Adfero Group HSPI

Within the past few weeks, testimony from former Congressman Lee Hamilton and an Associated Press story both highlighted the cost – in time and money, if not security – of overlapping jurisdiction of congressional oversight of the Department of Homeland Security. House Judiciary Chair Lamar Smith told the AP that Congress intended a “purposeful redundancy” when it created the DHS. Are you kiddin’ me?

I have closely watched the reaction to the Obama Administration’s recent moves on cyberspace – 20th century mentalities dealing with a 21st century problem. This frontier is without rules or rulers. However, we have not only a national stake in cyberspace through our defense structure; we also have a vast commercial stake with our banking, electrical and other major national industries depending on its viability and safety. We are at the end of the beginning of cyberspace and the lawless frontier.

As a Life Flight helicopter pilot residing just outside of Joplin, Missouri; my father-in-law knew he would be needed to help airlift critically wounded victims of the recent tornado to nearby medical facilities. What he didn’t know is that according to Frontier Airlines, his duty to save lives isn’t as important as their corporate refund policy. This speaks to a larger issue. More and more there is a greater recognition that in the realm of homeland security, there are no bystanders.

There is solemnity to Arlington National Cemetery that is unique. While there is much that has changed about warfare since the first Union soldiers were interred in Mrs. Lee’s gardens, the carnage of battle and long standing pain of families of those lost in it remains steadfast. So often we are attracted to the ridiculous in life and get wrapped up in the fun of it, all too often forgetting the blood, sweat and tears by which this country was founded. That’s a powerful lesson that should not just be celebrated and shared on Memorial Day or Veterans Day.

In the last few weeks, the Obama White House has made some bold moves in the cyber arena. It has been quite a while coming. Delayed gratification seems to be the strategy with regard to cyber. Well, after a few weeks, most of us are still confused. Industry players are back in the starter blocks, ready to dash, but they still have not divined the Obama Administration’s direction for cyber to a degree that will allow them to move forward.

Black swans are another name for Secretary Rumsfeld’s famous category of “known” unknowns, things we know we don’t know – but maybe we should. The Japanese anticipated the double-shot of earthquakes and tsunamis, but not the triple whammy of earthquake-Tsunami-massive release of low-dose radiation from nuclear power plants. It is hard to believe that Washington would not screw up a nuclear incident just as badly as Toyko, particularly if the event happened in the midst of another catastrophe.

Our country is facing some hard times right now, much worse than any time in my lifetime. Despite our problems of today, there still have been millions of great Americans who dedicated their lives to making this country great. As we approach Memorial Day, I would ask that each of us take a moment and thank those who have blazed a path before us and who have built a way of life that all others envy.

On March 31, the Department of Labor and Department of Homeland Security released the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding regarding worksite enforcement of immigration laws in the event of a DOL investigation of labor dispute. So who cares, one might ask? We care because this is yet another reminder of the difficult task employers have to balance the interest of immigration compliance and managing labor relations.

The draft Executive Order mandating that federal contractors declare donations as part of the competitive process is being reviled as unfair, unnecessary and unconstitutional. Others celebrate it as a necessary level of transparency to combat corruption. Both are true and false, but neither addresses the real issue – as long as politicians can be bought through the donor process, there will be corruption in procurement.

It has been a busy couple of days for me, but they have been good ones. I flew down to Maxwell AFB in Alabama to offer the Industry Perspective on Cyber as part of the AF Cyber Operations Executive Course. I also served as moderator for an Executive Luncheon sponsored by the Homeland Security and Defense Business Council, where the guest was Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense, the Honorable Paul Stockton.

Shannen Rossmiller, a citizen cyber spy, has worked with the FBI on over 200 counterterrorism cases, posing as a radicalized terrorist and luring others into revealing details of their plans. She recently spoke with Federal News Radio about her new book.

I have a suggestion for the DHS Public Affairs shop: get rid of the “one size fits all” term when referring to homeland security programs that Secretary Napolitano wants to change. As far as I know, from its inception, DHS has talked about “layered security” and has consistently avoided a “one size fits all” security mantra. Yet to hear Secretary Napolitano and her team these days, one would conclude that it was the only approach her predecessors took. This cannot be a coincidence and DHS ought to be ashamed.

Seven months ago, intelligence organizations uncovered an attempt to bomb airliners by putting explosives in cargo. The cargo bombing plot highlighted the absence of effective cargo screening systems for air cargo being flown into the United States. The U.S. government should move expeditiously towards risk-based screening before al Qaeda strikes again.

By Jena Baker McNeill and Matt Mayer
The 9/11 attacks acted as a catalyst for major changes in U.S. security efforts. The attacks altered not only how the nation would identify and prepare for threats but also how it would work to prevent them. The approaching 10th anniversary of the attacks gives policymakers an opportunity to undertake a realistic and retrospective assessment of homeland security policies since 9/11.

President Obama’s Middle East speech, focused on America’s commitment to democracy in the Middle East and North Africa, included comments about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. What was surprising was that the President publicly recognized that the primary stumbling block preventing forward movement on the peace process is not settlements, or even the status of Jerusalem or the right of return, but Hamas.

The 9/11 Commission requested the federal government continue an investigation into the extent of involvement of Iran and its de facto terrorist wing, Hezbollah, in the support of Al Qaeda’s attacks on 9/11. Perhaps the biggest hole of buried information regarded Iran’s connection to 9/11. As the “terrorist travel” affiant in a case filed last week in New York City federal court on behalf of 9/11 families suing primarily al Qaeda and Iran, I am now personally convinced that indeed, al Qaeda did not act alone on 9/11.

The take down of Usama Bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan and the killing of UBL has created a huge interest in the Special Operations (SO) capabilities our nation possesses. The American people need to be better informed as to who is who in the Special Operations community, simply because so many folks are speaking inaccurately. So here is a run down of the different kinds of “special” heroes who have accepted the high calling of putting the welfare of their country before their own.

Like most Americans, I’m happy Osama Bin Laden has been given his just reward. But I have become increasingly angered by the sieve-like qualities coming from Obama Administration and Defense officials who continue to divulge details of the May 1 takedown of Bin Laden. These motor-mouths seem more enchanted with currying and preserving their media relationships than preserving the unique capabilities of our intelligence and military forces.

Ever since the President gave the May 2009 speech on cybersecurity, people like me have been bemoaning that there seemed to be little meat added to the well-crafted bones that were the original cyber strategy. In the last week or so, we got plenty: the White House’s cybersecurity legislative proposal and Cyber International Affairs initiative.

Regardless of circumstance or event, be it flood, fire, tornado or terror, the American Red Cross has always been there. With the release of the Ready Rating Program, the American Red Cross has once again shown their capacity to do just about anything they set their mind too. When you compare this effort to those of DHS in its Private Sector Preparedness (PS-Prep) Program, it’s not even a fair comparison.