After the September 11 terrorist attack against the United States, a high profile was placed on FBI-sponsored joint terrorism task force (JTTF) presenting unique management issues for the FBI and other agencies of the task forces. Prior to September 11, there were 35 formal JTTF's, and today, there is a JTTF in each of the FBI's 56 field offices and 10 stand-alone formalized JTTF's in its largest resident agencies. JTTF's have remained the day-to-day operational and investigative components of the law enforcement community. This article describes the JTTF, and how an effective and efficient multiple law enforcement joint terrorism task force is the most important tool in combating terrorism. The article is composed of a brief history of the JTTF, the staffing structure-identified as critical, the potential conflicts encountered when Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies attempt to be equal partners, the issue of security clearances for team members and home agencies and difficulties and confusion caused by these clearances for the administration of JTTF, and an emphasis on effective communication through updates and periodic status reports.