Improving the Quality of Analysis in Fusion Centers: Making the Most of the Nation's Investment

Abstract

Fusion center intelligence analysis has come under the gun for not living up to expectations envisioned by the guidelines and funding allocated during the post-9/11 frenzy to create structures that would “connect the dots” of terrorist attacks. It is generally criticized for lacking analytic quality, rigor, and impact, but little systematic assessment of the products and services provided by the now seventy-eight centers across the nation has been undertaken. No two fusion centers may be alike, but general principles for building and sustaining multi-disciplinary analytic units can be implemented with more consistency and continuity. This paper explores challenges and opportunities for fusion centers, drawing conclusions about how they can improve their analytic products and what we as IAFIE educators and trainers should be doing to help.