The Foreign Service Journal, April 2007

particular way each document is han- dled, distributed and stored. The result, McNamara told the Washing- ton Post on Jan. 24, is “chaos.” Post writer Elizabeth Williamson cites reports by the National Govern- ors Association and the Government Accountability Office that found that the SBU mess undermines the effec- tiveness of terrorism alerts from Washington. In one incident cited, a local police official received an SBU memo from Washington, wrongly thought it was classified, and spent days looking for a secure phone line to inquire about it. McNamara wants to reduce the number of SBU markers to 12 or less, and develop one set of rules. Also under way is a push to promote a cul- ture of information-sharing among all levels of government and across agen- cies. Elsewhere, according to ISE’s November plan, progress has been made on establishing a strong legal and policy foundation for information sharing. The National Counterter- rorism Center is emerging as a central federal institution to facilitate the ISE, and states and localities have invested in fusion centers to act as col- lection points for information-sharing at the regional level. — Susan Maitra, Senior Editor TechnoFile: Beyond Shoe Bugs In the brave, new post-9/11 world, security is a daily concern and techni- cal literacy a crucial asset for diplo- mats. For a window into the plans and activities of the folks in the Bureau of Diplomatic Security who walk that walk daily, if you have access to State’s intranet, take a look at the Office of Security Technology’s elec- tronic newsletter, TechnoFile at http:// st.ds.state.gov/ST /frontoffice.ht m#TechnoFile . The current issue of the quarterly publication highlights a story on the new Regional Security Technician pro- gram under which 24 Foreign Service National employees maintain and repair “the growing mountain of tech- nical security equipment located out- side of controlled access areas over- seas.” In “Cold War to Computer Coun- termeasures,” Lonnie Price, the chief of ST’s Countermeasures Program, discusses plans to open the Counter- measures Program to close collabora- tion with DS’s Office of Computer Security. “Even as recently as the 1990s, we were worried about trans- mitters in electric typewriters,” says Price. “But today, the threat has be- come highly technical and sophisticat- ed, and it’s always evolving. This pre- 12 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / A P R I L 2 0 0 7 C Y B E R N O T E S I think the need for diplomacy is greater than it ever has been. We need more reporting; we need the best reporting. We need the best representation and explanation of our policies overseas, and we need the most effective problem-solving officers stationed out there. — Ambassador John Negroponte, at his swearing-in as the new Deputy Secretary of State on Feb. 13, www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2007/feb/80498.htm