U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY 
Fiscal Year 2008 

HOMELAND SECURITY GRANT PROGRAM 


SUPPLEMENTAL RESOURCE: FUSION 
CAPABILITY PLANNING TOOL 


February 2008 


U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY 

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY | HOMELAND SECURITY GRANT PROGRAM 
Fusion Capability Planning Tool 

Effective prevention efforts depend on the ability of all levels/sectors of government and 
private industry to collect, analyze, disseminate, and use homeland security-related 
intelligence. This capacity, known as the fusion process, serves as the foundation for 
all state and urban area fusion centers. Accordingly, the establishment of a network of 
fusion centers to facilitate effective nationwide homeland security information sharing 
continues to be a top prevention priority in Fiscal Year (FY) 2008. 

Funds from the FY 2008 Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) utilized to establish 
/ enhance state and local fusion centers must support the following: 

 
Development of a statewide fusion process that corresponds with the Global 
Justice / Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC) Fusion Center Guidelines 
and the National Strategy for Information Sharing; and 
 
Achievement of baseline levels of capability as defined by the Fusion Capability 
Planning Tool below. 
The Fusion Center Planning Tool has been developed based on the Global Justice / 
HSAC Fusion Center Guidelines and provides a streamlined framework of critical 
fusion process capabilities - the achievement of which will result in each fusion center 
meeting baseline operational standards. Grantees are encouraged to use the Fusion 
Capability Planning Tool to determine and prioritize areas of improvement, develop 
strategies to overcome shortfalls, and prioritize the expenditure of funds to address 
identified areas of improvement. As noted above, the establishment of a baseline 
capability level within all state and urban area fusion centers continues to be the primary 
emphasis of FY 2008 HSGP fusion-related guidance and the information below 
provides a strategic outline that should be utilized to support this goal. In order to 
achieve a baseline level of capability, each fusion center must possess and/or prioritize 
efforts and expenditures to achieve the following capabilities: 

Management/Governance 

 
Defined management structure that governs intelligence activities 
 
Identification of core (permanent) and ad-hoc stakeholders, including 
engagement with appropriate federal entities (Joint Terrorism Task Forces 
(JTTFs), Field Intelligence Groups (FIGs), High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area 
offices (HIDTAs), DHS field components such as Customs and Border Protection 
(CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), etc.) 
 
Governance structure (both multi-disciplinary and multi-level of government) 
and/or some type of multi-disciplinary advisory committee 
 
Defined goals and objectives to guide collection, analysis, dissemination, and 
use of intelligence 
 
Memorandums of Understanding with all stakeholders 
 
Processes to add or remove stakeholders/partners as the fusion center matures 
 
Formal processes to define information and intelligence collection requirements 
 
Defined Concept of Operations, including Mission Statement 
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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY | HOMELAND SECURITY GRANT PROGRAM 
 
Defined, agreed upon, and auditable Privacy Policy that covers collection, 
analysis and dissemination 
 
Funding strategy that will cover operational costs for the next four years 
Planning and Requirements Development 

 
Completion of a regional (or statewide) risk assessment (threat, vulnerability, and 
consequence) 
 
Capacity to identify patterns and trends reflective of emerging threats 
 
Collection requirements based on results of risk assessments 
 
Capacity to identify the circumstances or events (crime, public health, etc.) that 
represent indicators and/or precursors of threats 
 
Identification of the sources and/or repositories of data and information regarding 
indicators and precursors 
 
Collection of key information from existing sources 
 
Conduct public education and other activities necessary to enhance situational 
awareness by the public 
 
Training of frontline law enforcement and other public safety liaison personnel, 
including non-traditional partners and the public, so that they can better identify 
suspicious activities that may represent planning and/or operational activity by a 
terrorist group 
 
Mechanism to support reporting of collected information (9-1-1, Tips-line, 
internet) 
 
Identification of regulatory, statutory, privacy, and /or other issues that impede 
collection and sharing of information, including an oversight mechanism to 
ensure individual privacy and civil liberties are protected 
 
Identification of and coordination with appropriate response and recovery 
personnel and operations centers to ensure fusion center activities are 
coordinated with and can be leveraged to support emergency operation activities, 
as appropriate, in the event of an incident 
 
Processes to obtain detailed knowledge from and provide information to 
homeland security partners and the private sector, including: 
o 
Vulnerabilities to possible terrorist attack 
o 
Assessment of the likelihood of attack 
o 
Likely methods of attack 
o 
Equipment and substances to carry out such an attack 
o 
Identification of planning activities 
Collection 

 
Procedures and protocols to facilitate the communication of collection 
requirements to relevant local, State, and private sector entities 
 
Implementation of situational awareness activities (training, public education, 
etc.) 
 
Mitigating of impediments to collection 
 
Compilation of classified and unclassified data, information, and intelligence 
generated by individuals and organizations 
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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY | HOMELAND SECURITY GRANT PROGRAM 
 
Integration of homeland security information (all-threats, all-hazards, and all-
crimes) collection efforts with other reporting systems (9-1-1, 3-1-1, etc.) 
 
Establishment of process to identify and track reports of suspicious 
circumstances (e.g. pre-operational surveillance, acquisition of items used in an 
attack) 
Analysis 

 
Blending of data, information, and intelligence received from multiple sources 
 
Reconciliation, de-confliction, and validation of the credibility of data, information, 
and intelligence received from collection sources 
 
Evaluation and analysis of data and information using subject matter experts 
 
Identification and prioritization of the risks faced by the jurisdiction (State, 
locality, etc) 
 
Production of value-added intelligence products that can support the 
development of performance-driven, risk-based prevention, protection, response, 
and consequence management programs 
 
Identification of specific preventive and protective measures to identify and 
disrupt potential terrorist attacks during the planning and early operational stages 
 
Appropriate training and certification of analysts in accordance with the Minimum 
Criminal Intelligence Training Standards. 
Dissemination, Tasking, and Archiving 

 
Identification of those entities and individuals (officials, executives, etc.) 
responsible for developing and implementing prevention, protection, response, 
and consequence management (public and private) efforts 
 
Provision of relevant and actionable intelligence in a timely manner to those 
entities responsible for implementing prevention, protection, response, and 
consequence management efforts (public and private sector) 
 
Archiving of all data, information, and intelligence to support future efforts 
 
Access to Law Enforcment Online (LEO), the Homeland Security Information 
Network (HSIN), the Regional Information Sharing Systems (RISS), and/or other 
key information sharing systems 
 
Development of performance-based prevention, protection, response, and 
consequence management measures 
 
Capacity to track performance metrics associated with prevention, protection, 
response, and consequence management efforts 
 
Provision of feedback to collectors of information 
 
Access to a secret enclave where classified systems and secure rooms are 
available for use 
Re-evaluation 

 
Tracking of achievement of prevention, protection, response, and consequence 
management program performance metrics so as to evaluate impact on risk 
environment 
 
Update of threat, vulnerability, and consequence assessments so as to update 
risk environment 
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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY | HOMELAND SECURITY GRANT PROGRAM 
Modification of Requirements 

 
Modification of collection requirements as necessary 
 
Communication of modifications to key stakeholders in a timely manner 
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