Review of Domestic Sharing of Counterterrorism Information

facilitating counterterrorism information sharing between DOJ field and
headquarters components regarding threats, litigation, criminal enforcement,
intelligence, and training. Each USAO was required to complete an ATAC Plan
that defined how each office implemented the ATAC Program, and each USAO
is supposed to update its plan every 6 months. 26
Beginning at a March 2010 ATAC training event and continuing
thereafter at training events, the ATAC National Program Coordinator
instructed the ATAC Coordinators to coordinate their efforts with other entities
within their jurisdiction to reduce duplication as it pertained to convening the
committee to share counterterrorism information. For example, the USAO may
not need to maintain its own distribution list for sharing counterterrorism
information if the fusion center provides the primary information sharing
responsibilities for national security matters within the district. Nonetheless,
the USAO must remain a full-time participant with the agencies leading
counterterrorism information sharing efforts and be willing to certify that the
USAO is actively engaged in information sharing. Similarly, if the JTTF in the
USAO’s district conducts effective meetings and trainings that include the
same law enforcement partners as the ATAC, then the USAO is not required to
conduct duplicative ATAC meetings or trainings. However, the ATAC
Coordinator should have a substantial role in developing the agenda,
presenting information, and participating in the JTTF meeting or training.
To assess the USAOs’ efforts to reduce the potential duplication between
ATAC meetings and those of their partners, the DOJ OIG reviewed the 2006
and the most recent version of the ATAC plans for the USAOs located within
eight FBI field division jurisdictions. 27 The DOJ OIG found that half of the
USAOs’ ATAC Plans had not been updated for nearly 10 years (from the initial
submission in 2006 until the DOJ OIG requested them). As a result, the DOJ
OIG was unable to determine the evolution of the ATACs and the USAOs’
efforts to reduce the potentially unnecessary duplication of counterterrorism
information sharing.
26 The ATAC Plan sets forth required objectives that must be achieved in each district. These objectives
include defining the duties and responsibilities of the ATAC Coordinator and other USAO personnel who
assist on counterterrorism matters, ensuring that the USAO has established a mechanism for effectively
distributing time-sensitive information throughout the district, outlining collaboration between the ATAC
Coordinator and DOJ’s National Security Division, and ensuring the USAO has a plan for convening the
ATAC.
27 We requested the most recent ATAC Plans for the USAOs located in the headquarter cities of the FBI
field divisions we visited. The ATAC Plans for six of the USAOs were dated September 2015, one was
dated April 2013, and one was not dated. We did not speak to the ATAC Coordinators about the plans
because we were not informed of them until after our site visits.
28