God Bless Secretary Napolitano
This morning DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano made her first appearance before the House Homeland Security Committee. As one would expect, Chairman Bennie Thompson set a cordial tone in his opening statement and the rest of the committee members, including...
DetailsI was RIGHT at the time but…; The updated, Official and DEFINITIVE List of DHS Stimulus ‘gifts’
There is always a danger when you post something to the web. Sometimes you can say something profound or say something really stupid.Sometimes you give facts only to have those same facts change on you and then find...
DetailsBioviolence and Aviation SecurityBioviolence and Aviation Security
I spent last weekend reading Bioviolence: Preventing Biological Terror and Crime, Barry Kellman, Cambridge, 2007 (reviewed last year by Foreign Affairs). I am impressed with the deep analysis and research that Professor Kellman has put into this issue....
DetailsDon’t Turn a Blind Eye to Mexico
While President Obama is having lunch today with the political leadership of our closest neighbor and ally, Canada, the situation to our south has continued to deteriorate.Yesterday afternoon, STRATFOR, a strategic analysis group based in San Antonio, released a...
DetailsDHS IG – FEMA Should Stay
Reports by inspector generals carry a lot of weight in Washington. They point out problems, inefficiencies and improper or illegal behaviors that go on in federal programs or by some of its employees or contractors. While it’s...
DetailsWhat DHS Got from the Stimulus Bill
Let it never be said that giving out Christmas presents has to happen just one day a year. In fact, it can occur any time the Congress and President are in the spending mood and, boy oh boy,...
DetailsAnd then there were two: Finish line for the FEMA Administrator Job?
According to the AP’s Eileen Sullivan news story, “Obama’s top choice for FEMA director are Florida, Iowa emergency managers,” the finish line is in sight for the announcement of the next FEMA Administrator. After several weeks of rumors...
DetailsLooking at a Complex Problem – ‘Walking the Talk’
Mary McIntire Peters has posted a concise and well-crafted column in the Management Matters section of Government Executive entitled “Walking the Talk,” profiling the experience and understanding that new DHS Sec. Napolitano brings to what has been an ongoing...
DetailsWorking Harder, Not Smarter on Cargo Security
With the best of intentions, the United States Congress approved the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 on August 3, 2007, which mandates 100% screening of ALL air cargo traveling on passenger aircraft by 2010.You might...
DetailsMaking Water Security More Newsworthy
As a homeland security consultant with clients that provide technologies for the protection of potable water, I try to Google “water security” at least once a week. For some time now, I have noticed that this search term...
Details