David Olive

The Business of Homeland Security

September 8, 2008

Last week, DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff delivered the fourth in a series of talks he has planned following the 5th anniversary of the creation of the Department of Homeland Security. This one focused on critical infrastructure protection. While there did not appear to be much of anything new, it gave Chertoff an opportunity to provide a high-level discussion of DHS’s approach to CI/KR protection and an opportunity for him to chide Congress for its approach to cargo security. In the course of his talk Chertoff did something very few Cabinet Secretaries do – he committed candor. It was refreshing.

Debate Over Common Sense Oversight for DHS

David Olive |

August 1, 2008

On Wednesday, The Heritage Foundation hosted Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Alabama) and a panel of commentators to discuss the chaos in Congress’ oversight of the Department of Homeland Security. Congressman Rogers, who is the ranking member on the Management, Investigations and Oversight subcommittee of the House Homeland Security Committee, did an outstanding job of setting out the foundation for why the current system of oversight is broken and why that creates unnecessary vulnerabilities. The panel discussion involved some interesting questions about the partisan nature of the problem, as well as the Department’s push-back to Congress’ neverending demands.

Verification Hub a smart move for DHS REAL ID Grants

David Olive |

June 20, 2008

The DHS announcement today awarding REAL ID grants seems to be a positive step in meeting the recommendation of the 9-11 Commission to make identification documents more secure. With the adoption of a “verification hub” approach, where states work with other states to verify identities, DHS is letting the folks who issue driver licenses control their own processes – previously a source of irritation for many Governors.

Congress, heal thyself

David Olive |

June 18, 2008

Proper oversight for homeland security is necessary to ensure both accountability and the public trust. What currently exists, however, is not oversight — it is overkill. This overkill affects more than the overworked staff at DHS, who find themselves scrambling to meet the conflicting demands of 86 different masters. It affects an entire industry that is still trying to get its sea legs under it — and an American public that must navigate the attendant confusion.

Observations on the DHS S&T Conference

David Olive |

June 9, 2008

Last week the Science and Technology Directorate held another session in its series of Stakeholders’ Conference here in Washington DC. The attendance appeared to be down from last year’s event, although there was a lot of “meat” to digest by those who attended the conference. One of the most significant things to come out of the conference is the new S&T High Priority Technology Needs booklet.

Resiliency is Serious Business

David Olive |

June 5, 2008

Recently CQ Homeland Security did a wrap-up story on the House Homeland Security Committee’s series of hearings on the topic of “resiliency.” The hearings were an effort by the Committee’s Chairman, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), to highlight the serious economic effects that we create when we focus exclusively on the “detect-prevent” side of homeland security and short-change the “respond-recover” aspect. One comment in the story in particular is noteworthy.

Checkpoint Evolution Cuts Down on Travel Hassles

David Olive |

June 2, 2008

Last week the Travel Industry Association released a study showing that air travel hassles have cost the economy over $26 billion because passengers avoided taking some 41 million trips over the last 12 months. Security is only a portion of those travel hassles, to be sure, but it is an area (unlike fuel prices) where passengers should feel their concerns are being heard, if TSA’s new Checkpoint Evolution is an indication.

Markey Perpetuates 'Security Theatre'

David Olive |

February 9, 2008

Rep. Markey has demagogued the cargo security issue for years, purely for political reasons it seems to me. Given the body of evidence that requiring physical inspection of each piece of air cargo will not measurably add to improved security, yet it will certainly add significantly to the costs to the customer, one wonders if Representative Markey is aware of how hollow his comments seem to be?

Homeland Security Reviews First Responder Technology

David Olive |

January 21, 2008

Having DHS S&T look at technology that will assist local homeowners in the event of natural disasters may seem like heresy to those who believe that DHS should be solely focused on anti-terrorism programs, but DHS was intended to be an all-hazards agency, and this is one of the first bits of evidence that S&T is serious about helping protect lives and property irrespective of the cause.

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