Connecting the Dots: Revealing the Invisible Hand for Sharing Information

9/11 reinforced a fundamental truth: sharing meaningful and accurate information in a timely manner to counter terrorist threats is a national imperative. Since the attacks, the implementation of numerous reforms has improved the sharing of information among critical officials. Underlying these reforms is a transformative principle: that the nation must change from a need-to-know governance model to one predicated on a need-to-share. This essay argues this choice is a false dichotomy, and points to a third model where need-to-know and need-to-share co-exist and are interdependent. This third model recognizes that our challenge is seeking equilibrium between need-to-know and need-to-share to produce a flexible, adaptable marketplace for sharing information.