Group proposes intell roles

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On the heels of new federal legislation restructuring the intelligence community, a homeland security working group chaired by Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has issued a report this week that outlines the roles and responsibilities for all levels of government and the private sector regarding intelligence data for domestic security.

The report, which sketches current problems with federal authorities in intelligence or information sharing, provides broad recommendations that include identifying and assessing targets, packaging data, improving communication pathways between the federal government and others, establishing minimum national standards, developing common terminology, and developing fusion centers, to name a few.

Romney's group proposes a framework where first responders, including law enforcement, public health, public works and other officials collect information on a day-to-day basis. The data is then sent to regional centers and/or states, which are developing fusion centers to collect and analyze data. State officials, who could have the capability to identify trends of emerging terrorist activities, would then send that data to the federal government, which would develop a national picture. Federal authorities would then send the actionable intelligence to state and local authorities.

This week's report marks the first time a group of mayors, governors and subject-matter experts from different disciplines have come together and begun not only the process of defining their roles in homeland security, but also looking at it globally from a state and local perspective, said John Cohen, a member of the working group and a homeland security adviser to Romney.

"Results are coming out at a time when the nation is looking at completely restructuring the way the intelligence community works with other communities to collect, analyze, share and use terrorism-related information to protect our local communities," he said. Federal officials are "acknowledging for the first time that a big part of that restructuring has to take into account what state and locals are going to be doing."
More: http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2004/1213/web-hsac-12-14-04.asp

[HysteryDiagnosis]

1. My my my aren't we making quite a business out of something that

would disappear on its own were true democracy, fairness, human rights, and so forth put on the front burner instead of the back.