The 9/11 terror attack made the United States to begin a journey of transformation that would protect future attacks. The main goal being to enhance information sharing and improve the collection of intelligence information. In the wake of this journey the Congress passed the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (IRTPA). The Act was intended to reorganize the intelligence community in order to make it efficient and effective in discharging its duties.
IRTPA first goal was to create the position of Director of National Intelligence. The office holder was supposed to be the chief advisor to the president on matters of intelligence, head the intelligence community and coordinate integration of all the intelligence agencies that form the intelligence community. The Act also established Information Sharing Environment (ISE) to strengthen intelligence sharing. The ISE was decentralised and this gave all the levels of government; Federal, State, Local and Tribal, and opportunity to share intelligence with security agencies. The private sector was also incorporated. The share information was to ensure individuals privacy and liberties were not infringed.
The IRTPA Act supports intelligence in several ways. One, it uses the ‘centralized oversight, decentralized execution’ principle. This makes the intelligence community to bring intelligence at the same point and make it available to all levels of government and private sector across the nation. As a result, policymakers, legislators, law enforcement offices and military commanders are able to access the intelligence information that shape and inform their decisions.
One major area that need to be addressed beyond IRTPA is the relationship between the intelligence community and the Department of Defense. The turf war between these agencies need to come to an end. It is only doing so the intelligence community will be of great use to the military agencies.
IRTPA first goal was to create the position of Director of National Intelligence. The office holder was supposed to be the chief advisor to the president on matters of intelligence, head the intelligence community and coordinate integration of all the intelligence agencies that form the intelligence community. The Act also established Information Sharing Environment (ISE) to strengthen intelligence sharing. The ISE was decentralised and this gave all the levels of government; Federal, State, Local and Tribal, and opportunity to share intelligence with security agencies. The private sector was also incorporated. The share information was to ensure individuals privacy and liberties were not infringed.
The IRTPA Act supports intelligence in several ways. One, it uses the ‘centralized oversight, decentralized execution’ principle. This makes the intelligence community to bring intelligence at the same point and make it available to all levels of government and private sector across the nation. As a result, policymakers, legislators, law enforcement offices and military commanders are able to access the intelligence information that shape and inform their decisions.
One major area that need to be addressed beyond IRTPA is the relationship between the intelligence community and the Department of Defense. The turf war between these agencies need to come to an end. It is only doing so the intelligence community will be of great use to the military agencies.
