FUSION PROCESS TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

CRA’s mission is to assist the US Department of Homeland Security (USDHS) with preventing terrorism before it happens. CRA’s expertise and knowledge has led to extensive work in the prevention arena, including the following forms of Technical Assistance (TA):

Prevention Planning and Implementation

CRA created the State and Local Information Sharing and Collaboration Prevention Strategy for USDHS.  The existence of terrorist enemies we now face requires a coordinated strategy of prevention and deterrence, combined with prepared response.  These efforts are based on a comprehensive and current assessment of the threat, vulnerability and risk.  The prevention strategy is scalable and provides the foundation for programs and capabilities to counter threats posed by Islamic and other terrorist organizations. It provides long-term goals as well as defining how success will be measured.  The strategy provides guidance regarding the basic capabilities needed by State, local, and tribal jurisdictions so they have the capacity to develop operational programs and allocate resources accordingly.

Intelligence Fusion Process

Effective prevention, response, and consequence management efforts depend on the development, sharing and use of timely and accurate homeland security-related intelligence and as such, CRA developed the Fusion Process TA for USDHS.  The President and Congress have directed that an Information Sharing Environment (ISE) be created pursuant to Executive Orders and Public Law.  This process emerged as the foundation for the establishment of the ISE and information sharing and collaboration capability, which is a key part of our Nation’s homeland security efforts because it supports the implementation of risk-based, information-driven prevention, response, and consequence management and efforts to address immediate and/or emerging threat-related circumstances and events.  The TA will be offered in conferences, workshops, and direct support. 

Under the direction of DHS, CRA has developed a menu of Fusion Process TA, consistent with the USDHS, Homeland Security Advisory Council, and Global guidance concerning the Fusion Process. Implementing the Fusion Process constitutes the central component in successfully accomplishing improved information sharing efforts aimed at preventing and deterring terrorist attacks and criminal activity. CRA-developed TA offers expert support to states and their respective Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) sites in establishing or enhancing their own fusion capacity, as part of the ISE effort to create an information sharing network. This TA consists of:

• One-day Fusion Orientation Workshops, which introduce the fusion process and facilitate key leader orientation to its component parts.

• Site survey visits in order to fully understand the current state of fusion capacity throughout State, Tribal, and local jurisdictions.

CRA will produce Current Fusion Process Capability Profiles (CFPCP). These profiles provide critical operational readiness information to the jurisdiction’s key leaders as well as to DHS. Once completed, the profiles will provide a guide to follow-up on-site TA, which will assist the recipient jurisdiction in further implementing the Fusion Process.  Additional follow-up Fusion Process TA will be made available as needed.

Information Technology Integration

Information technology (IT) is a key element in a terrorism prevention capabilities portfolio, and as a leader and experts in terrorism prevention strategies, CRA developed the Information Technology Integration TA for DHS.   The use of technology for database mining intelligence analysis and sharing information among law enforcement agencies is critical to successful prevention efforts. As the fusion process evolves, State and local entities can avoid costly mistakes in choosing IT application by drawing on best practices of established fusion centers.  CRA can ensure start-up and ongoing fusion centers have independent evaluation information concerning IT that will assist them in collecting, analyzing, and sharing information and intelligence. 

Urban Area Security Initiative

Under General TA support, CRA has supported several UASI jurisdictions in the development of their strategic plans to address terrorism preparedness. In addition, CRA has worked with several jurisdictions with UASI funding, to provide grant assistance and to facilitate meetings to allocate grant resources, including port and transit programs.

Click here to obtain more information or phone Keith DeVincentis at (703) 562-0140.