The Background Check Analysis Units

0 

Survey of DHS Intelligence Collection 

and Dissemination 

(Unclassified Summary)

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY 

Office of Inspector General 

 OIG-07-49 June 2007
Office of Inspector General 

U.S. Department of Homeland Security 

Washington, DC 20528

 

June 5, 2007 

Preface 

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) was established by 

the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-296) by amendment to the Inspector General 

Act of 1978. This is one of a series of audit, inspection, and special reports prepared as part of our 

oversight responsibilities to promote economy, efficiency, and effectiveness within the department. 

This report surveys DHS intelligence collection and dissemination activities and capabilities, 

primarily outside the Washington, DC metropolitan area. It is based on interviews with employees 

and officials of relevant agencies and institutions, direct observations, and a review of applicable 

documents. 

The issues identified herein have been developed to the best knowledge available to our office, and 

have been discussed in draft with those responsible for implementation. It is our hope that this 

report will result in more effective, efficient, and economical operations. We express our 

appreciation to all of those who contributed to the preparation of this report. 

 

 

Richard L. Skinner 

 Inspector General 
Survey of DHS Intelligence Collection and Dissemination (Unclassified Summary) 

Page 1 

 

OIG 

Department of Homeland Security 

Office of Inspector General 

Introduction

We surveyed the operational components of the Department of Homeland 

Security (DHS) Intelligence Enterprise to determine their respective missions, 

roles, responsibilities, and information sharing capabilities. Our specific focus 

was on the program and organizational components that produce raw information, 

intelligence-related information, or finished intelligence products. 

The objectives of our survey were to (1) identify the activities within DHS that 

generate or disseminate intelligence-related information and each activity’s 

mission, function, and capabilities; (2) determine the sources of information 

collected or obtained by the DHS intelligence enterprise activities, and how the 

information is collected or obtained; (3) determine the customers of DHS 

intelligence enterprise activities, and how products are disseminated; (4) 

determine how priority intelligence requirements are generated, and how they are 

tasked to DHS and non-DHS intelligence enterprise activities; and (5) identify 

issues for management action stemming from our survey of the DHS field 

intelligence enterprise. We conducted our fieldwork from November 2005 

through January 2007, under the authority of the Inspector General Act of 1978, 

as amended, and according to the Quality Standards for Inspections issued by the 

President’s Council on Integrity and Efficiency. 

Background 

The Homeland Security Act of 2002 created DHS and intended the 

intelligence component of the department to be the focal point for all 

terrorism-related intelligence to protect the Nation.1

 The legislation 

specifically assigned primary responsibility to DHS for receiving and 

analyzing all available intelligence that contributes to understanding the 

nature and scope of the terrorist threat to the American homeland and to detect 

and identify potential threats of terrorism within the United States. The

Homeland Security Act of 2002 also tasked DHS with developing policies and 

procedures to govern the sharing of law enforcement and intelligence 

information relating to homeland security within the federal government and 

state and local governments. 

 

1

 6 U.S.C. § 101, et seq.
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Since the enactment of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, reports by such 

agencies as DHS’ Office of Inspector, the Government Accountability Office 

and Congressional legislation have identified the need for DHS to assume a 

greater role in integrating, coordinating, and sharing homeland security related 

information. The 9/11 Commission determined that the largest obstacle to 

“connecting the dots” was resistance within the federal government to 

information sharing.2

 As a result, the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism 

Prevention Act of 2004 mandated the creation of a new information-sharing 

environment. The new act sought to lessen the resistance to sharing terrorism 

and homeland security intelligence among federal government agencies, and 

with state, local, and private sector entities.3

In early 2005, the DHS Secretary commissioned the Second Stage Review to 

identify issues and opportunities for improvement within the department. 

This review recommended changes to bolster DHS’ intelligence and 

information sharing environment. The Second Stage Review Information and 

Intelligence Sharing Team noted that the department’s intelligence 

components were not integrated. It observed that these components contained 

multiple points of collection without coordination of intelligence and 

information sharing standards or processes. The Second Stage Review further 

stated that DHS’ intelligence and operational components were not meeting 

the needs of its stakeholders, which include other DHS components, the 

Intelligence Community and state, local, and private sector entities. 

In response to the Second Stage Review findings, the Secretary reorganized 

the department-level intelligence components by creating the DHS Office of 

Intelligence and Analysis, led by the Chief Intelligence Officer for DHS. The 

Office of Intelligence and Analysis’ role is to gather information from all field 

operations and other parts of the Intelligence Community; analyze it for 

homeland security implications; and appropriately disseminate it to 

policymakers, DHS components, and federal, state, and local partners. The 

Office of Intelligence and Analysis is also responsible for coordinating and 

integrating intelligence-related policies, plans, and procedures, and 

establishing department-level intelligence requirements. 

Our analysis of the Second Stage Review indicated the reorganization 

recommendations focused on intelligence operations at the department level, 

and the implementation plan focused on intelligence requirements, collection, 

analysis and fusion at the strategic level. In addition, the Second Stage 

Review did not address the blurring definition of “intelligence” within the 

department. DHS elements that are part of the Intelligence Community detect 

 

2 The Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (The 9/11 Commission 

Report), pg. 416. 

3

 50 U.S.C. § 401, et seq. 
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and analyze threats to the national security of the United States, while other 

intelligence organizations in the department collect information and develop 

analytical products to aid in the capture of prospective or practicing 

criminals.4

 Until these activities are differentiated and “intelligence” 

explicitly defined, the department will face challenges in determining what 

activities and organizations should be integrated. 

The DHS Chief Intelligence Officer has observed that the multiple points of 

collection in the department reside within DHS component intelligence 

offices, as well as within the operations of Border Patrol agents, and Custom 

and Border Protection officers, criminal investigators, airport screeners, and 

immigration benefits adjudicators. The Office of Intelligence and Analysis 

developed an overarching vision and strategy for DHS intelligence activities 

when it released the DHS Intelligence Enterprise Strategic Plan (Plan) in 

January 2006. The Plan defined the DHS Intelligence Enterprise to include all 

component organizations within the department that have activities producing 

raw information, intelligence-related information, or finished intelligence. 

The Plan signaled a commitment to integrate the intelligence capabilities of 

the department, but did not specify the component organizations that should 

be integrated. The Chief Intelligence Officer has testified before Congress 

that he faces challenges in integrating and coordinating the myriad operational 

and intelligence-related activities that make up the DHS Intelligence 

Enterprise.5

 

It is our hope that this survey will assist the Chief Intelligence Officer and 

other DHS leaders to confront these challenges by providing detailed 

information about intelligence-related activities in DHS’ field operational 

units, and identifying several areas where DHS management should take 

action.

 

4

 Departments and agencies cooperating to fulfill the goals of Executive Order 12333 constitute the U.S. Intelligence Community. Executive Order 

12333 provides guidelines for the conduct of U.S. intelligence activities. 5

 Chief Intelligence Officer Charles Allen, Written Statement to the House Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Intelligence, 

Information Sharing, and Terrorism Risk Assessment (October 19, 2005). 
Additional Information and Copies 

To obtain additional copies of this report, call the Office of Inspector General (OIG) at (202) 

254-4100, fax your request to (202) 254-4285, or visit the OIG web site at www.dhs.gov./oig.

OIG Hotline 

To report alleged fraud, waste, abuse or mismanagement, or any other kind of criminal 

misconduct relative to department programs or operations, call the OIG Hotline at 1-800-323-

8603; write to DHS Office of Inspector General/MAIL STOP 2600, Attention: Office of 

Investigations – Hotline, 245 Murray Drive, SW, Building 410, Washington, DC 20528; fax 

the compliant to (202) 254-4292; or email DHSOIGHOTLINE@dhs.gov. The OIG seeks to 

protect the identity of each writer and caller.