India-Yale Parliamentary Leadership Program Briefed by the FBI New York’s Intelligence Division and JTTF

On June 14, 2010, members of the India-Yale Parliamentary Leadership Program met with Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of the Intelligence Division James C. Trainor, Jr. and SSA Niall Brennan, representing the FBI New York’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF). George Joseph, Yale's assistant secretary of international affairs, requested the meeting so that Parliamentary Leadership Program members could learn more about the FBI’s Intelligence Program, the JTTF, and how U.S. local, regional, and national law enforcement agencies coordinate their efforts. Leadership program members expressed the hope that in the future, similar coordination efforts would be developed and implemented between Indian security agencies.

When questioned about the defined roles of the FBI compared to the Central Intelligence Agency and Department of Homeland Security, SAC Trainor said, “It is important to understand that the FBI is both a law enforcement agency as well as part of the intelligence community. As such, we have the responsibility and capability to act on the intelligence we collect. The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 was instrumental in changing the focus of the FBI. Once an agency that primarily reacted to criminal activity, we are now focused on the prevention of terrorism as well as other threats. Such a transition is significant and requires operational and resource decisions to be based on intelligence. In addition, the full engagement of our law enforcement and intelligence community partners on the local, state, and federal levels is essential to ensure we are successful in this endeavor."

SSA Niall Brennan said, “One of the FBI’s key goals is understanding the overall threat picture in the U.S. We work toward this through coordination with all of our law enforcement and intelligence community partners both at home and abroad. It is vital that we make sure information is where it needs to be when it needs to be there in order to prevent future terrorist attacks.”

George Joseph, Yale's assistant secretary of international affairs added, "Terrorist and insurgent violence—in addition to the coordination of local, regional, and national responses to terrorist violence—are critical and pressing concerns for India's government. The government of India has admired the efforts of the Joint Terrorism Task Force and the New York Office of the FBI in providing leadership and guidance in these challenging areas."