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Contributor:

David Olive

Proposed DHS Budget Does Not Reflect Secretary Napolitano’s Testimony on the Threat of Radicalization

Today, the Obama Administration submitted its proposed FY12 Budget to Congress. One of the first things to look for is whether the request to spend taxpayer dollars aligns with what the President and his Cabinet say are their highest priorities. In light of Secretary Napolitano’s recent remarks on violent extremism, the question remains, “So what are we doing to do about it?” If the President’s budget submission is any reflection of priorities, the answer is: “Not much.”

Predator UAV Costs – An Analysis of Alternatives that Needs Further Analysis

Homeland Security Today’s Mickey McCarter has written the most thorough piece on SBInet that I have seen in the past several years. While there is a significant amount of new information in this article, the last few paragraphs of McCarter’s story on the cost of UAVs is something that ought to raise eyebrows. I have yet to understand how DHS can cost-justify the use of Predator UAVs for border security and enforcement purposes.

End to the Color Code Alert System – Where's the Transparency?

Andrew Malcolm’s blog in today’s LA Times on the recent DHS decision to change the old color-coded threat alert system grabbed my eye. Malcolm is right to ask for an explanation of why something that was the subject of a 60-day review took well over a year to resolve. If this administration wants to reclaim the mantle of transparency, someone at DHS should pay attention.

David Olive in Roll Call – Rep. Rogers Should Look to His Own House First

Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) recently published an op-ed in Roll Call, calling for Congress to “grab a shovel” and start digging the country out of debt. He noted wasteful spending in DHS but neglected to address the wasteful and counterproductive manner in which Congress currently oversees DHS. I responded to the Congressman, beginning with an old adage: if you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging.

Congress, Heal Thyself – 2011 Edition

As the stories of how Representative Darrel Issa (R-CA49), who is expected to be chair the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee next year, plans to implement the Blueprint for Oversight of the Executive Branch, I could not help but be reminded of the Thomas Fuller quote about charity beginning at home – or in this case, more precisely, in the House (of Representatives). I can think of no better starting place than the inefficient, duplicative and overly-complex manner in which Congress itself oversees the Department of Homeland Security.

Using Predator UAVs for Border Enforcement Purposes Continues to Raise Questions

Over the Thanksgiving week, I could not get a story from the Houston Chronicle’s Dane Schiller out of my head – “Will eye in the sky over Texas ever shift its gaze to Mexico?” The article’s prime focus is whether Predators can be used to peer across the border into Mexico. Schiller, who regularly covers drug cartel and immigration activity along the southwest border, does America a great service in publicly stating what has been one of the so-called “dirty secrets” about the use of Predator UAVs for border enforcement purposes. The Border Patrol agents who are in pursuit and most in need of information from expensive technology are not seeing anything produced by Predator cameras.

A suggestion for how DHS can allay fears about TSA pat-downs

We have all heard that the best leaders in the private sector, as well as those in government, are those who “lead by example.” That thought sticks in my mind as DHS and TSA attempt to defend the use of advanced imaging technologies or, in the alternative, more thorough physical inspections. One way Secretary Napolitano and TSA Administrator Pistole could help allay the public’s fear would be for each of them to go through the enhanced screening process and do it in front of the television cameras for the whole world to see.

Congress Heal Thyself – A Repeat Suggestion to the Next Congress

From the time the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) came into existence in 2003, questions have been raised over how Congress should organize its oversight responsibilities. Initially, the U.S. House created a Select Committee on Homeland Security. Congress did not consolidate oversight jurisdiction in the new committee. Rather, a “patchwork quilt” of overlapping opportunities for micromanagement of DHS was allowed to continue – and the resulting assertion of jurisdiction by over 100 committees and subcommittees in Congress has been universally criticized by the 9-11 Commission and almost every major think tank and policy commentator. Now, the Heritage Foundation has weighed in with a proposal authored by Paul Rosensweig, Jena McNeil and James Carafano (who all also contribute to Security Debrief), that provides a constructive way to reorganize congressional oversight rather than simply criticize the failure to do so by previous congressional leaders.

Seeking Hard Answers from Commissioner Bersin on Predator UAS for Border Patrol

Last week, speaking at the Migration Policy Institute, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Alan Bersin gave a glowing review of the successes CBP was having in meeting its mission. Whether one agrees with Bersin’s overall assessment, there was one area that jumped out at me that begs further inquiry. One will note that Commissioner Bersin was clever in his wording, in that he did not SPECIFICALLY talk about the need to deploy Predator UASs, but about UASs in general. To my mind, he was being too clever by half, but he is not the first government official to use verbal misdirection to give himself wiggle-room for a later time.