Back to the Future

The other day, the Department of Defense (DoD) proudly heralded new information-sharing access to help select state and local fusion centers combat terrorism. In its press release, DoD stated:

Under this initiative, select (emphasis added) fusion center personnel with a federal security clearance will be able to access specific (emphasis added) terrorism-related information resident on the DoD Secret Internet Protocol Router Network (SIPRNet)—a secure network used to send classified data. This classified data will be accessed via DHS’ Homeland Security Data Network (HSDN). DHS will be responsible for ensuring that proper security procedures are followed.

…

State and major urban area fusion centers provide critical links for information sharing between and across all levels of government, and help fulfill key recommendations of the 9/11 Commission.

Unfortunately, eight years later and DoD has gotten it backward. The 9-11 Commission did not specifically identify the lack of access by State and local officials to classified information as the problem. Rather, it stated that first, the persistent challenge of over-classification must be addressed. Second, the archaic notion of “need-to-know” must be fixed. Finally, a better balance must be restored between security and shared knowledge. It has been eight years since the attacks of 9-11 and yet none of these long-standing deficiencies have been tackled; and this DoD initiative does not even begin to address any of the above problems identified by the 9-11 Commission.

If over-classification was seriously addressed, DoD would discover that it did not need to give State and local activities access to information resident on the military’s classified command and control system.

Second, if over-classification was seriously addressed, DoD would not restrict its sharing of knowledge with “select” state and local activities. Furthermore, it would find that it did not have to restrict access by State and local activities to "specific" terrorism-related information. The DoD initiative is actually the antithesis of the solution identified by the 9-11 Commission and is emblematic of how agencies continue to needlessly hang on to the cold war-era principle of need-to-know.

Finally, State and local activities do not need access to classified information which they, in turn, cannot share with either uncleared State and local officials or the public. Rather, they and the rest of the Federal government must share knowledge, i.e. actionable information, with state and local officials. If the serious challenge of over-classification was addressed in a meaningful manner, State and local activities would actually be provided access to not only to more information, but also information with which they can actually do something – such as share with officials and the public, as appropriate.

Eight years later and this DoD “initiative” is actually more of the same. And eight years later, the current administration does not plan to address over-classification in a meaningful way anytime soon.

Where is the outrage?