CRS INSIGHT
The U.S. Intelligence Community: Homeland Security
Issues in the 116
th
Congress
Updated February 1, 2019 (IN11031)
|
Michael E. DeVine
|
Michael E. DeVine, Analyst in Intelligence and National Security (medevine@crs.loc.gov, 7-1126)
Intelligence support of homeland security is a primary mission of the entire Intelligence Community (IC). In fulfilling
this mission, changes to IC organization and process, since 9/11, have enabled more integrated and effective support
than witnessed or envisioned since its inception. The terrorist attacks of 9/11 revealed how barriers between intelligence
and law enforcement, which originally had been created to protect civil liberties, had become too rigid, thus preventing
efficient, effective coordination against threats. In its final report
, the Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United
States (the 9/11 Commission) identified how these barriers contributed to degrading U.S. national security. The findings
resulted in Congress and the executive branch enacting legislation and providing policies and regulations designed to
enhance information sharing across the U.S. government.
The Homeland Security Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-296) gave the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) responsibility
for integrating law enforcement and intelligence information relating to terrorist threats to the homeland. Provisions in
the Intelligence Reform and Terrorist Prevention Act (IRTPA) of 2004 (P.L. 108-458 ) established the National
Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) as the coordinator at the federal level for terrorism information and assessment and
created the position of Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to provide strategic management across the 17
organizational elements of the IC. New legal authorities accompanied these organizational changes. At the federal, state,
and local levels, initiatives to improve collaboration across the federal government include the FBI-led Joint Terrorism
Task Forces (JTTFs) and, more recently, the DHS National Network of Fusion Centers (NNFC).
Within the IC, the FBI Intelligence Branch (FBI/IB), and DHS's Office of Intelligence and Analysis (OIA), and the
Coast Guard Intelligence (CG-2) enterprise, are most closely associated with homeland security. OIA combines
information collected by DHS components as part of their operational activities (i.e., those conducted at airports,
seaports, and the border) with foreign intelligence from the IC; law enforcement information from federal, state, local,
territorial and tribal sources; and private sector data about critical infrastructure and strategic resources. OIA analytical
products focus on a wide range of threats to the homeland to include foreign and domestic terrorism, border security,
human trafficking, and public health. OIA's customers range from the U.S. President to border patrol agents, Coast
Guard personnel, airport screeners, and local first responders. Much of the information sharing is done through the
NNFC—with OIA providing personnel, systems, and training.
