Secret network for homeland security info exchange
As a stopgap measure before the Department of Homeland Security's secret-level backbone - the Homeland Security Data Network - is ready in 2007, DHS is rolling out a temporary secret network called Homeland Security Information Network-Secret, a DHS official told Congress in July. Matthew Broderick, director of the Homeland Security Operations Center, testified that HSIN-Secret is an “immediate, inexpensive and temporary approach to reach state and local homeland-security and law-enforcement sites that can receive secret-level information,”
He said the new network is being tested at 50 state emergency operations centers and 18 other law-enforcement sites. In addition there are pilot programs in 11 information sharing and analysis centers in electric, Water, Food and Agriculture, Public Transit, Oil and Gas, Nuclear, Dams, Chemical, Postal, nonprofit and health/public health.
While 250 state and local officials have secret clearances from DHS and another 150 have been certified to take part in DHS classified briefings, DHS has funding for several thousand more clearances for public and private officials who need access to secret and top-secret information, Joshua Filler, director of the Office of State and Local Government Coordination, testified.
There's more coverage on the secret-level network at the Public Technology Institute