After the September 11th terrorist attacks in 2001 in the USA, it became apparent to many countries that coordination functions between intelligence and security services must be strengthened. There was a dramatic boost in the number of fusions centres. This can be explained by the increased need for cooperation between various intelligence and security services in order to meet the threat of terrorism which was perceived as increasingly acute. In 2003, Britain established the JTAC, and thereafter, several European countries followed suit. The traditional legal boundaries since the Cold War between foreign intelligence services and domestic security services needed to be reviewed in the light of the increased terrorist threat where the distinctions became increasingly obsolete.
This study examines different solutions to this challenge. It deals with fusion centres at the national level, and examines future ambitions.