According to the Washington Post “yesterday, Obama announced his intent to nominate former Energy Department official David F. Heyman to be assistant secretary of policy for DHS. Heyman is a senior fellow and director of the homeland security program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.”
Around Washington, Heyman is well known as one of the nation’s most respected homeland security analysts. Heyman was the co-director of two important and influential studies — DHS 2.0, which was instrumental in guiding the major reorganization of the Department of Homeland Security, correcting many of the shortfalls in the legislation that established DHS in 2002; and Homeland Security 3.0, which offered a blueprint for the new administration how to develop a national homeland security enterprise.
As the chief policy officer in DHS, Heyman will be responsible for helping craft the department’s role as the steward of the national homeland security enterprise. In particular, he will have to play an important part in building trust and confidence and the basis for joint action with other federal agencies; the private sector; state, local, and tribal governments; and our international partners. Perhaps most challenging of all he will have to explain and defend the department’s policies and programs to the myriad of Congressional committees that oversee DHS affairs.
Those of us who know him well, know that he is well-qualified for the challenges ahead.
