State Consular CIO on the Importance of Sharing Information

Some Americans might not realize the State Department plays an important role in border security, and when it makes a mistake, it could have a dramatic effect on the nation's security.

Kirit Amin, chief information officer of the Bureau of Consular Affairs at State, considers his agency the first line of defense in border security because it issues visas and passports -- legal documents to enter the United States.

When "we screw up, guess what?" he said Wednesday at the AFCEA Bethesda Chapter Law Enforcement IT Day. "[On] 9/11 those guys had visas to enter the country, didn't they? They did and they came to our country and did us harm."

So how can State prevent slip-ups?

"We still do not share information the way we should," Amin said. "We've come a long [way], we have a long way to go."