Fusion Center Branching Scenario Paper

Introduction

A fusion center is a joint venture between two or more bodies in stipulations of offering resources, know-how, and information that can make it possible for easy investigation, detection, mitigation, and prevention of terrorism, as well as other unlawful activities. In its real meaning, fusion centers have been utilized as crucial points not only within the state or local territories, but also the federal state in gathering, assembling, analyzing, and distributing of threat security information among the many security bodies. These entities can be found within the cities and state headquarters within the country. These centers have made possible the undertakings and other works of several law enforcement bureaus, fire services and improved the general safety of the public. This paper seeks to demystify the areas, in which fusion centers have been of assistance, which are public health, private security personnel, as well as emergency response teams.

Moreover, fusion centers have been very significant in providing situational awareness and interdisciplinary expertise in informing decision-making at all government and state levels. In addition, fusion centers have made it easy for the federal government to partner with the territorial, tribal, and local law enforcement agencies, as well as the homeland security officials in detecting and preventing terrorism and other crimes. Therefore, fusion centers are very critical in regard to the work of the homeland security (U.S. Department of Homeland Security).

Alongside with facilitating information sharing, fusion centers are also mandated to conduct analysis, as well as cooperate with the homeland security partners to prevent, protect and respond to terrorism and other crimes. The Department of Homeland Security authorizes fusion centers to access the reporting of suspicious activities within their specific territories. Moreover, they also serve as partners to other government entities, including the Federal Bureau of Investigations and Joint Terrorism Task Forces. Through fusion centers, the national intelligence is blended with state, regional and local information in enhancing an understanding of the national threat. The added context offered by fusion centers is integral to all partners of the homeland security in identifying and dealing with emerging security threats. 

Strengths of Fusion Centers

There is no doubt that fusion centers have facilitated communication among various security agencies in the country. In particular, they have facilitated communication on security matters right from the tribal level up to the federal level. Additionally, fusion centers have been heralded as a positive development in the country’s security sector in terms of enhanced gathering of intelligence and information. This organ is poised to prevent many cases of threats in American homeland security. In particular, information sharing among various security agencies has significantly improved as a result of fusion centers. This improvement has been basically attributed to the deployment of high level intelligence officers in the center. Enhanced information sharing has consequently facilitated effective collaboration with the DHS in high magnitude and large-scale events, as well as maintaining situational awareness concerning imminent threats to the national security. Alongside with presenting a new approach to investigations, state officers from the tribal to the federal security levels are now able to obtain timely information to understand a given situation (Carter & Carter, 2009).

The fusion centers’ sole skills have in turn led to the state networks working competently and more effectively. This is facilitated by independence of each fusion center in undertaking its services free of government’s intervention. These centers are also being widely relied upon by the DHS in creating plans, policies, regulations, as well as regulating the processes of all the organs of security (U.S. Department of Homeland Security). For this reason, centers are now having an improved authority and regulated processes that enable operations. Moreover, these procedures have made it possible for the processes on individual centers. The resultant consistency and standardization have led to the use of common language in the national security network.

Weaknesses

Despite fusion centers having improved the level of communication between various security entities, there are notable deficiencies among various fusion centers, which need to be addressed. For instance, fusion centers have not been able to deal with issues of cyber security effectively, considering the current rate of cyber threat in the country. This aspect supported by many other analysts, such as Carter & Carter (2009), articulates that the current level of cyber threat awareness alongside with the capability to respond to these threats, is not what it should be. The author notes that the national network of fusion centers has not been effectively leveraged in addressing the growing threat of cyber security in the country.

Alongside with not improving awareness on cyber security, fusion centers also have not effectively included partners from the private sector, particularly those involved in the country’s critical infrastructure. Because of this poor relation with private sector, information flow between fusion centers and private sector has been poor. Therefore, there is a need for fusion centers to incorporate private sector partners in order to create a comprehensive network of intelligence.

Innovation of Fusion Centers

Technical Innovation

In order to improve its capabilities, fusion centers should incorporate new IT systems in their operation. In particular, each fusion center ought to develop a strategic technology plan which identifies the existing and potential business problems, as well as potential solutions to these problems. Moreover, such a technology should be able to offer a roadmap that can enable the center to achieve the necessary improvement. Each fusion center could improve on the existing technologies in a way that makes them more efficient in accessing information, and sharing of intelligence information across the responsible stakeholders. In particular, fusion centers can leverage on search capabilities, identity management operation, documentation, and integration among others (Carter & Carter, 2009).

System Innovations

One of the most important means, by which fusion centers can leverage and improve their systems, is to incorporate GIS technology in their systems. It should be considered that fusion centers are relied upon by homeland security in capturing and analyzing data from various sources to identify, detect and respond to both natural and man-made threats. In light of this, GIS will be quite critical to the entire process of data fusion since all potential threats begin in a specific location. Incorporation of GIS technology is therefore poised to enhance the whole process of data fusion.

Protocol Innovations

Fusion centers can also innovate on their protocols to make them more efficient and reliable. Among the ways of doing this is leveraging and improving their existing networks, systems and databases. These will consequently maximize information sharing within all the participating entities. Moreover, fusion centers could also establish an environment, where participants are able to communicate in a seamless manner. Existing systems, as well as those that are under development, should be created in a way that allows direct connectivity to the federal, regional or state systems. This will not only enhance the collaboration of various entities involved in homeland security, but will also create efficiency of operations.

Management Innovations

Fusion centers can also innovate in managerial perspective. One way, in which they can do this, is to involve the capabilities of independent certification, as well as include performance-based testing in validating those capabilities. Moreover, fusion centers can also create consistent links to the federal government in supporting various activities and processes of the entity. In this way, these centers will not only be able to run their programs efficiently, but will also be able to innovate and improve on their processes. In addition, innovations in management could include programs that make it easy to identify critical steps and strategies in mitigating the potential and existing threats, vulnerabilities, weaknesses or capability gaps. Further, such an improvement plan should make it easy to align the baseline capabilities document in order to facilitate comparison of capability against a national standard.

Management Theories

One of the management theories that can be best applied to fusion centers is the systems theory. According to this theory, managers or leaders understand the impact of systems on a worker and how a worker affects the particular systems. The systems theory allows an organizational leader to evaluate events and patterns in the workstation. This makes organizational leaders coordinate programs in working collectively for the overall mission and goal of an entity rather than an isolated department (U.S. Department of Homeland Security).

Recommendation to Improve the Fusion Center System

Despite the presence of such documents as an Emergency Operations Center Coordination and Consideration for Fusion Center, fusion centers have been left to operate independently. Although this makes some sense as individual centers are in a better position of determining the best way of accomplishing their mission, it is important that these individual fusion centers follow some commonalities regarding the way they operate. It is not appropriate that they go completely alone in order to determine the most effective and efficient way to operate. In other words, many operations should be standardized. Moreover, effective strategies should be adopted by other fusion centers in order to streamline operations.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is to be noted that fusion centers are quite critical in overall management of terrorism and other criminal activities within the country. This is despite various challenges and shortfalls, which the entities harbor in the current perspective. Nonetheless, these challenges can still be leveraged on and make this agency more effective and helpful in enhancing security awareness in the country.