DHS said that a governance and oversight structure is being put in place that promotes the uniform application of security standards for information sharing within the executive branch and state, local, tribal, and private sector partners.
The effort is part of implementation of Executive Order 13549 issued by President Obama on Aug. 18, 2010. The DHS implementing directive maintains consistency with existing policies and standards promulgated through statutes, executive orders, regulations, and other directives.
“The need to securely share actionable, timely, and relevant classified information among state, local, tribal, and private sector partners in support of homeland security is critical as we work together to address evolving threats. This directive strengthens this effort by instilling uniformity and consistency in the application of security standards when classified information is shared”, said DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano in a press release.
The DHS directive was coordinated with other federal agencies to include representatives of the Department of State, CIA, FBI, as well as representatives of the Information Security Oversight Office, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the Defense and Justice Departments. In addition, the directive was coordinated with various state, local, tribal, and private sector partners.