ulld Capablllues and roLecL
rlvacy, buL Could 8euer Measure 8esulLs. CAC-10-972.
WashlngLon, uC, CAC. p.9. Accessed onllne 30 Aprll 2012 aL:
hup://www.gao.gov/asseLs/320/310268.pdf.
20 1he 2010 sLausucs suggesL LhaL aL mosL 3,708 lndlvlduals are
worklng ln Lhe fuslon cenLers. 1hls number was arrlved aL vla Lhe
followlng. Assumlng one-quarLer of Lhe cenLers have less Lhan Len
workers produces a maxlmum number of 162 (72.2318 and
189162). 1hen assumlng half have more Lhan Len buL fewer
Lhan y workers produces a maxlmum number of 1,764 (72.
3036 and 36491764). llnally, assumlng Lhe nal quarLer of Lhe
cenLers have more Lhan y buL fewer Lhan one hundred
employees produces a maxlmum number of 1,782 (72.2318 and
18991782).
21 1hls was asked as an open quesuon - no caLegorles were
supplled. 8ased on Lhe answers provlded, responses were
caLegorlzed as elLher uomesuc/Pomegrown !lhadl 1errorlsLs,
uomesuc/Pomegrown non-!lhadl 1errorlsLs, lorelgn !lhadl
1errorlsLs, urug 1ramcklng Crganlzauons/Crganlzed Crlme, or
Muluple/uncaLegorlzed.
22 8ecause several respondenLs gave muluple answers, Lhe
number of commenLs exceeds Lhe number of respondenLs.
23 Agaln, because several respondenLs gave muluple answers, Lhe
number of commenLs exceeds Lhe number of respondenLs.
24 Cllluo, lrank !, !oseph 8. Clark, and Mlchael . uownlng. 2011.
CounLerLerrorlsm lnLelllgence: Law LnforcemenL erspecuves."
8esearch 8rlef. volume 1, number 1. WashlngLon, uC, Pomeland
SecurlLy ollcy lnsuLuLe. Avallable aL: hup://www.gwumc.edu/
hspl/pollcy/researchbrlef901cunLellocallaw.cfm.
23 Cllluo, lrank !, !oseph 8. Clark, and Mlchael . uownlng. 2011.
CounLerLerrorlsm lnLelllgence: Law LnforcemenL erspecuves."
8esearch 8rlef. volume 1, number 1. WashlngLon, uC, Pomeland
SecurlLy ollcy lnsuLuLe. pp.10,12. Avallable aL: hup://
w w w . g w u m c . e d u / h s p l / p o l l c y /
researchbrlef901cunLellocallaw.cfm.
26 An examlnauon of Lhe charL (llCu8L 22) reveals general
downward Lrend for all four of Lhe Lasks. 1he charL glves Lhe false
lmpresslon LhaL Lhere ls less daLa ln Lhe 3 and 6 ranklngs Lhan Lhe
rsL four. 1hls occurs because Lhe relauve lmporLance quesuons
conLalned Lwo addluonal Lasks - Lhe developmenL and use of
lnLelllgence docLrlne and Lhe acqulsluon and use of Lechnologlcal
resources. 8espondenLs conslsLenLly placed Lhese Lwo aL Lhe leasL
lmporLanL end of Lhe Lhe scale. lor example, 22.0 of
respondenLs ranked lnLelllgence docLrlne as a 3 and 46 ranked lL
as a 6. ln regard Lo Lechnologlcal resources, 32 of respondenLs
ranked Lhem as a 3 and 34 as a 6.
27 1he survey's quesuons regardlng capablllues lncluded Lwo
conLalned Lwo addluonal Lasks - Lhe use of lnLelllgence docLrlne
and Lechnologlcal resources. Survey daLa regardlng docLrlne
suggesLs a hlgh level of capablllLy - lL ued dlssemlnauon, Lhen
drops and plaLeaus aL 13.3 for raungs 2 and 3, before dropplng
Lo 3.4 aL raung 4. lrom Lhere lL [umps back Lo 16.2 for raung 3
and 24.3 for raung 6. 1hese resulLs are lndlcauve of an
expressed percepuon regardlng Lhe lmporLance of followlng
esLabllshed guldellnes. 1echnologlcal resources were raLed as
follows: 13.3 aL 1, 20 aL 2, 17.8 aL 3, 20 aL 4, 13.3 aL 3,
and 13.6 aL 6.
28 1he survey's quesuons regardlng areas of lmprovemenL
lncluded Lwo conLalned Lwo addluonal areas - lnLelllgence
docLrlne and Lechnologlcal resources. ln regard Lo docLrlne,
survey responses suggesL Lhose worklng ln Lhe fuslon cenLers raLe
lL as Lhe area wlLh Lhe leasL need for lmprovemenL. Cn Lhe 1 Lo 6
scales, Lhe response raLe for each ranklng were as follows: 8.3 aL
1, 4.3 aL 2, 23.4 aL 3, 14.9 aL 4, 17 aL 3, and 31.9 aL 6. 1he
resulLs concernlng Lechnologlcal resources are reporLed Lhe LexL
and wlLh llCu8L 26.
SecurlLy. pp.2-3.
30 unlLed SLaLes CovernmenL AccounLablllLy Cmce. 2010. lederal
Agencles Are Pelplng luslon CenLers 8ulld Capablllues and roLecL
rlvacy, buL Could 8euer Measure 8esulLs. CAC-10-972.
WashlngLon, uC, CAC. pp.8-9. Accessed onllne 30 Aprll 2012 aL:
hup://www.gao.gov/asseLs/320/310268.pdf.
31 1hls quesuon was asked wlLh an ordlnal seL of caLegorles. 1hey
were: LnLry level - l am Lralned, buL sull learnlng masLerlng Lhe
skllls and compeLencles of my posluon, Lxperlenced racuuoner
- l have masLered Lhe skllls and compeLencles of my posluon, and
am becomlng famlllar wlLh Lhe skllls and compeLencles of Lhose ln
superlor posluons, Seasoned veLeran - Pavlng masLered Lhe skllls
and compeLencles of my professlon, and wlLh deep knowledge
derlved from exLenslve observauon or paruclpauon, l am now
oen called upon Lo provlde Lralnlng guldance or supervlslon Lo
[unlors, Senlor Leader - l have masLered Lhe skllls and
compeLencles of my professlon and now provlde lnpuL or dlrecuon
ln regard Lo organlzauonal declslons.
32 1hls lnqulry was asked as a seL of Lhree dlerenL quesuon, each
wlLh a sllghLly dlerenL emphasls. Cne quesuon focused on
prlvaLe secLor Lools ln general, of Lhe forLy-elghL people who
answered Lhls quesuon, 23 sald yes Lhere were Lools LhaL should
be broughL over Lo Lhe fuslon cenLers. AnoLher quesuon focused
on Lools for gaLherlng lnformauon, forLy-seven responded, 19.1
sald yes. A Lhlrd quesuon focus on prlvaLe Lools for dlssemlnaung
lnformauon. lorLy-elghL lndlvlduals answered Lhls quesuon,
21.7 sald yes Lhere were.
33 Chava lrankforL-nachmlas and uavld nachmlas. 2008.
8esearch MeLhods ln Lhe Soclal Sclences. SevenLh Ldluon. new
?ork, n?, WorLh ubllshers. pp.177-182. lndyck, 8oberL S. and
uanlel L. 8ublnfeld. 1998. LconomeLrlc Models and Lconomlc
lorecasLs. 8osLon, MA, lrwln McCraw-Plll. pp.19-36.
34 1he caveaL belng - aL Lhls momenL ln ume. As Lhe populauons
of Lhe fuslon cenLers become more dlverse overume, Lhe valldlLy
of Lhls assumpuon may come lnLo quesuon.
33 8yan, !ason. 2012. l8l ulrecLor Says CyberLhreaLs Wlll Surpass
1hreaL lrom 1errorlsLs" new ?ork, n?, A8C news. Accessed onllne
06 !une 2012 aL: hup://abcnews.go.com/blogs/pollucs/2012/01/
l-dlrecLor-says-cyberLhreaL-wlll-surpass-LhreaL-from-LerrorlsLs/.
Pomeland SecurlLy. Clobal !usuce lnformauon Sharlng lnluauve.
2008. 8oselloe copoblllues fot 5tote ooJ Mojot utboo Ateo losloo
ceotets. A 5opplemeot to tbe losloo ceotet ColJelloes.
Pomeland SecurlLy.
SecurlLy. p.12.
38 LowenLhal, Mark M. 2012. lotelllqeoce. ftom 5ectets to lollcy.
llh Ldluon. Washlng, uC, CC ress. pp.119-162.
39 !anuary Lhrough lebruary 2012 personal conversauons
beLween !oseph Clark and Mlke Sena, resldenL of Lhe nauonal
luslon CenLer Assoclauon. Cn 06 !une 2012, Sena Lesued Lo Lhls
same polnL before Lhe uS Pouse of 8epresenLauves'
Subcommluee on Lmergency reparedness, 8esponse, and
Communlcauons. Pls Lesumony may be found here: hup://
homeland.house.gov/slLes/homeland.house.gov/les/1esumony-
Sena.pdf.
40 2010. lofotmouoo 5botloq. leJetol Aqeocles Ate nelploq losloo
ceotets 8ollJ ooJ 5ostolo copoblllues ooJ ltotect ltlvocy, bot
coolJ 8euet Meosote kesolts. Washlng, uC, uS CovernmenL
AccounLablllLy Cmce.
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