Abstract:

Lay summary: The article explains the three key U.S. congressional legislative approaches to improve information sharing in the federal counterterrorism domain. These approaches are based on either coercing federal agencies, calling on their voluntary consent, or coaxing them with funding or legislation, to share information. The article analyzes each approach and proposes the integrative strategy of employing one or a combination of these approaches to suit each separate information sharing challenge. Publication significance: Effective information sharing in the U.S. federal counterterrorism domain is a critical challenge that presents security dilemmas but is essential to protect national interests and save lives. U.S. Congress is a pivotal body in addressing this challenge. The article categorizes and analyzes U.S. congressional approaches to improve counterterrorism information sharing. An innovative strategy of integrative application of the approaches based on individual case assessment is proposed.