In his immediate response to the Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, the President issued Executive Order 13356, Strengthening the Sharing of Terrorism Information to Protect Americans, August 27, 2004, and established a Council to review matters related to the improvement of sharing terrorism information.
The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (IRTPA) changed the name of this Council to the Information Sharing Council and provided it responsibilities to advise the President and the Program Manager on the development of ISE policies, procedures, guidelines, and standards, and to ensure proper coordination among federal agencies participating in the ISE.
On October 25, 2005, the President issued Executive Order 13388, Further Strengthening the Sharing of Terrorism Information to Protect Americans, superseding Executive Order 13356, to restructure the Information Sharing Council, bringing it into alignment with the requirements of IRTPA.
The Program Manager chairs the ISC, which meets regularly. There are two standing ISC Subcommittees: a State, Local and Tribal Subcommittee and a Private Sector Subcommittee; and multiple ISC Working Groups. IRTPA provides that the ISC and its subsidiary groups are not subject to the requirements of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Section 1016 (g)(4)).
Membership in the ISC includes:
- Department of Commerce
- Central Intelligence Agency
- Department of Defense
- Director of National Intelligence
- Department of Energy
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Department of Health and Human Services
- Joint Staff
- Department of Homeland Security
- National Counter Terrorism Center
- Department of Interior
- Office of Management and Budget
- Department of Justice
- Department of State
- Department of Transportation
- Department of Treasury