Description
Unit IV Essay
The Role of Fusion Centers in Counterterrorism Strategies
For this assignment, write an essay at least 500 words in length on how the role of fusion centers has changed in the United States from post-9/11 to today. Further, you will be required to discuss a terrorism plot that has been stopped by the efforts put forth by fusion centers. The last paragraph of your paper will summarize your finding about the current state of fusion centers and the public perception of them.
HLS 2301, Introduction to Terrorism 4
As part of this assignment, you are required to read a short document entitled the National Strategy for Information Sharing, which was originally published by the Bush administration in 2007 (updated in 2012), and outlines the initial role of fusion centers in the United States. This will provide the historical context and background information for your essay.
Click here for the updated National Strategy for Information Sharing, or copy and paste this address into your web browser: https://www.ise.gov/sites/default/files/2012infosh...
In 2010 at the National Fusion Center Conference, the fusion center directors, in partnership with the federal government, distilled the baseline capabilities for state and major urban area fusion centers into national network priorities and changed the focus of fusion centers to include four Critical Operational Capabilities (COCs) to include receive, analyze, disseminate, and gather.
After reading the National Strategy for Information Sharing, respond to the following questions in your essay:
What improvements do you recommend take place or be added to the role of fusion centers in the United States? Do you believe that strengthening the ability of fusion centers to execute the COCs is critical to building an integrated National Network of Fusion Centers capable of sharing information with the federal government and other local and state entities? Why, or why not? How did one of the COCs help to prevent or stop a terrorism plot? Lastly, in recent years why has the role of fusion centers been questioned by the public and private industries?
Be sure to cite and reference all quoted and paraphrased material following APA style guidelines. You must use at least two sources in addition to your textbook. At least one of your sources must be from the CSU Online Library. The International Security and Counter Terrorism Reference Center database found in the CSU Online Library is a good place to start.
Information about accessing the Grading Rubric for this assignment is provided below
***PLEASE REMEMBER Times New Roman font, and double-spaced. Use APA style guidelines to format in-text citations for all quoted and paraphrased material
Explanation & Answer
Attached.
Running head: ROLE OF FUSION CENTERS IN COUNTERTERRORIM STRATEGIES
Role of Fusion Centers in Counterterrorism Strategies
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Instructor
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ROLE OF FUSION CENTERS IN COUNTERTERRORISM STRATEGIES
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Fusion Centers
After the September 11th terror attacks, fusion centers were established across the United
States with the aim of improving government security, solving local crimes as well as identifying
potential terrorists (Garcia, Matei & Bruneau, 2017). In their early years, they were faced with
several challenges and shortcomings. However, they have significantly progressed since then,
and they now play a key role in addressing the problems that were identified after the 9/11 terror
attack. The role they play has become largely similar with almost all of them if not all having
their core purpose as receiving, analyzing, gathering and sharing crucial information about
threats. Nevertheless, the roles have often varied at the state or local level. For instance, while
some of them have focused on counterterrorism only, the roles of others have changed to
comprise different threats such as crime and naturally occurring disasters and calamities like
floods. The role of most of these centers has evolved (Lewandowski, Rojek & Manjarrez, 2017).
They now usually issue bulletins and other investigative products, and they serve the purpose of
acting like hubs, sending crucial information to the federal government and also to the members
of the public, as well as to other fusion centers within the United States.
Fusion centers started to surface in 2000s a time when the local, state and federal
governments sought after promoting increased collaboration as well as sharing information all
aimed at preventing future acts of terror. Since then, the number of these centers has grown
significantly (Garcia, Matei & Bruneau, 2017). For ...
