    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book II)]
    [December 16, 2005]
    [Pages 1869-1870]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Message to the Congress on Guidelines and Requirements in Support of the
    Information Sharing Environment
    December 16, 2005

    To the Congress of the United States:
        The robust and effective sharing of terrorism information is vital
    to protecting Americans and the Homeland from terrorist attacks. To
    ensure that we succeed in this mission, my Administration is working to
    implement the Information Sharing Environment (ISE) called for by
    section 1016 of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of
    2004 (IRTPA). The ISE is intended to enable the Federal Government and
    our State, local, tribal, and private sector partners to share
    appropriate information relating to terrorists, their threats, plans,
    networks, supporters, and capabilities while, at the same time,
    respecting the information privacy and other legal rights of all
    Americans.
        Today, I issued a set of guidelines and requirements that represent
    a significant step in the establishment of the ISE. These guidelines and
    requirements, which are consistent with the provisions of section
    1016(d) of IRTPA, are set forth in a memorandum to the heads of
    executive departments and agencies. The guidelines and requirements also
    address collateral issues that are essential to any meaningful progress
    on information sharing. In sum, these guidelines will:
         clarify roles and authorities across executive departments
                and agencies;
         implement common standards and architectures to further
                facilitate timely and effective information sharing;
         improve the Federal Government's terrorism information
                sharing relationships with State, local, and tribal
                governments, the private sector, and foreign allies;
         revamp antiquated classification and marking systems, as
                they relate to sensitive but unclassified information;
         ensure that information privacy and other legal rights of
                Americans are protected in the development and
                implementation of the ISE; and
         ensure that departments and agencies promote a culture of
                information sharing by assigning personnel and dedicating
                resources to terrorism information sharing.
        The guidelines build on the strong commitment that my Administration
    and the Congress have already made to strengthening information sharing,
    as evidenced by Executive Orders 13311 of July 27, 2003, and 13388 of
    October 25, 2005, section 892 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, the
    USA PATRIOT Act, and sections 1011 and 1016 of the IRTPA. While much
    work has been done by executive departments and agencies, more is
    required to fully develop and implement the ISE.
        To lead this national effort, I designated the Program Manager (PM)
    responsible for information sharing across the Federal Government, and
    directed that the PM and his office be part of the Office of the
    Director of National Intelligence (DNI), and that the DNI exercise
    authority, direction, and control over the PM and ensure that the PM
    carries out his responsibilities under section 1016 of IRTPA. I fully
    support the efforts of the PM and the Information Sharing Council to
    transform our current capabilities into the desired ISE, and I have
    directed all heads of executive departments and agencies to support the
    PM and the DNI to meet our stated objectives.
        Creating the ISE is a difficult and complex task that will require a
    sustained effort and strong partnership with the Congress. I know that
    you share my commitment to achieve the goal of providing decision makers
    and the men and women on the front lines in the War on Terror with the
    best

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    possible information to protect our Nation. I appreciate your support to
    date and look forward to working with you in the months ahead on this
    critical initiative.

                                                              George W. Bush

     The White House,

     December 16, 2005.