As a management consultant I have seen many organizations hobbled by an inability to integrate their data systems. When the organization is as large and bureaucratic as the US government, the challenge is all the greater. Yet, as the trumped—up scandal over NSA surveillance shows, technology is one of our greatest weapons in the Global War on Terror.

This it is exceedingly good news that 

The Bush administration said on Tuesday it would make greater use of what the US government calls "travel intelligence", or methods of linking databases to try to detect terrorists before they travel.

The renewed emphasis on travel intelligence came at an event held in Washington by secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, and homeland security secretary, Michael Chertoff. They also said the federal government would move more toward digitised applications and videoconferencing with visa applicants.

Rice said: "It is a vital national interest for America to remain a welcoming nation even as we strengthen security in the fight against terrorism," echoing remarks by President Bush at a summit for university presidents earlier this month.

Modern technology, Chertoff added, is a means to meeting that end.

The two federal agencies define travel intelligence as a way to detect "the way suspected terrorists travel". One governmental body that co—ordinates such data is the Terrorist Screening Center, created as the result of a presidential mandate in 2003.

Hat tip: LTC Joe Myers

Thomas Lifson  1 19 06