What is the best way to approach interagency coordination, when the goal is to counter national security threats?

Effective response to national security threats calls for interagency coordination of all relevant security agencies. In particular “in the context of the military and the national security community, interagency coordination can be seen as the interaction and organizational synthesis that occur between elements of DND, other government departments and agencies, and regional and international organizations to achieve a common national security objective” (Lannan, 2004). Moreover, “To be of real benefit, the interagency coordination process must be formalized down to the operational level, and must be practiced in peacetime as well as throughout all phases of conflict” (Lannan, 2004).

In Canada, in order to facilitate interagency coordination between various security agencies, a national response center, called Government Operations Centre (GOC), has been established and granted directive powers over all relevant national security agencies. “The Government Operations Centre is designed to be the central node for communications and support so as to provide a multi-faceted source of intelligence and knowledge transfer” (Lannan, 2004). It is important to note, however, that the agencies coordinated by GOC will vary depending on their relevance to a particular incident or threat, so as to satisfy the particular operational requirements. Thus, “it is only the process of coordination that needs to be institutionalized. The asymmetrical threat that confronts us is simply too unpredictable to establish a fixed structural organization” (Lannan, 2004).

According to David Tucker (as quoted in Lannan (2004)), an effective interagency coordination process involves three elements: “It is a network disguised as a hierarchy; it incorporates different decision modes and speeds; and it has horizontal and vertical dimensions.”

Within a hierarchy, decisions can be made rapidly because of its centralized authority, whereas in a network the decision-making model can be complex and slow. The interagency coordination network is adaptable, and its flexible form makes it resilient in the asymmetric threat environment, whereas a hierarchy may be less accommodating and susceptible to partisanship. (Lannan, 2004)

References

Lannan, T. [2004], “Interagency coordination within the national security community: Improving the response to terrorism”, Canadian Military Journal Autumn, 49-56.