The Office of the Director of National Intelligence is announcing the first-ever strategy to improve the ability of intelligence professionals to share information, ultimately strengthening national security.
The "Responsibility to Provide" attitude combined with a "Rule-set" reset could get the entities moving the right direction. Risk Managers in institutions in the private sector have been grappling with this business issue for decades. The reality that the FBI, NSA, CIA and DHS are sharing more effectively will only be evident in actual behaviors, not technology.
The new mantra "Responsibility to Provide" will be repeated over and over but where is the evidence? The culture shift is predicated on the ability to manage risks associated with mission effectiveness and disclosure of sensitive information. A Trusted Environment.
This new information sharing model is not revolutionary and requires the same care with privacy, information security and civil liberties that we all expect when it comes to personal identifiable information. Adding new incentives to share information or rewards for doing so will soon be the norm and the behavior changes will be evident. Great care will be given to the ability to protect sources and methods of collection.
Creating a "Single Information Environment" (SIE) will improve the ability for analysts and investigators to get access earlier and to discover what exists. Enhancing collaboration across the IC community will be a strategic goal and has been a dream for over two years.
So let's go back to the "Trust Model" for a minute:
- Governance: The environment influencing sharing.
- Policy: The "rules" for sharing.
- Technology: The "capability" to enable sharing.
- Culture: The "will" to share.
- Economics: The "value" of sharing.
A 500 day plan is now in place. The integration has now been reemphasized. Let's make sure that our vigilance continues and on this Memorial Day weekend, our spirits are reenergized.
