Executive Order 13356: Strengthening the Sharing of Terrorism Information To Protect Americans
President: George W. Bush
Directed agencies to share terrorism information more effectively while applying classification and privacy safeguards.
Status: Revoked — by EO 13388 in 2005.
Is Executive Order 13356 still in effect? No. EO 13388 revoked it in 2005.
What does Executive Order 13356 do?
EO 13388 expressly revoked EO 13356 in October 2005 and established a revised terrorism-information-sharing framework.
Before and after
Before the order
After September 11, barriers between agencies and incompatible sharing procedures complicated access to terrorism information.
After the order
EO 13388 expressly revoked EO 13356 in October 2005 and established a revised terrorism-information-sharing framework.
EO 13388 separately amended EO 13311. Its explicit revocation of EO 13356 must not be confused with the narrower amendment to EO 13311.
Who had to do what
| Agency / office | Action | Timing / position |
|---|---|---|
| Heads of federal agencies | Give counterterrorism information sharing the highest priority in information systems while protecting rights and privacy. Agencies possessing or acquiring terrorism information must promptly provide other counterterrorism agencies access, follow applicable standards and safeguards, cooperate on usable reporting formats, and facilitate the council’s sharing plan. | Prompt access and continuing cooperation; subject to applicable law and protective standards. |
| Director of Central Intelligence | Consult the Attorney General and other intelligence-community agency heads to establish common terrorism-information sharing standards protecting sources and methods, promoting lower-classification and multilevel versions, removing originator controls, minimizing compartmentalization, and creating incentives and accountability. Jointly recommend with the Attorney General and Homeland Security Secretary domestic collection and sharing procedures to the President through the national security and homeland security assistants. | Standards and joint recommendations within 90 days of August 27, 2004; standards also updated as appropriate thereafter. |
| Attorney General | Consult on common information-sharing standards; jointly develop with the intelligence director and Homeland Security Secretary recommendations on domestic collection and sharing, including public-source information and legal handling, distribution, and retention safeguards. | Joint recommendations within 90 days of August 27, 2004. |
| Secretary of Homeland Security | Jointly develop with the intelligence director and Attorney General the domestic collection and sharing recommendations for the President. | Within 90 days of August 27, 2004. |
| Heads of other intelligence-community agencies | Participate in the intelligence director’s consultation on common terrorism-information sharing standards. | During preparation of the standards within 90 days, and as appropriate thereafter. |
| Information Systems Council | Plan and oversee an interoperable terrorism-information sharing environment; report to the President through the national security and homeland security assistants on milestones, timetable, resources, scope, gaps, consolidation, near-term solutions, roles, metrics, and extensions to state and local governments or other information. | Report within 120 days of August 27, 2004. |
| Director of the Office of Management and Budget | Designate the council chair; may designate additional agency representatives to the council. | No fixed deadline specified. |
| Later action | EO 13388 expressly revoked EO 13356 in October 2005 and established a revised terrorism-information-sharing framework. | October 25, 2005 |
What happened next
EO 13356 signed.
EO 13388 expressly revoked EO 13356 in October 2005 and established a revised terrorism-information-sharing framework.
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
EO 13388 separately amended EO 13311. Its explicit revocation of EO 13356 must not be confused with the narrower amendment to EO 13311.
Sources by type
If a source is unavailable, first check the cited publisher or another official repository. The cited publisher remains the authority.
Primary and official sources
Orders, laws, court records and official implementation material.
- GovInfo — official executive-order record (opens in a new tab) Official record
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on September 26, 2026. How we research →