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.