Adfero Group HSPI

In the same way we looked for people in the past who were proficient in cross cultural communications, or in other managerial skills (think of the success of Lean Six Sigma), cyber is a growing leadership essential. Individuals who have shown they have a command of the key concepts, challenges and solutions for cyber are being sought for leadership jobs in the DC area. What is happening is a realization that cyber understanding and knowledge is now a critical leadership skill.

With his 15 recess appointments, why did President Obama not include DEA nominee Michele Leonhart? It took this White House an embarrassingly long time to simply nominate someone. Now that we have a nominee, we need senate confirmation. Without that approval, it will be difficult for Leonhart to lead the agency in a bold direction. The White House needs to step up and get this done. There is too much border violence not to.

It’s amazing how events halfway around the globe can change the daily life for us here in the United States. That was the case for anyone who rode DC’s Metro system yesterday, as its police force was very visible following the double suicide bombings in Moscow that killed more than three dozen people. For DC Metro riders, the presence of uniformed police officers with canine units was meant to offer assurance that they were on top of things. But for all of our usage of the word “resilience,” we are not the resilient society we need to be. We’ve made big strides towards becoming that community in many ways, but there is still a cultural weathering that has to take place for the resilient attitude and character to take firm root.

Here is a piece I wrote for The Daily Caller about effective immigration reform – Like many Americans, I believe that the current system has failed and, in my view, reform is essential. In looking to reform this system, we must make it easier for those who wish to come to our country legally to become productive members of society, and make removal more certain for those who choose to come here illegally.

In the next several days, there will likely be a lot written about the debacle of the nomination, then withdrawal, of General Robert Harding to be Administrator of TSA. There will likely be calls for a head or two to roll in the White House personnel office. TSA needs strong leadership, of that there is no doubt. TSA also needs (and deserves) the unwavering public support of the DHS Secretary and the White House, and right now, there is as much of a vacuum in that area as there is in the personnel office at the White House.

In a town that has seen just about everything, especially after all the drama of the health care debate, you couldn’t help but shake your head in laughter late Friday night when word came that TSA Administrator Nominee MG Robert Harding, withdrew his name from consideration. After going through two confirmation hearings last week and emerging relatively unscathed, it appeared Harding was on his way to confirmation. But along came some strategic and completely fair questions by the Washington Post and, “BOOM!” Harding’s quest went up in smoke. Someone in the White House was either so desperate to fill this critical position that they just put Harding out there without taking a good hard look at things or they are just plain incompetent at doing their job.

Will the TSA ever get an Administrator? After original pick Erroll Southers withdrew his nomination after months of waiting and facing opposition for his refusal to take a position on unionization, now second pick Robert Harding withdraws due to questions about potential conflicts of interest related to his work as a defense contractor.

The Associated Press is reporting that a South Korean naval ship was sunk near North Korean waters, and the Government of South Korea has not ruled out the possibility of an attack by its northern rival.

Only two months ago, Erroll Southers withdrew his name from nomination for TSA Administrator. His withdrawal came after months of waiting, with holds placed on his confirmation for various reasons; largely, because of the much-debated issue of collective bargaining rights for TSA employees. Recently, he made a move to the private sector.

The drug fueled violence along the Southwest Border, highlighted by the recent murder of two United States citizens in Ciudad Juarez, has again focused the White House on Plan Merida. It comes at a time when the US continues to send mixed signals on its narcotics enforcement position.

With back-to-back confirmation hearings before the US Senate’s Commerce and Homeland Security Committees under his belt, it would appear that MG Robert Harding is on a clear approach to be the next TSA Administrator. With two different rooms of aviation industry representatives, union activists and other interested observers looking on, Harding answered a range of anticipated questions about his tenure as a business owner, his intelligence experience and his thoughts on collective bargaining for TSA employees. I just hope the White House has the resolve and character to fight for MG Harding. It would be a shame to watch another good nominee have his name and reputation soiled for political gamesmanship.

At the most recent in the excellent Federal Computer Week/Juniper Networks series of cyber discussion breakfasts, Alan Paller gave us a wake up call. He said the biggest problem was that we have tilted the entire tech world to the point where the “talkers” appeared to be of more value than the “doers.” The talkers get paid more than the technicians. Paller likened it to a system that would pay doctors less than you do the guy who is the hospital manager.

I was privileged to participate as a speaker at a gathering of senior military leaders. It was a non-attribution event, so I am prohibited from discussing the details or who was there, but several “messages” warrant going out. This group of 25 or so general and flag officers (with several senior executive service folks mixed in) spent a week off site, chewing on lots of issues that will bedevil them as they continue up the ladder of our nation’s military. They are as open to new ways of thinking as they are to new weapons systems. I, for one, was thrilled that our nation is the hands of leaders of this caliber.

On Tuesday, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano halted further funding for SBInet, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) program designed to create a virtual fence of sensors and cameras along the U.S.-Mexico border. This may be one of those confusing acts of alleged fiscal responsibility that is applauded by liberals and panned by conservatives. Given the current Administration’s previously established anti-enforcement tactics, this most recent scheme may be too much for a public disinclined to trust Washington with immigration reform.

I have to admit that in the past I have been guilty of a sin of omission that has plagued many commentators in the cyber arena. I have spoken and written many times about the terrorist threats I see as strong and dangerous possibilities. I have always mentioned the present terrorist use of the internet as an aside, and so much a lesser issue as to be unworthy of too much worry. I will stand up and admit that I have been WRONG. Yes, the terrorists have not used the cyber world for an attack as we might envision, but the threat presented by what they do now is real and chilling.

If this Administration were truly outraged by these drug-related murders and truly planned on working to bring justice to the border violence, it is doing so in an odd way: Practically the entire border security infrastructure of this Administration remains leaderless more than a year into Obama’s tenure.

What the TSA needs now is a good makeover; hopefully Major General (retired) Robert Harding is going to be the one to bring in the new broom. TSA has languished for years under a cloud of mistakes, errors and just plain carelessness with respect to their public image and their overall effectiveness. Generals lead by implementing policies set down by their civilian leadership. It is long past time we let the professionals do their jobs and expect the politicos to do theirs.

I thought you might be interested in the story below regarding new security tactics being deployed at certain airports — random hand swabs to check for explosive residue.

In what was one of his typically colorful appearances, ret. US Army LTG Russel Honore, the famed “Ragin Cajun” of Hurricane Katrina fame did not disappoint the assembled audience of the 4th Annual DHS University Network Summit. Before a packed hotel ballroom of PhDs, graduate students, DHS S&T leaders, industry reps and more, Honore dropped one-liners and candid, colorful observations that literally had the audience roaring in laughter. Amidst the laughter though were some very frank observations about our nation’s preparedness and overall resilience posture.

We often talk about cyber threats in different ways. Some speak of them based on who the bad guys are: hackers, terrorists, cyber criminals or nation states. Others use the bad guys’ technical approach as a means to define them: SQL injection, Memory Scrappers, DDoS Attacks, etc. A third way, one based on distance from targets, was used by Steven Chabinsky of the FBI recently in several venues. I think it adds to the depth of our analysis, and bring to the fore some key areas that are often overlooked.