By CHRISTINE SIMMONS
The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Nearly seven years after 9/11, the government still can't measure how well an office created to improve information sharing on terrorism may be helping prevent attacks, congressional investigators say.

The Information Sharing Environment was formed partly in response to criticism that a lack of information-sharing among government agencies was one reason the U.S. didn't prevent the 9/11 terrorist attacks on Washington and New York.

A Government Accountability Office report obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press says the ISE has "begun to develop some performance measures, but they focus on counting activities accomplished rather than results achieved."

For example, the investigators said the ISE is able to determine the number of organizations that have procedures for acquiring and processing reports on suspicious activities, but the ISE does not measure what difference such information is making in helping prevent terrorist attacks.

The report was expected to be released Wednesday at a hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. The top senators on the committee were the lead writers of the legislation that created the ISE, a federal office within the national intelligence directorate.

"Our work since 2001 indicates that the federal government has improved the sharing of terrorism-related information but has struggled in the process," investigators wrote.

The report stops short of naming a clear incidence in which national security officials were greatly hindered during information-sharing of terrorism. It also says the ISE has completed some initiatives.

The program manager of the ISE, Thomas McNamara, generally agreed with the report's recommendations, which included that the ISE develop performance measures that show what has been and what remains to be accomplished at the ISE.

Sen. Susan Collins, the ranking Republican on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said there is "a broad consensus that there remain cultural and bureaucratic hurdles to be overcome that are impeding the free flow of information."

"We need to continue to closely monitor the implementation of the ISE in order to ensure that these issues are resolved as quickly as possible and that usable information is getting into the hands of those who need it to protect our nation," Collins said.

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