Information-sharing initiative's future in question
Connecting state and local government leaders
Lawmakers fear the resignation of the Information-Sharing Environment's program manager will hinder efforts to create a system for sharing data across federal agencies.
The newly formed federal Information-Sharing Environment is at risk of losing steam because its director has resigned after only six months on the job, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said at a hearing yesterday.
'I'm very concerned that this resignation will end any momentum on information-sharing that had been built up and that the state and local law enforcement will continue to lack the information that they need to find and stop terrorists,' Feinstein said Thursday at a hearing of the Senate Select Intelligence Committee.
The ISE was created under the intelligence reform legislation of 2004. Its initial project manager, John Russack, came on board in April 2005, reporting to director of national intelligence John Negroponte.
Russack, who resigned last week, will stay on until a replacement is found, according to an intelligence official who spoke on background. 'He has indicated he is stepping down because it is time to take on new challenges,' the official said. 'I have no indication of what he might be doing next.'
Russack declined a request for an interview.
Negroponte, testifying at the Senate hearing, said he may have found a replacement already: 'I've actually identified an individual, but it's the question of clearances and just the processes that we have to go through to be able to formally bring that individual on board.'
Negroponte told the Senate members he is working hard to build the ISE.
'I think we are striving, to the best of our ability, to meet the timelines that have been set,' Negroponte said. 'We are taking steps to ensure that this information-sharing program continues to have momentum. And you can be certain that we will give it the highest attention at the leadership of the director of ntional intelligence.'
Last week Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), author of information-sharing provisions in the intelligence reform bill, also expressed concerns about the future of the environment.
'It appears that our best efforts to implement a 21st century technology for information-sharing are still far behind,' Durbin said in a statement Jan.26.
Russack, testifying on the status of the information-sharing initiative in November 2005, said he had hired 12 employees since April. But he also called attention to budget shortcomings for the environment.
The ISE lacks a line item budget in 2006, Russack told a House subcommittee, though the initial legislation establishing the environment authorized $20 million for two years. 'I am looking for about $30 million to do my job,' Russack testified.
Russack previously was intelligence director for the Energy Department and held several senior positions at the Central Intelligence Agency.
Alice Lipowicz is a staff writer for Government Computer News' sister publication Washington Technology.
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