Biodefense Blue Ribbon Panel Report Sends Strong Messages – Is Anyone Listening?
The Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense recently released its report following a year-long study of how America can and should address biological threats. It deserves serious attention by policy makers, health practitioners and political pundits. Why? Because the...
DetailsImproving Customer Service, Security at Customs and Border
Jobs through additional customer spending can be created at our nation’s airports through improved Customs and Border Protection (CBP) customer service if CBP and the private sector work better together on this issue. Moreover, it will improve security.
DetailsHacking the Cybersecurity Labor Force
National Cyber Security Awareness month has been jam-packed with conferences and panels on strengthening America's cyber readiness. Perhaps the biggest challenge we face is cultivating a qualified cybersecurity workforce.
DetailsFOIA Request Delivers New CBP Data on Customer Complaints, Compliments
Newly released data from Customs and Border Protection shows that for calendar year 2014, the agency received more than 7,200 complaints and compliments, more than 30% of which were related to employee conduct.
DetailsDHS Finalizes Strategy on Countering Violent Extremism
At last week’s meeting of the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism And Responses to Terrorism, DHS Science and Technology Directorate Undersecretary Reginald Brothers announced the completion of a department-wide Countering Violent Extremism strategy.
DetailsThe Intense Personalization of Caring
Everywhere I turn, I get the sense that people are thinking, “If I cannot control it, I don’t worry about it.” When I read the latest Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey, I wondered if DHS employees are expressing the same...
DetailsDHS Proposes Rule on FOIA – Comment Period Open
DHS recently proposed a rule on Freedom of Information Act regulations and concluded that "this rule does not impose additional costs on the public or the government.” I take exception to the fact that DHS has not been able...
DetailsProblems Continue with FOIA Backlog at DHS
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is a law that gives individuals the right to access information from the federal government; however, some agencies are doing a better job at responding to requests than others. I am currently part...
DetailsTSA Rolls Out A New Website…and It Needs Work
Last week, TSA rolled out its new website. If the GAO were writing a review of the site, it would no doubt conclude that “progress has been made but much work remains to be done.” In fact, there is...
DetailsA Congressional Hearing ‘Do-Over’ Done Very Well
A few weeks back, I recommended that the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection and Security Technologies have a “do-over” of a hearing where the subject was private sector interaction with DHS S&T. The reason I recommended...
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