Government operations and workforce

Executive Order 13311: Homeland Security Information Sharing

President: George W. Bush

Directed homeland-security information-sharing arrangements among federal agencies while protecting information under applicable law.

Status: In effect. Is Executive Order 13311 still in effect? Yes. Executive Order 13311 remains in effect. See Executive Order 13388: Further Strengthening the Sharing of Terrorism Information To Protect Americans, Federal Register record.

What does Executive Order 13311 do?

The order assigned most presidential functions under section 892 of the Homeland Security Act to the Homeland Security Secretary, while reserving specified functions and assigning one jointly to the Attorney General and the Director of Central Intelligence. The Secretary's information-sharing procedures applied across federal agencies.

Checked the interagency information-sharing framework against EO 13388 and privacy/classified-information limits. The guide describes sharing duties subject to governing law, not unrestricted disclosure.

Administration position: EO 13388 amended the named official and statutory citation in EO 13311; it revoked a different order, EO 13356. Information sharing remains subject to applicable privacy and classified-information law.
SignedJuly 29, 2003
Original directionDirected homeland-security information-sharing arrangements among federal agencies while protecting information under applicable law.
Later evidenceEO 13388 in October 2005 amended EO 13311 to substitute the Director of National Intelligence for the former Director of Central Intelligence.
Review dateSeptember 26, 2026

Before and after

Before the order

After the creation of the Homeland Security Department, agencies had to coordinate access to terrorism and homeland-security information held across government.

After the order

EO 13388 in October 2005 amended EO 13311 to substitute the Director of National Intelligence for the former Director of Central Intelligence.

EO 13388 amended the named official and statutory citation in EO 13311; it revoked a different order, EO 13356. Information sharing remains subject to applicable privacy and classified-information law.

Who had to do what

Agency / officeActionTiming / position
Homeland Security SecretaryIssue federal information-sharing procedures under the delegated functionsUnder the order
Attorney General and Director of Central IntelligenceJointly exercise the assigned section 892(b)(7) functionUnder the order

What happened next

EO 13311 signed.

EO 13388 in October 2005 amended EO 13311 to substitute the Director of National Intelligence for the former Director of Central Intelligence.