Running head: DISCUSSION: INFORMATION SHARING 1

Discussion: Information Sharing

Name

Institution Affiliation
DISCUSSION: INFORMATION SHARING 2

Discussion: Information Sharing

It seems that there are other instances of information-sharing mix-up in the entire security

department in the US. From the incident presented in the case scenario, it is apparent that Russia

presented critical information to the US, which could be used as a hint to prevent the massacre

that occurred following the Boston explosion. Nevertheless, there was poor communication

between the involved bodies. It seems the entire communication system in the Department of

Homeland Security and other involved agency was not well coordinated. For instance, the

information mix-up is seen in both the CIA and the FBI. These are the two agencies whose goals

are virtually the same; nevertheless, they failed to communicate with one another, an act that

aggravated the security of this country (Department of Homeland Security, 2016). Following the

qualifications and reputation that these agencies have when it comes to matters regarding the

security, one can tell that there was something wrong that was going on among these agencies.

Sharing of information between the Fusion Center, CIA and FBI were not effective as it should

be, and this created the room for some loopholes. They failed to capture the communication

between the terrorists before and after the attack. Suppose they heeded to the calls made by the

Russian about the Tamerlan Tsarnaev, who turned out to be a main suspect in the attack. This

called for the need of assessing the entire security system in order to close the communication

gap. Therefore, following the order of the events that led to the Boston attack, it is apparent that

the information sharing mix-up was not a one-time occurrence as this happened even before and

after the attack.

The Fusion Center requires tightening up in order to facilitate proper sharing of

information. The first step should include creating a team of experts to identity the main cause of

the identified problem in order to establish a lasting solution. This center cannot establish a
DISCUSSION: INFORMATION SHARING 3

solution if they do not understand the leading cause of the problem. The next step is to form a

joint that can help discuss the way forward. There are many stakeholders in the department and

they understand what it takes to come up with a successful communication channel (Department

of Homeland Security, 2019). A joint team should focus on the resources required in the

communication and the exact techniques of ensuring secure and effective sharing of information

across the system. Finally, the joint team should identify what went wrong in the case of Boston

bombing and what could be done to prevent such a mix up in future.

DISCUSSION: INFORMATION SHARING 4

References

Department of Homeland Security. (2019). Department of Homeland Security Information

Sharing and Safeguarding Strategy. Homeland

Security. https://www.dhs.gov/information-sharing-and-safeguarding-strategy

Department of Homeland Security. (2019). National Network of Fusion Centers Fact Sheet.

Homeland Security. https://www.dhs.gov/national-network-fusion-centers-fact-sheet