NATO Advanced Research Workshop

 

HSD.EAP.ARW Reference Number: 984020

NATO Advanced Research Workshop Summary

"BUILDING INTER-AGENCY INFORMATION SHARING
PLANS FOR HOMELAND SECURITY"

April 4 – 6, 2011
Brussels

 

Background

The NATO Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) on the topic of "Building Inter-Agency Information Sharing Plans for Homeland Security” was held in Brussels April 4-6, 2011. The ARW was funded by NATO’s Science for Peace and Security Program, whose aim is “to contribute to security, stability and solidarity among nations, by applying the best technical expertise to problem solving.”

ARW Co-Directors were:

• Robert McCREIGHT, Ph.D., George Washington University
• Urim VEJSELI, Crisis Management Center, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
• David KAMIEN (USA), CEO & Founder, Mind-Alliance Systems, LLC

General Summary of the Workshop

Ambassador H.E. Martin TRENEVSKI, the Head of the Macedonian* Mission to NATO Brussels welcomed the participants.

The ARW included 37 participants: senior officials from national emergency management agencies of NATO countries, Partner countries, and Mediterranean Dialogue countries. The participants included delegates from the EU Commission, the United Nations (ISDR, INTERPOL), and academics, consultants, and technologists working within the area of information sharing and emergency preparedness. The participants represented an optimum blend of expertise and introduced into the program a variety of viewpoints that stimulated discussion and promoted the exchange of ideas.

The participants delivered presentations and discussed challenges and programs of activity relating to information sharing and planning of joint-operations in the area of security and emergency preparedness. At the workshop, the experts had intense and informal exchanges of views about information sharing, and, as a group, identified directions for future action.

 

Key Discussion Points

Advanced inter-agency planning of the flow of information is an emerging security-related issue that is relevant to NATO missions and goals. The workshop provided a unique forum for the sharing of knowledge and experience on technical, scientific, and policy aspects of information sharing challenges in both the civilian and military sectors among NATO and EAPC Partner countries.

The Importance of Information Sharing Planning
Information sharing is essential for security and disaster risk management, not for its own sake, but to support decision-making (which is a human frailty) and to enhance coordination. There is a real cost to not engaging in information sharing. In addition to data exchange between systems, information sharing is primarily about human interactions. While there is a certain amount of information sharing currently occurring within and between agencies, the desired and necessary levels of both cooperation and the creation and application of procedures are still in the very early stages. There is indeed a level of information sharing going on now, but it doesn’t yet approach the optimal information sharing that is in accordance with classification and willingness to share.

A managed process of information sharing needs to be planned systematically in advance of a crisis. Nations need to plan the flow of information

• Between civilian and military organizations
• Between the national level and regions
• Between regions and districts
• Between districts and municipalities
• Between agencies at all levels and the private sector (including NGOs)
• With the Media (public media, social media)

Failing to plan (the flow of information) is planning to fail. Current planning and plans are inadequate without actionable information sharing procedures.

Information Sharing Planning and Performance Metrics
Information Sharing Planning (ISP) is vitally important because “if you don’t measure and model you cannot manage for results.” Measuring the effectiveness of the current level of information is an essential early step in the process, and therefore metrics must be an inherent part of the process. Pre-crisis Information Sharing Planning reveals the status quo (baseline) and highlights improvement opportunities. Information Sharing Planning resembles a quality system like that from the International Standards Organization (ISO). Participants recommended clarifying the relationship to standards. ISP provides an opportunity to establish standard and best practices for information sharing procedures that can be incorporated into planning for disasters or Counter-Terrorism activities. These best practices can then be incorporated into an organization to facilitate cultural change.

Surfacing Planning Assumptions
Assumptions about what info people hold and have access to must be clarified in advance. “What is the actual data management capability?” Decision-makers are often unaware of exactly what information is available. Information sharing analysis provides systems developers with a way to focus development on these information requirements.

Cultural Challenges
Using information sharing technology used to communicate data/information is essential, but not sufficient. Many information sharing problems are cultural, not technical. Overcoming tradition and crossing organizational silos can be difficult. Therefore, transforming information sharing requires leadership and a gradual change process. Top management must establish trust with peers at partner agencies. When multiple organizations engage in collaborative information sharing planning it diffuses the tension and helps overcome resistance to information sharing.”

Legal Framework
International (NATO – EU) legislation and MOU’s provide an essential foundation for defining roles and responsibilities, as well as deriving associated tasks and information sharing. In the UK, the legal framework presumes that information should be shared. Education about information sharing process is needed, because despite the fact that legislation requiring cooperation has existed for decades, there is a great deal more awareness regarding the privacy of data than there is of the information sharing requirements. Despite strict protective laws on data sharing, agencies and the public need to be educated about required sacrifices.

Information Sharing & Security
Information Security has to play a supporting role (“a means to an end”) and change Competitive interest to Shared priority. Producing information sharing procedures that incorporate security concerns defuse barriers and issues that may prevent effective information sharing. One way to build trust in the area of intelligence sharing is to begin by first sharing information about past successes and failures, and progressing to the sharing of information about future efforts to achieve inter-agency cooperative planning.

Technical Interoperability and Other Topics

• Define pre-agreed upon formats for information sharing. These include language, medium, and usability upon receipt, as well as standardization of, among other things, terminology, map symbology, airwave speak, and Incident logs.
• Knowing when information becomes stale.
• Ensure consistency of the means of transmission, and recognize that the backup means of transmission may not enable you to share information as fully.
• Presentation of information needs to account for above, etc.

 

Conclusions, Recommendations & Directions for Future Action

The ARW Co-Directors reached the following conclusions and made the following recommendations:

1. In order to succeed in the transformation of security to a concerted all-of-NATO and international approach, per the remarks by General RAMSAY, NATO members, Partners, and other stakeholders need to proactively engage in collaboratively planning the flow of information across organizational boundaries.

   NATO should conduct a study of human factors relating to information sharing and analyze how Information Sharing Planning (ISP) can be incorporated into existing mission planning frameworks, knowledge environments,and the Euro-Atlantic crisis management system in order to enhance the multi-lateral flow of information regarding all types of missions and operations.

   Future Direction: The NATO EADRCC currently fills an important role by supporting exercises and disseminating requests for international disaster assistance, based on a disaster assistance request template. EADRCC should incorporate ISP into pre-exercise preparation and post-exercise after-action review processes and provide member nations with best-practices guidance for how to develop plans and procedures for sharing information with international partners who come to deliver assistance in a disaster.

2. Leadership support from SACEUR will be essential to successfully making Information Sharing Planning part of the normal course of business for NATO and its members and partners.

   To foster the support of other senior leaders, the findings of this ARW should be presented at NATO and other international frameworks, so leaders will understand the importance of engaging in ISP prior to a crisis.

   We recommend that NATO co-sponsor a meeting in in Q4 2011 to continue the discussion about this important topic.

3. We recommend that NATO analyze the potential integration of Information Sharing Planning systems with “traditional” operational C2 and new systems like Afghan Mission Network.