Fusion center

A Fusion Center is a terrorism prevention and response center, designed to create information sharing at the federal level (horizontally, between federal agencies such as the CIA, FBI and Department of Justice) and at the state and local level (vertically). A fusion center may also be affiliated with an Emergency Operations Center that responds in the event of a disaster.

It was started as a joint project by the Department of Homeland Security and the US Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs.

"Nearly all of the country’s more than 40 centers were established between 2003 and 2007, and as many as 15 more are planned." The fusion centers gather information not only from government sources, but also from "private sector partners," Joseph Straw of Security Management wrote in March 2008.

Existing Fusion Centers

 * The Arizona Counter Terrorism Information Center (ACTIC)
 * Georgia Information Sharing and Analysis Center (GISAC)
 * Terrorism Early Warning Center (TEW) in Los Angeles
 * Northeast Ohio Regional Fusion Center (NEORFC)
 * Michigan Intelligence Operation Center (MIOC)
 * Washington Joint Analytical Center (WAJAC)

External Sources

 * Fusion Center Guidelines issued by the US Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs
 * Council on Foreign Relations: Fusion Centers
 * Thesis on Fusion Centers by William A. Forsyth