National Security | Markle | Advancing America's Future
National Security | Markle | Advancing America's Future

National Security

Inspiring reform through information sharing and enhancing national security and civil liberties.

The events of 9/11 drove home the critical need for timely information sharing among agencies charged with protecting the nation.

Already examining how best to protect the nation from terrorist threats, Markle convened the Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age to help create a collaborative environment for information sharing. The bipartisan Markle Task Force developed policy and technology recommendations for protecting America against the threats of the modern era while protecting civil liberties.

The Markle Task Force’s work formed the basis for intelligence reform and information sharing. Many of its recommendations informed the 9/11 Commission Report, the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act 2004, the Protect America Act of 2007, and a wide range of actions in the public and private sectors. As a result, there has been a virtual reorganization of government, a new way of thinking that inspires reform in the way agencies, people, and technology collaborate and communicate.

Post-9/11 Legacy

Since 9/11, there has been measurable progress in protecting the nation against terrorism and other threats to our national security. In recognition of the tenth year anniversary, Zoë Baird Budinger, President of the Markle Foundation, and Jeffrey H. Smith, a member of the Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age, concluded in a Washington Post Op-Ed that there is evidence in the fight against terrorism that, in fact, government has been able to transform itself.

More than ten years later there has been a virtual reorganization of government, a new way of thinking that inspires reform in the way agencies, people, and technology collaborate and communicate. Over the years, the Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age has recommended ways to improve decisions affecting our national security by changing how government works, transforming business and information sharing processes.

The Lawfare Blog

The Lawfare blog provides daily coverage of legal developments and debates on national security. Developed with support from Markle, it is a go-to resource managed by key scholars and practitioners for the policy community.

Our Impact

Reports

The Markle Task Force reports reframed the role of intelligence in protecting the nation while preserving civil liberties. They informed the 9/11 Commission Report and were embraced in the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 and the Protect America Act of 2007.

Information Sharing & Collaboration

From 2002 to 2012, the Markle Task Force offered a broad vision and detailed recommendations on key policy and technology issues affecting the creation of a trusted information environment. Many were adopted by executive order and incorporated in federal legislation.

Markle Task Force

Markle convened the Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age in 2002 to determine how best to make information discoverable and accessible to the right officials at the right time to enable improved decision making with regard to major security threats against our nation while protecting traditional civil liberties.

Robert D. Atkinson, PhD

President, Information Technology & Innovation Foundation
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

Zoë Baird

Former CEO and President, Markle Foundation;
Former Member, Markle Board of Directors

James L. Barksdale

Partner and Co-founder, The Barksdale Group
Co-chair, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

Rand Beers

Under Secretary for the National Protection & Programs Directorate, Department of Homeland Security
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

Eric A. Benhamou

Chairman and CEO, Benhamou Global Ventures LLC
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

Bruce Berkowitz

Research Fellow, Hoover Institution
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

Jerry Berman

Chairman & Founder, Center for Democracy and Technology
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

Robert M. Bryant

National Counterintelligence Executive, Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

Ashton B. Carter

Former Director, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Former Secretary of Defense, U.S. Department of Defense (2015-2017)
Former Senior Executive, Markle Foundation
Former Deputy Secretary of Defense, U.S. Department of Defense
Former Under Secretary of Defense, U.S. Department of Defense
Former Senior Partner, Global Technology Partners
Former Professor and Chair of International Relations, Science and Security, Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government
Former Member, Rework America Initiative, 2013
Former Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age
Former Member, Rework America Task Force

Fred H. Cate

Professor of Law, Maurer School of Law
Director, Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research, Indiana University
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

Scott Charney

Corporate Vice President of Trustworthy Computing, Microsoft Corporation
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

Wesley K. Clark

Retired General, United States Army
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

Robert J. Clerman

Corporate Vice President of Corporate Mission Development, Noblis
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

William P. Crowell

Independent Consultant, Information Technology, Security and Intelligence Systems
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

Bryan Cunningham

Principal, Morgan & Cunningham LLC
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

Jim X. Dempsey

Executive Director, Berkeley Center for Law & Technology
Member, Rework America
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

Mary DeRosa

Deputy Counsel to the President for National Security Affairs
Legal Advisor to the National Security Counsel
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

Sidney D. Drell

Professor, Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

Esther Dyson

Chairman, EDventure Holdings
Member, Rework America
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

Amitai Etzioni

Professor, George Washington University
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

Richard Falkenrath

Principal, Chertoff Group
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

David J. Farber

Distinguished Career Professor of Computer Science and Public Policy, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

John Gage

Independent Advisor
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

John Gordon

Retired General, United States Air Force
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

David Gunter

Director, Microsoft Trustworthy Computing, Microsoft
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

Morton H. Halperin

Senior Advisor, Open Society Institute
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

Margaret Hamburg

Commissioner, Food and Drug Administration
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

John J. Hamre

President & CEO, Center for Strategic and International Studies
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

Eric Holder

Attorney General, United States
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

Jeff Jonas

Chief Scientist, IBM Entity Analytics Group
IBM Distinguished Engineer
Expert Advisor, Rework America

Arnold Kanter

Founding member, The Scowcroft Group
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

Drew Ladner

President and CEO, Pascal Metrics Inc.

Michael O. Leavitt

Founder and Chairman, Leavitt Partners
Former Governor, State of Utah
Former Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Former Secretary, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Member, Rework America
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

Tara Lemmey

CEO, LENS
Member, Rework America
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

John O. Marsh, Jr.

Professor, George Mason University School of Law
Former Secretary of the United States Army
Former Member of Congress, State of Virginia
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

Judith A. Miller

Former Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Member of the Board of Directors, Bechtel Group
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

James H. Morris

Professor of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

Craig Mundie

Senior Advisor to the CEO, Microsoft
Member, Rework America
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

H. William Neugent

Chief Engineer for the Corporate Information Security Technical Center, MITRE Corporation
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

Daniel B. Prieto

Vice President and Practice Lead, Global Business Services Public Sector Strategy and Change, IBM
Senior Associate, Center for Strategic and International Studies
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

Clay Shirky

Adjunct Professor, New York University Graduate Interactive Telecommunications Program
Member, Markle Connecting for Health Steering Group
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age
Member, Markle Connecting for Health Work Group on Consumer Engagement
Member, Markle Health Information Exchange Advisory Committee

Jeffrey H. Smith

Partner, Arnold & Porter
Former General Counsel, Central Intelligence Agency
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

Abraham D. Sofaer

Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

Doug Sosnik

Consultant
Expert Advisor, Rework America
Senior Advisor, Markle Foundation

James B. Steinberg

Dean, Maxwell School, Syracuse University
Former Deputy Secretary of State, U.S. Department of State
Member, Rework America
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

Peter Swire

C. William O’Neill Professor of Law, Ohio State University
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

K.A. (Kim) Taipale

Founder & Executive Director, Center for Advanced Studies in Science and Technology Policy, Stilwell Center
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

Mel Taub

Independent Consultant
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

Rick White

Principal, Woodbay Group
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age

Richard J. Wilhelm

Executive Vice President, Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc.
Member, Markle Task Force on National Security in the Information Age