Information Sharing Strategy INFORMATION SHARING STRATEGY

UNITED STATES INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY

FEBRUARY 22, 2008

INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY INFORMATION SHARING STRATEGY

OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE

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Table of Contents

Message from the Director of National Intelligence...................................................2

Message from the Associate Director of National Intelligence...................................2

Introduction...................................................................................................................3

Challenging New Environment....................................................................................5

Information Sharing Strategy.......................................................................................9

Implementing Our Strategy........................................................................................15

Appendix - List of Acronyms......................................................................................20
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY INFORMATION SHARING STRATEGY

OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE

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MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR OF 

NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE

This is an extremely dynamic time for the Intelligence Community and we have the privilege to lead its 

transformation. With this responsibility, we made information sharing a top priority in our strategic agenda 

for change. Information sharing must improve since it is central to our ability to anticipate and deter the 

ill intentions of our Nation’s adversaries. Improving information sharing will bring about true all-source 

analysis and deliver timely, objective, and actionable intelligence to our senior decision makers, war fighters, 

and defenders of the homeland. This strategy—by detailing information sharing strategic keystones, goals, 

and objectives—provides vital direction to our efforts to effect these changes. Together, we must challenge the status quo of a “need-to-know” culture and move to one of a “responsibility to provide” mindset. 

Implementing this strategy will enable intelligence entities to act as stewards of intelligence data and take 

advantage of every opportunity to share information that can improve the security of our Nation. 

J. M. McConnell

Director of National Intelligence

MESSAGE FROM THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY 

INFORMATION SHARING EXECUTIVE 

Information sharing is a principal component of the DNI’s strategy for improving the Intelligence Community’s ability to overcome the new challenging threat environment that we face as a Nation. This document 

outlines a forward-leaning information sharing strategy to enhance our capability to operate as a unified, 

integrated intelligence enterprise. The information sharing strategy is focused on developing a “responsibility to provide” culture in which we unlock intelligence data from a fragmented information technology 

infrastructure spanning multiple intelligence agencies and make it readily discoverable and accessible 

from the earliest point at which an analyst can add value. This new information sharing model will rely on 

attribute-based access and tagged data with security built-in to create a trusted environment for collaboration among intelligence professionals to share their expertise and knowledge. Moreover, we should reiterate 

our commitment to develop a risk management approach where we carefully contemplate anticipated 

benefits and potential costs, ensuring mission success and protection of privacy, civil liberties, and sources 

and methods. As we embark on this challenging endeavor, we look forward to working collaboratively with 

you to implement this strategy’s information sharing strategic goals and objectives in a manner that benefits 

the Intelligence Community as one enterprise.

Dale Meyerrose

Associate Director of National Intelligence and Chief Information Officer

Intelligence Community Information Sharing Executive

INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY INFORMATION SHARING STRATEGY

OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE

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MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR OF 

NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE

This is an extremely dynamic time for the Intelligence Community and we have the privilege to lead its 

transformation. With this responsibility, I made information sharing a top priority in our strategic agenda 

for change. Information sharing must improve since it is central to our ability to anticipate and deter the ill 

intentions of our Nation’s adversaries. Improving information sharing will bring about true all-source analysis 

and deliver timely, objective, and actionable intelligence to our senior decision-makers, war fi ghters, and 

defenders of the homeland. This strategy—by detailing information sharing strategic keystones, goals, 

and objectives—provides vital direction to our efforts to effect these changes. Together, we must challenge the status quo of a “need to know” culture and move to one of a “responsibility to provide” mindset. 

Implementing this strategy will enable intelligence entities to act as stewards of intelligence data and take 

advantage of every opportunity to share information that can improve the security of our Nation. 

J. M. McConnell

Director of National Intelligence

MESSAGE FROM THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY 

INFORMATION SHARING EXECUTIVE 

Information sharing is a principal component of the DNI’s strategy for improving the Intelligence Community’s ability to overcome the new challenging threat environment that we face as a Nation. This document 

outlines a forward-leaning information sharing strategy to enhance our capability to operate as a unifi ed, 

integrated intelligence enterprise. The information sharing strategy is focused on developing a “responsibility to provide” culture in which we unlock intelligence data from a fragmented information technology 

infrastructure spanning multiple intelligence agencies and make it readily discoverable and accessible 

from the earliest point at which an analyst can add value. This new information sharing model will rely on 

attribute-based access and tagged data with security built-in to create a trusted environment for collaboration among intelligence professionals to share their expertise and knowledge. Moreover, we should reiterate 

our commitment to develop a risk management approach where we carefully contemplate anticipated 

benefi ts and potential costs, ensuring mission success and protection of privacy, civil liberties, and sources 

and methods. As we embark on this challenging endeavor, I look forward to working collaboratively with 

you to implement this strategy’s information sharing strategic goals and objectives in a manner that benefi ts 

the Intelligence Community as one enterprise.

Dale Meyerrose

Associate Director of National Intelligence and Chief Information Offi cer

Intelligence Community Information Sharing Executive

INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY INFORMATION SHARING STRATEGY

OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE

1

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR OF 

NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE

This is an extremely dynamic time for the Intelligence Community and we have the privilege to lead its 

transformation. With this responsibility, I made information sharing a top priority in our strategic agenda 

for change. Information sharing must improve since it is central to our ability to anticipate and deter the ill 

intentions of our Nation’s adversaries. Improving information sharing will bring about true all-source analysis 

and deliver timely, objective, and actionable intelligence to our senior decision-makers, war fi ghters, and 

defenders of the homeland. This strategy—by detailing information sharing strategic keystones, goals, 

and objectives—provides vital direction to our efforts to effect these changes. Together, we must challenge the status quo of a “need to know” culture and move to one of a “responsibility to provide” mindset. 

Implementing this strategy will enable intelligence entities to act as stewards of intelligence data and take 

advantage of every opportunity to share information that can improve the security of our Nation. 

J. M. McConnell

Director of National Intelligence

MESSAGE FROM THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY 

INFORMATION SHARING EXECUTIVE 

Information sharing is a principal component of the DNI’s strategy for improving the Intelligence Community’s ability to overcome the new challenging threat environment that we face as a Nation. This document 

outlines a forward-leaning information sharing strategy to enhance our capability to operate as a unifi ed, 

integrated intelligence enterprise. The information sharing strategy is focused on developing a “responsibility to provide” culture in which we unlock intelligence data from a fragmented information technology 

infrastructure spanning multiple intelligence agencies and make it readily discoverable and accessible 

from the earliest point at which an analyst can add value. This new information sharing model will rely on 

attribute-based access and tagged data with security built-in to create a trusted environment for collaboration among intelligence professionals to share their expertise and knowledge. Moreover, we should reiterate 

our commitment to develop a risk management approach where we carefully contemplate anticipated 

benefi ts and potential costs, ensuring mission success and protection of privacy, civil liberties, and sources 

and methods. As we embark on this challenging endeavor, I look forward to working collaboratively with 

you to implement this strategy’s information sharing strategic goals and objectives in a manner that benefi ts 

the Intelligence Community as one enterprise.

Dale Meyerrose

Associate Director of National Intelligence and Chief Information Offi cer

Intelligence Community Information Sharing Executive
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY INFORMATION SHARING STRATEGY

OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE

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Introduction

The need to share information became an imperative to protect our Nation in the aftermath of the 9/11 

attacks on our homeland. The Intelligence Community’s “need-to-know” culture, a necessity during 

the Cold War, is now a handicap that threatens our ability to uncover, respond, and protect against 

terrorism and other asymmetric threats. Each intelligence agency has its own 

networks and data repositories that make it very difficult to piece together 

facts and suppositions that, in the aggregate, could provide warning of the 

intentions of our adversaries. The inability or unwillingness to share information was recognized as an Intelligence Community weakness by both the 9/11 

Commission and the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Commission. The 

President and the Congress have mandated that the Intelligence Community 

create a more integrated enterprise where information is routinely shared. 

Since these mandates were issued, progress has been made in information 

sharing, realized through the stand up of the National Counterterrorism Center 

(NCTC), the Information Sharing Environment (ISE), and related partnership 

efforts. These endeavors, though proving to be excellent in facilitating greater 

information sharing, are the “tip of the iceberg” and continued focus on “accelerating information sharing” is needed. Simultaneously, consumers must 

protect the information made available to them.

Recognizing the very real and profound necessity to improve information 

sharing, the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) has made accelerating and 

improving Intelligence Community information sharing one of his top priorities. 

The DNI has called on the Intelligence Community to transform its culture to one where the “responsibility to provide” information is a core tenet.

A central principle is the recognition that information sharing is a behavior and not a technology. In the 

Intelligence Community, information sharing behavior is the act of exchanging intelligence information between collectors, analysts, and end users in order to improve national and homeland security. 

Information providers must make information accessible, available, and discoverable at the earliest 

point possible.

“I’ve asked [Director McConnell] to 

improve information sharing within the 

intelligence community and with officials 

at all levels of our government, so everyone responsible for the security of our 

communities has the intelligence they 

need to do their jobs.” 

 – President George W. Bush
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While technical improvements can enable information sharing, technical solutions alone are not 

enough. The goal is to transform the Community in a way that results in much greater and more effective communication between the participants in the national security community – communication 

that improves the quality, applicability, and usage of the results of the intelligence process. 

This document lays out a strategy to establish this new culture and to share information better, both 

among those whose job it is to provide intelligence and with those who need intelligence to perform 

their missions—i.e., policy makers, war fighters, defenders of the homeland, and the officials who 

enforce our laws. Time is of the essence. Improvements must be made rapidly to build on recent 

progress and improve our ability to thwart the plans of our enemies and protect our values, people, 

institutions, and assets. This document outlines:

n Challenging New Environment. This section shows that a profound mandate for change exists: 

(1) Externally, new and evolving threats must be addressed to ensure the Nation’s security; (2) 

Internally, the President intends for the DNI to create a more integrated and collaborative enterprise. 

Here we also examine the need to manage risk, considering both the need to satisfy national security and mission requirements and the need to protect against unauthorized disclosure of sensitive 

information that could jeopardize sources and methods, endanger privacy and civil liberties, or 

reveal our intentions to adversaries.

n Information Sharing Strategy. This section communicates our information sharing vision and outlines its key elements, describes the envisioned outcomes, and communicates our strategic intent 

in a clear and succinct manner. The strategic keystones describe the principles around which we 

have designed our strategy and are those that will be adhered to as the information sharing model 

evolves in the Intelligence Community. Finally, the strategic goals and objectives are defined to 

guide information sharing efforts moving forward. The goals articulate the outcomes to be achieved 

over the long term and the objectives are the discrete actions to be taken to attain their respective 

goals.

n Implementing Our Strategy. This section discusses challenges to overcome in order to improve information sharing and how the use of five building blocks— governance, policy, technology, culture, 

and economics—can guide efforts to overcome those challenges. It then describes our forthcoming implementation roadmap and outlines the immediate tactical plan mapped to the 500 Day Plan. 

Also, we discuss the role of the Intelligence Community Information Sharing Steering Committee. 

Finally, alignment to key information sharing initiatives is identified and we reiterate our commitment 

to continue our collaboration with them.
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Challenging New Environment

Mandate for change

Information sharing is a key element in the Intelligence Community’s transformation to provide better 

support for our Nation’s protection. The major factors driving the need for change are the changing 

threat environment, new national and homeland security customers, and emerging threats that require 

synthesizing intelligence from a greater variety of sources. These key factors influence the future direction of information sharing in the Intelligence Community and will affect the modus operandi of the intelligence apparatus in the United States.

The New and Evolving Threat

The tragic events of September 11, 2001, demonstrated that the United States needed greater integration across the Intelligence Community and improved information sharing to respond to evolving threats 

and to support new homeland security customers. The new threat environment we face is dynamic: The 

players and their motivations and methods emerge and evolve rapidly. Advances in technology are 

accelerating and are spreading through globalization. Commercial products featuring state-of-the-art 

technology are available globally at favorable prices. Our adversaries achieve technological advantage through the rapid assimilation and adaptation of commercial information and telecommunication 

products. They freely communicate, obtain training, share information on tactics, gather intelligence on 

potential targets, spread propaganda, and proselytize. In this post-9/11 world, intelligence must move 

faster and leverage all sources of intelligence information.
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Imperatives to Transform the Intelligence Community

Since September 11, 2001, the President, the Congress, independent commissions, and think tanks 

have placed greater emphasis on transforming the Intelligence Community to address the new threat 

environment. Paramount to that effort is the need for greater information sharing within the Intelligence 

Community in support of national policy makers, the military, state and local law enforcement, homeland 

security, and our allies.

n Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (IRTPA): Requires the Director of National 

Intelligence (DNI) to ensure maximum availability of and access to intelligence information within the 

Intelligence Community consistent with national security requirements. The statute also calls for protecting sources and methods in the context of maximizing the dissemination of intelligence information following DNI-established guidelines for classification, retrieval (in the form when initially gathered 

through finished products), and writing products at the lowest classification possible to support 

customers.

n The 9/11 Commission Report: Emphasizes the need to change the mindset from “need-to-know” 

to “need to share.” Moreover, it places the DNI as the principal change agent in creating a culture 

within the Intelligence Community focused on data “stewardship” rather than data “ownership.” The 

9/11 Commission challenges the concepts of “originator controlled” (ORCON) adopted by collectors, 

which inhibits information dissemination and sharing and creates diffused information ownership and 

inconsistent access standards.

n Executive Orders (13311, 13356, 13388, and others): Direct that agencies be held accountable for 

sharing information and promptly grant access to their terrorism information to other agencies with 

counterterrorism functions, and in conducting these activities, protect the freedom, information privacy, and other legal rights of Americans.

n Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD Report): Provides multiple recommendations endorsed by the President to improve 

information sharing beyond those outlined in the IRTPA. The WMD Report calls for the establishment 

of a Chief Information Management Officer responsible for information sharing, information security, 

and information technology. The Report asserts that the risk of not sharing should be balanced with 

the need to protect classified sources and methods. The Commissioners also recommend improvements related to a networked environment, including identity management with attribute-based access, user authorization and audits, encryption of stored data, and universal discovery. Further, they 

recommend uniform information sharing policy, practices, procedures, and rules for accessing “U.S. 

persons” information. Finally, the Commissioners recommend simplified classification rules and tagging data for security and content to ease discovery and retrieval.
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An Integrated Intelligence Enterprise

In today’s dynamic environment, it is imperative that all participants exchange information expeditiously 

and precisely. Intelligence Community personnel need to understand where and why information is 

needed. Analysts and collectors need to be able to piece fragments of information together from all 

intelligence sources. Intelligence consumers need to interact with the Intelligence Community to focus 

intelligence on the specific problems at hand. Moreover, in today’s environment the traditional lines 

between foreign and domestic, strategic and tactical, intelligence and operations, and customer and 

producer are blurring, creating an imperative to improve integration between National and Departmental intelligence programs. Meeting these needs requires development of a culture that values sharing 

information with those who need it, and providing them with the training, policies, laws, processes, and 

information technologies necessary to distribute their knowledge.

An integrated intelligence enterprise promises an environment to counter the threats we currently face, 

to adapt rapidly to these threats as they change over time, and to address new threats as they emerge. 

The information component of an integrated enterprise promises development of better and more timely 

intelligence. Intelligence Community participants shall have access to all appropriate information that 

they are authorized to see—no matter where it is in the intelligence information life cycle—as well as 

the tools that they need to make use of the information. Automation will enhance human performance, 

scouring information streams and repositories to uncover information more efficiently than humans can 

and discovering, filtering, and delivering the knowledge that users need while guarding against information overload. The members of the Intelligence Community and its customers will be able to find and 

meaningfully engage each other. A risk management approach will protect (1) sources and methods as 

well as sensitive information from unauthorized disclosure; (2) information and infrastructure from being 

compromised, damaged, destroyed, or lost whether it be by attack, error, or negligence; and (3) privacy 

and civil liberties of U.S. persons. The President also has called for the creation of an integrated intelligence enterprise. 
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Managing risk – Mission Effectiveness and Information Security 

One of the key challenges moving forward with improved information sharing will be managing 

risk – appropriately considering the importance of both mission effectiveness and information protection. 

There exists a “dynamic tension” in our culture between the benefits of making information available and the 

risk that unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information could jeopardize sources and methods, endanger 

privacy and civil liberties, or reveal our intentions to adversaries.

A new culture of collaboration and risk management will require that people and organizations understand and 

trust how their partners manage risk. We will need a uniform trust model across the Intelligence Community.

Since the National Security Act was signed in 1947, the U.S. Intelligence Community has worked under a 

“need-to-know” mindset where protection of sources and methods was foremost. This protective mindset 

was based primarily on two factors: (1) the need to minimize the risk of inadvertent disclosure of sensitive 

information to the “wrong hands,” and (2) to protect the sources and methods to minimize any compromises in clandestine or sensitive technical collection capabilities or analytic techniques.

In today’s environment, the risks associated with not sharing can lead to missing clues of an attack, cost 

lives, and endanger our Nation’s security. This new environment requires the Intelligence Community to 

move to a “responsibility to provide” culture to ensure all members of the Community can retrieve the information they need and effectively support intelligence customers. The “responsibility to provide” culture is 

predicated on managing risks associated with mission effectiveness and unauthorized disclosure of 

sensitive information.
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Information Sharing Strategy

There is an urgent need to transform intelligence information sharing in the Intelligence Community. The 

information sharing strategy must overcome the systemic issues that have accumulated over more than half 

a century. The information sharing strategy outlined below will evaluate where we are and outline how we 

achieve information sharing across all missions.

INFORMATION SHARING VISION

Intelligence Community Information Sharing Vision 

Shared Information • Deeper Knowledge • Improved Security

An integrated intelligence enterprise that anticipates mission needs for information by 

making the complete spectrum of intelligence information seamlessly available to support 

all stages of the intelligence process. 

The Intelligence Community information sharing end-state is a common trust and information environment, 

wherein all intelligence information is discoverable and mission accessible. In this new environment, the 

same information is available to all appropriately authorized parties allowing them to perform truly competitive and collaborative analyses. 

To achieve our information sharing vision, we adopted a new information sharing model, which is depicted in Figure 1. 

The new information sharing model will emphasize a “responsibility to provide” culture and an Intelligence 

Community-wide enterprise perspective. Inherent in moving towards greater sharing will be the establishment of a trust environment with attribute-based access and security built into the data and the environment. Intelligence Community stakeholders will be able to share intelligence information with greater 

confidence for multiple mission objectives while managing the risks associated with inadvertent disclosure 

of intelligence information. Ultimately, the new information sharing model will foster greater collaboration 

among Intelligence Community stakeholders and partners.

Figure 1. New Information Sharing Model
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STRATEGIC KEYSTONES

True information sharing ensures that all participants in the intelligence cycle supporting collection, analysis, 

dissemination, and feedback have the information they need when they need it. Members of the Intelligence Community must be able to discover the existence of information and retrieve relevant information 

when needed. Analytic organizations supporting senior decision makers must have the means to understand the implications of the most sensitive information when creating a product. The information itself 

must be available through an accessible Intelligence Community infrastructure that supports information 

discovery, retrieval, and collaboration. The following strategic keystones are necessary underpinnings to 

meet these objectives:

Keystone #1: Intelligence Information Retrieval and Dissemination Moves Toward 

Maximizing Availability

The Intelligence Community must “ensure the maximum availability of and access to intelligence information within the Intelligence Community consistent with national security requirements.” Our strategy 

must support retrieval and dissemination from the point of initial collection through the resulting product. 

Maximizing access and dissemination must occur using a managed risk approach, managing the risk of not 

satisfying mission needs against the risk of unauthorized disclosure of intelligence information, including 

sources and methods, and the protection of privacy and civil liberties.

Keystone #2: All Intelligence is Discoverable, and All Intelligence is Accessible by Mission

The Intelligence Community collects 

a vast amount of intelligence 

information from many sources, 

information that is difficult to 

discover or access outside of collection stovepipes. Analysts “don’t 

know what they don’t know.” They 

are often unaware that information 

has been collected. We need to 

move to a collaborative information 

environment, where all information is discoverable by Intelligence Community collectors and 

analysts, relationships between information can be easily discerned, 

and the people and organizations 

of an integrated enterprise readily 

engage one another to synthesize 

knowledge. The key concept is 

that regardless of classification or 

compartment, intelligence analysts 

and collectors can be aware of the 

existence of all intelligence information. Analysts and collectors could access and retrieve relevant information based upon mission need. 

The information could be directly retrievable, provided to an authorized user within the analyst’s organization, provided to the analyst as a sanitized product, or made available after further authorization. Discovery 

of all information allows the uncovering of information having a relationship to other data, providing a better 

opportunity to “connect the dots.”

Figure 2. Enabling Intelligence Discovery
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Keystone #3: Sharing Requires Greater Trust and Understanding of Mission Imperatives

The “need-to-know” culture led to practices that inhibit information sharing today. Multiple organizations establish their own classification rules and procedures, resulting in inconsistent use and 

understanding of security markings. Differing requirements for access and certification and accreditation inhibit trust across the Intelligence Community agencies. The key concepts are the need 

for consistent certification and accreditation practices, uniform information security standards, and 

uniformity across the Intelligence Community for accessing data to enable information sharing. Information users’ confidence in the information itself and, conversely, information providers’ confidence 

in who has access to the information, how the information will be protected, and how the information will be used are all essential elements of the trust model. The information sharing strategy must 

address these issues, as well as attribute-based access, automated user authorization and auditing, 

and security at the data-level to enable a trust-based model for the free-flow of information among 

participants.

Keystone #4: Developing a Culture that Rewards Information Sharing is Central to 

Changing Behaviors

Changing the culture to one that naturally encourages the responsible sharing of information is 

fundamental to success. Training must increase the emphasis on the “responsibility to provide” while 

understanding the implications of the protection of sources and methods, privacy, and civil liberties 

within that responsibility. If Intelligence Community personnel perceive that their professional success is based in part on how well they share information, sharing will improve. The Write for Release 

Policy (WFR) is a critical technique to encourage the sharing of information with Intelligence Community customers. By promoting award mechanisms for sharing information, analysts and collectors 

will demand that obstacles be removed and they will welcome better tools that help them succeed. 

Keystone #5: Creating a Single Information Environment (SIE) Will Enable Improved 

Information Sharing

The SIE will improve how the Intelligence Community manages transactions, information, and knowledge and will open the door for new collaboration opportunities and improved analytic practices. 

The fragmentation of the Intelligence Community information infrastructure has led to additional 

costs, inefficient operations, and stovepiped solutions that limit mission effectiveness. Common 

information standards and core services will enable search and discovery across disciplines. 
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STRATEGIC GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

In December 2006, the Associate Director of National Intelligence and Chief Information Officer (ADNI CIO) 

issued his Strategic Intent highlighting information sharing as a strategic goal for the next two years. This 

information sharing strategy continues that original direction by evolving and solidifying the key strategic 

goals for information sharing on which the Intelligence Community must focus in the years ahead. These 

strategic goals should be viewed as long-term with their attainment as an indicator of successfully meeting 

our information sharing objective.

Table 1. Information Sharing Strategic Goals

Each information-sharing goal is designed to be specific enough to achieve, attainable to avoid overreaching, targeted on our desired outcomes, and measurable so that we can determine progress. We realize that 

success requires collaboration with Intelligence Community collection, analysis, and personnel security authorities on policies, procedures, and standards to support these information sharing goals and objectives.

For each Strategic Goal, we have defined Strategic Objectives, which are clear descriptions of the main 

actions that we must take to achieve each goal. They are designed to be the “bridges” that take us from 

where we are today to where we want to be. In the following sections, we provide the information sharing 

strategic goals and their associated strategic objectives.

Strategic Goal Description

Goal #1: Institute Uniform 

Information Sharing Policy 

and Governance

Enable the transformation of culture necessary for information sharing: policies, governance models, standards, personnel evaluation and 

awards, and compliance mechanisms.

Goal #2: Advance Universal 

Information Discovery and 

Retrieval

Advance information search, discovery, retrieval, dissemination, and 

pervasive connectivity through common metadata tagging, security 

markings, and networks throughout the Intelligence Community.

Goal #3: Establish a Common Trust Environment

Put in place uniform identity attributes, identity management, information 

security standards, information access rules, user authorization, auditing, 

and access control to promote common trust.

Goal #4: Enhance Collaboration Across the Community

Develop the tools and incentives necessary at the institutional, leadership, and workforce levels to collaborate and share knowledge and 

expertise and information.
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Strategic Goal #1: Institute Uniform Information Sharing Policy and Governance

This goal focuses on bringing to bear a new rule set for information sharing in the Intelligence Community 

via official policy, guidance, and oversight to create standardization and uniformity. We will implement the 

following Strategic Objectives to achieve Uniform Information Sharing Policy and Governance:

n Develop a policy framework to increase information sharing across the Intelligence Community and with 

external partners and customers.

n Establish governance mechanisms to instill common practices for intelligence classification, clearance 

processing, and policy and standards compliance.

n Reduce risks to civil liberty and privacy infractions from greater information sharing.

n Ensure policy implementation through institutionalized training programs and standards for information 

sharing policies and procedures.

n Resolve information sharing disputes.

Strategic Goal #2: Advance Universal Information Discovery and Retrieval

This goal focuses on improving intelligence information discoverability, accessibility, and availability based 

on common tagging, retrieval, and dissemination standards applied across the Intelligence Community. We 

will implement the following Strategic Objectives to Advance Universal Information Discovery and Retrieval:

n Define common metadata tagging standards for intelligence information to achieve discovery, search, and 

retrieval objectives.

n Establish “universal discovery” processes, procedures, standards, and tools to support intelligence information transparency.

n Develop retrieval protocols to intelligence information repositories based on analytical focus, mission 

needs, and identity attributes.

n Integrate Intelligence Community information networks at each security level.
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Strategic Goal #3: Establish a Common Trust Environment

This goal focuses on establishing a common trust environment to engender the free-flow of intelligence 

information among Intelligence Community participants based on their identity attributes, mission area 

focus, and affiliations. We will implement the following Strategic Objectives to Establish a Common Trust 

Environment:

n Define a uniform identity structure and uniform attributes to enable identity management, develop 

uniform standards and guidance for identity management, and support decentralized, agency-specific 

implementation.

n Establish identity management standards for authentication, authorization, auditing, and cross-domain 

services.

n Develop information security policies to support logical and physical data protection efforts.

n Create a common classification guide for the Intelligence Community.

n Establish a risk management approach that supports the common trust and information environment while 

still protecting sources and methods as well as sensitive information from disclosure.

Strategic Goal #4: Enhance Collaboration Across the Community

This goal focuses on developing incentives (e.g., at the institutional, leadership, and workforce levels) for 

collaboration among Intelligence Community stakeholders to instill the “responsibility to provide” culture 

across the Community and to share knowledge and expertise. We will implement the following Strategic 

Objectives to Enhance Collaboration Across the Community:

n Develop information sharing communication programs to create awareness of a “responsibility to provide” 

culture.

n Create award and assessment programs to transform the culture from a “need-to-know” to a 

“responsibility to provide” mindset.

n Serve as an integration point for establishing a virtual collaboration environment to facilitate collaboration 

and information sharing among intelligence professionals (e.g., analysts and collectors).

n Enable the Intelligence Community stakeholders and partners to connect on a time-imperative basis to 

fulfill their mission requirements.
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IMPLEMENTING OUR STRATEGY

Executing the information sharing strategy will be an ongoing endeavor with a long-term implementation roadmap and a near-term plan that is continually refreshed in 100-day increments.

There are many challenges that must be overcome to improve information sharing and collaboration. The 

key will be addressing the root causes of these challenges rather than making cosmetic changes to improve 

information sharing. For instance, additional liaison officers could improve interagency information sharing 

but would leave most causes of limited sharing between agencies unaddressed. Solving this problem will 

require a fundamental rethinking of how to build a trust model for information sharing in which intelligence 

information users can transparently discover, retrieve, and disseminate intelligence information wherever 

they sit. We describe the five building blocks that must be touchstones for effective information sharing.

IMPLEMENTATION BUILDING BLOCKS OF INFORMATION SHARING

Information sharing is a wide-ranging, multi-layered issue that spans governance, policy, technology, 

culture, and economic facets. For information sharing to improve, we must identify and address critical 

questions about how the Intelligence Community operates in each of these facets. The goal is an evolved 

information sharing regime that rewards collaboration, promotes uniformity in sharing practices, and increases availability of intelligence data.

Information Sharing– Building Blocks and Key Questions 

Figure 3 provides a snapshot of the key questions that were examined while developing the information sharing strategy. As we move forward, these questions must continually be reassessed across the Intelligence 

Community. Ultimately, to improve information sharing practices in the Intelligence Community, we have to 

address systemic issues across the enterprise, evolve the Intelligence Community’s culture by promoting and 

recognizing information sharing behaviors, and adopt a risk management approach to information sharing.

Figure 3. Information Sharing– Building Blocks and Key Questions
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IMPLEMENTATION ROADMAP

The forthcoming implementation roadmap will be a long-term plan with a five year time horizon that will 

guide and synchronize implementation efforts. The implementation roadmap will: (1) include long-term 

milestones for each strategic goal and objective, (2) define detailed performance measures and metrics 

at the strategic goal level, (3) assign ownership of information sharing activities among the Intelligence 

Community members, and (4) outline periodic checkpoints for refreshing the information sharing strategy. 

This implementation roadmap will provide the overarching framework in which 100-day increments can be 

developed to ensure tactical efforts are focused and put into action.

NEAR-TERM PLAN: 500 DAY PLAN TO IMPROVE INFORMATION SHARING

The current 500 Day Plan highlights the initiatives and tasks that the Office of the DNI (ODNI) and the Intelligence Community will pursue to transform information sharing. The current 500 Day Plan initiatives for 

information sharing are closely aligned to our information sharing strategy and will serve as our short-term 

tactical execution plan to increase information sharing in the Intelligence Community and with our customers. The pertinent areas of the current 500 Day Plan are Focus Area 2: Accelerate Information Sharing, 

Focus Area 3: Foster Collection and Analytic Transformation, and Focus Area 5: Modernize Business Practices. These and others are mapped to the Strategic Goals outlined in this strategy in the table below.

Table 2. 500 Day Plan Mapping to Information Sharing Strategy

Strategic Goal 500 Day Plan

Goal #1: Institute Uniform 

Information Sharing Policy and 

Governance

•	 Core Initiative: Update Policy Documents Clarifying and Aligning 

Intelligence Community Authorities

•	 Initiative 5B: Collaborate to Protect Privacy and Civil Liberties

•	 Initiative 6E: Harmonize Intelligence Community Policy on “US Person” Information

Goal #2: Advance Universal 

Information Discovery and 

Retrieval

•	 Initiative 2A: Create a Single Information Environment

•	 Initiative 2B: Implement Attribute-Based Access and Discovery 

Goal #3: Establish a Common 

Trust Environment

•	 Initiative 2B: Implement Attribute-Based Access and Discovery

•	 Initiative 2D: Establish a Single Community Classification Guide

•	 Initiative 5D: Improve the Information Technology Certification & Accreditation Process

Goal #4: Enhance Collaboration 

Across the Community

•	 Core Initiative: Create Collaborative Environment for All Analysts 

•	 Initiative 2C: Provide Collaborative Information Technology to Federal 

Executive Department Agencies and Organizations

•	 Initiative 2D: Establish a Single Community Classification Guide
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INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY COORDINATION

Immediately after his confirmation, Director McConnell established the Intelligence Community Information 

Sharing Steering Committee to serve as the conduit on information sharing issues within the Intelligence 

Community. As we implement the Information Sharing Strategy, the Intelligence Community Information 

Sharing Steering Committee will consider and address information sharing challenges and opportunities 

and provide a balanced forum to find the best solutions that will benefit the Intelligence Community and 

stakeholders at-large rather than focused improvements for one agency or department. The Intelligence 

Community Information Sharing Steering Committee, chaired by the Intelligence Community Information 

Sharing Executive, has broad representation of members, including each Intelligence Community element, 

the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Assistant Director of National Intelligence for Security. 

ALIGNMENT WITH OTHER INFORMATION SHARING EFFORTS

The ODNI recognizes that there are several key government intelligence initiatives focused on improving 

information sharing and increasing collaboration in the Intelligence Community. Through the Intelligence 

Community Information Sharing Steering Committee, the ODNI will integrate with these and other information sharing initiatives by leveraging the Information Sharing Environment to take into consideration efforts 

such as the DOJ Law Enforcement Information Sharing Program (LEISP) and the DHS Information Sharing 

Strategy, to ensure alignment to the overarching community-wide goals and objectives for information 

sharing. Several critical efforts are highlighted below:

n National Strategy for Information Sharing (NSIS): Successes and Challenges in Improving TerrorismRelated Information Sharing (October 2007): Recently released from the White House, the NSIS focuses 

the plan to build upon progress and establish a more integrated information sharing capability to ensure 

that those who need information to protect our Nation from terrorism will receive it and those who have 

that information will share it. The NSIS will improve interagency information sharing at the Federal level, 

while building information sharing bridges between the Federal Government and our non-Federal partners. 

Though NSIS is focused on improving the sharing of homeland security, terrorism, and law enforcement 

information related to terrorism within and among all levels of governments and the private sector, the 

foundational principles presented in this strategy are in alignment with the NSIS. 

n Department of Defense Information Sharing Strategy (DoD ISS): Provides the strategy for the Department of Defense (DoD) to build a collaborative culture and DoD Information Sharing Environment. Through 

this strategy and its vision to “deliver the power of Information to ensure mission success,” the DoD will: 

(1) Achieve unity of effort across missions and operations, (2) Improve the speed and execution of decisions, (3) Achieve rapid adaptability across mission and coalition operations, (4) Improve the ability to 

anticipate events and resource needs, and (5) Achieve greater precision in mission planning and execution. The DoD also defines information sharing as, “[m]aking information available to participants (people, 

process, or systems).” This information availability is to be brought about by a 4-tiered set of goals, 

envisioned to be quick wins: (1) Promote, encourage, and incentivize sharing, (2) Achieve an extended 

enterprise, (3) Strengthen agility, in order to accommodate unanticipated partners and events, and 

(4) Ensure trust across organizations. The DoD ISS establishes five touchstones of information sharing to 

guide implementation planning and establish key areas for improvement by all stakeholders.
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n Program Manager, Information Sharing Environment (PM-ISE), Information Sharing Environment 

Implementation Plan: A multi-volume work that serves as a blueprint for information sharing efforts within 

the intelligence, law enforcement, homeland security, defense and foreign affairs communities of Federal 

Government as well with State, local and tribal governments, the private sector, and foreign partners. 

The PM-ISE notes that further integration “...requires a vision based on national policies, priorities, and 

partnerships, and clear understanding of the operative framework, roles, and responsibilities for effective 

information sharing.” The ISE has a 6-point overall goal structure including: (1) Facilitate the establishment 

of trusted partnerships outside of government, (2) Promote information sharing by providing timely, validated, protected, and actionable information, (3) Encourage ISE members to function in a decentralized, 

distributed, and coordinated manner, (4) Leverage existing capabilities while at the same time collaborating 

to build new ones, (5) Enable the Federal Government to speak with one voice regarding terrorism, 

and (6) Ensure that sharing procedures protect privacy and civil liberties. A significant challenge to realizing these goals is that the ISE exists in a dynamic, unpredictable, shifting threat environment. In order 

to provide an integrated service in an unpredictable environment, the ISE must offer a suite of collaborative tools that exist side by side with policies and processes that allow for robust information sharing. 

Culture is not to be overlooked in this effort as each arm of the Federal Government has its own culture 

and heritage, as do State and local governments. ISE emphasizes the imperative need of moving beyond 

considering State and local government to be only ‘first responders,’ preferring instead to thinking of them 

as the first line of defense in a very deep line of information assets. Additionally, consistent with the IRTPA 

section 1016(g), the mission of the Information Sharing Council (ISC) is to provide advice and information 

concerning the establishment, implementation, and maintenance of the ISE to facilitate the sharing of 

terrorism information among appropriate agencies. The Intelligence Community Information Sharing 

Executive will represent the views of the Intelligence Community on this Council and bring to bear its input, 

resources, and support for information sharing activities pertaining to terrorism, weapons of mass 

destruction, and homeland security.

n Executive Office of the President (EOP), Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Federal Enterprise 

Architecture (FEA): In the spirit of OMB’s intent to use FEA to identify opportunities to simplify processes 

and unify efforts across the agencies of the Federal government, information sharing has been a critical component embedded into the reference models. For the Business Reference Model, the PM-ISE has 

submitted a proposal to add sub-function 262 - Information Sharing that will provide a category to allocate 

Federal agency ISE-related planning elements. For the Services Reference Model, under the Digital Asset 

Services Domain, several sub-functions pertain to information sharing, specifically, 571 - Information Retrieval, 572 – Information Mapping/Taxonomy, 573 - Information Sharing, and 560 - Tagging and Aggregation.

n National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC): Prior to September 11, 2001, no single organization in the 

U.S. Government had access to the full range of terrorist intelligence information that was available. With 

the creation of NCTC, the Center is responsible for integrating all intelligence possessed or acquired by the 

U.S. government pertaining to terrorism and counterterrorism (except for exclusively domestic terrorism 

and counterterrorism) and for ensuring that agencies have access to and receive intelligence needed to accomplish their activities. NCTC has adopted a ‘role-based access’ mindset that parallels this strategy’s intent 

to develop a uniform identity structure with attribute-based access to confidently share intelligence information. NCTC has developed innovative solutions, including NCTC Online and Terrorist Identities Datamart 

Environment, to increase information sharing and collaboration in support of the counterterrorism mission.
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n National Counterintelligence Executive (NCIX): In the wake of the attacks of September 11, 2001, the 

NCIX was established in statute by the Counterintelligence Enhancement Act of 2002, as amended, to 

serve as the head of national counterintelligence (CI) for the U.S. Government, subject to the direction and 

control of the Director of National Intelligence. To evolve the counterintelligence community from a confederation toward a unified enterprise, the NCIX produced The National Counterintelligence Strategy, which 

was published in 2007. The Strategy outlines both mission and enterprise objectives in order to integrate 

and unify the counterintelligence community to support information sharing. To increase information sharing and collaboration, NCIX developed Mission Objective 3, which states: “Provide incisive, actionable 

intelligence to decision makers at all levels.” The Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive will 

work with the Intelligence Community to balance the responsibility to provide information and the need to 

protect sources and methods.

n National Intelligence Strategy (NIS), Enterprise Objective 5 (EO5): Published in October 2005, the NIS 

outlines both mission and enterprise objectives in order to create a unified Intelligence Community that is 

better integrated and innovative. Of particular interest to this information sharing strategy is the need to 

fulfill the intent of Enterprise Objective 5, which states: “Ensure that Intelligence Community members and 

customers can access the intelligence they need when they need it.” The strategic goals outlined in this 

information sharing strategy support EO5 and, namely, Goal #2 that pertains to the need for better discovery, access, and retrieval of intelligence information.

These documents have been included to depict Director McConnell’s focus on partnering and alignment 

efforts both internal and external to the Intelligence Community.
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APPENDIX 

List of ACRONYMS

ADNI CIO Associate Director of National Intelligence and Chief Information Officer 

DHS Department of Homeland Security

DNI Director of National Intelligence

DoD Department of Defense

DoD ISS Department of Defense Information Sharing Strategy

DOJ Department of Justice

EO Enterprise Objective

FEA Federal Enterprise Architecture

IRTPA Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004

ISC Information Sharing Council

ISE Information Sharing Environment

NCIX National Counterintelligence Executive

NCTC National Counterterrorism Center

NIS National Intelligence Strategy

NSIS National Strategy for Information Sharing

ODNI Office of the Director of National Intelligence 

OMB Office of Management and Budget

ORCON Originator Controlled

PM-ISE Program Manager – Information Sharing Environment

SIE Single Information Environment

WFR Write for Release

WMD Weapons of Mass Destruction

DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE

WASHINGTON, DC 20511