[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 51 (Monday, December 26, 2005)]
[Pages 1879-1880]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
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:
 <bullet>    clarify roles and authorities across executive departments 
            and agencies;
 <bullet>    implement common standards and architectures to further 
            facilitate timely and effective information sharing;
 <bullet>    improve the Federal Government's terrorism information 
            sharing relationships with State, local, and tribal 
            governments, the private sector, and foreign allies;
 <bullet>    revamp antiquated classification and marking systems, as 
            they relate to sensitive but unclassified information;
 <bullet>    ensure that information privacy and other legal rights of 
            Americans are protected in the development and 
            implementation of the ISE; and

[[Page 1880]]

 <bullet>    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 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.

Note: An original was not available for verification of the content of 
this message.