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Maybe it’s just a Washington thing, but no where can you gather more than a hundred or so people in a significant venue for a major speech on a topic of national importance that says… well… nothing. Such was the scene at the National Press Club where DHS Secretary Napolitano delivered her second annual “State of Homeland Security Address.” Attendees were greeted with a plate of cupcakes decorated with the DHS logo. Either someone at the National Press Club has a wicked sense of humor or the Department has gotten very creative with its logo.

DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano delivered a “State of Homeland Security” address yesterday at the National Press Club and did a wonderful job delivering a very droll message. She is an accomplished public speaker and was comfortable in reading from the Teleprompter, and if her goal was to avoid making headlines, her presentation was a rousing success.

Change is on the horizon for DHS leadership. While Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano’s health seems to be fine and she appears to be in decent political shape (there aren’t rampant calls for her resignation or her being driven from office), the odds are she will leave her post next January regardless of whether her boss, President Barack Obama, is re-elected or not. Here are some likely candidates for DHS Secretary.

President Obama’s critics (of which I have been one) have tried to infer he is many things. He’s been called a socialist, a far-left liberal and other names. People will use all sorts of facts and inferences to back their words up but one word and invective that will never stick is “wimp.” Through the use of drones, Special Forces, Navy SEALS and all of the other military resources at his disposal, the President has scored a kill sheet that no one could have imagined. The inspirational orator that many thought was weak-kneed has become remarkably effective and efficient at getting rid of some of the world’s most pungent trash.

CQ Homeland Security conducted its annual survey of security challenges last year and the road ahead in 2012. The three-part series included comments from security experts throughout government and the private sector, many of whom are contributors to Security Debrief. Below is a rundown of some of their responses. Check out each of the story links to read more about important security efforts in 2012.

By Nelson Balido
Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Alan Bersin last Thursday announced his resignation effective December 30. For folks who monitor border trade and security issues, this wasn’t exactly a surprise. But it was still a disappointment. Nevertheless, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano made the right choice in naming deputy commissioner David Aguilar as the new acting commissioner.

In just over two weeks, barring an unanticipated miracle, CBP Commissioner Alan Bersin’s recess appointment will run out. There are many positive things that can be said for how Bersin handled his tenure at CBP. Nevertheless, it does not appear that Bersin’s nomination is going to be approved by the Senate. Until DHS or the White House make their plans for Bersin’s replacement, even on an acting basis, clear and unequivocal, one wonders whether they even care about who leads this vital organization.

More than a year ago, then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen spoke about how our growing national debt was becoming a national security threat. It was a stunning statement. With that as a backdrop, along with the federal budget drama of the past year, Congressional leaders pledged to work together, forming a so-called Supercommittee. After much discussion and pandering, we now have our end product – Failure. In fact, it’s bigger than failure… it’s an absolute surrender of leadership.

The last several months in D.C. have witnessed a series of Executive Orders, proposed legislation, bureaucratic action and public bickering over how to “defend” cyberspace. This dividing up of provinces of responsibility in cyberspace is interesting. It is a lovely 20th century way of dealing with a 21st century problem. Setting boundaries in the boundless frontier. Those seeking to harm cyberspace must be laughing up their collective sleeves or Guy Fawkes masks.

When the news broke yesterday with rumors and news reports that former DHS Secretary Tom Ridge could be in the running to be the next President of Penn State, I have to admit to some very mixed feelings. They weren’t negative mixed feelings but rather selfish ones. As one of the people fortunate enough to serve under Ridge in the early days of DHS, I got to observe one of the most dynamic individuals I’ve ever met in my life. If his move to Penn State should come to pass, the institution will gain someone who not only can navigate the most dangerous of seas but bring people together in service in ways never done before.

Richard Clarke is at it again. In a conference this week, he stridently appealed to the audience. He warned that the President aught not consider going to war any time in the near future. This because our cyber capabilities are so weak and America’s enemies are sure to use cyber attacks against us. Dick Clarke is a competent and farsighted man who has served this Nation long and well. Why does he seem to relish wallowing in hyperbole? We are NOT boxed in by our cyber insecurities to the point of having no options.

I welcome you to join us on Thursday, November 10, 2011 from 2:00 – 3:00pm for an HSPI Policy and Research Forum event featuring John S. Pistole, Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Mr. Pistole will discuss risk-based, intelligence-driven counterterrorism efforts, and will highlight the layered security approach and advances of TSA technology over the last decade.

Last week, the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee held a hearing reviewing TSA screening procedures 10 years after 9/11. The buzz word of the hearing was “risk-based.” This has been characterized in some reporting as TSA’s newest screening strategy. In fact, risk-based screening has been attempted at TSA and DHS for years. The “news” is TSA’s public re-commitment to risk-based screening after several check-point screening miscues went viral.

When he was running for the presidency in 2007-08, there were not so subtle whispers and inferences made about whether a not-even-one-term U.S. senator from Illinois with no significant executive or security experience was up to the task of being Commander in Chief in a post-9/11 era. There is plenty to debate about the President’s leadership in other areas, but his critics of this area of his job performance look very small and at times, very petty. Through the use of SEAL Team Six, UAVs and other strategic military and intelligence assets, he’s sent an impressive list of bad guys to their ultimate judgment.

The Obama administration has made admirable and high-profile efforts toward export control reform. The President issued a November 2010 Executive Order establishing an Export Enforcement Coordination Center (EECC), to be housed within the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate the efforts of the multiple federal agencies responsible for enforcing our export control laws. Despite this, the EECC still has no apparent public presence.

According to Reuters, President Obama was briefed on the Iranian bomb plot to kill the Saudi ambassador in June. The White House released its strategy to combat terrorism on June 28. While the White House knew the Iranians had active operations on-going in the United States, it intentionally side-stepped the issue of state-sponsored terrorism in its strategy. How can that make sense?

As they walked out onto the stage at George Washington University, it was almost a Mount Rushmore moment. Tom Ridge, Michael Chertoff, Janet Napolitano and Thad Allen. Four individuals who by the nature of their respective careers, experiences and positions have become the most recognizable faces associated with homeland security. In a dialogue sponsored by GW’s Homeland Security Policy Institute and the Homeland Security & Defense Business Council, the three DHS Secretaries were “interviewed” by Adm. Allen. If there was any one message the event drove home, it was civil, principled and cooperative leadership exists at the core of the Department and the larger homeland security community.

Please join The George Washington University Homeland Security Policy Institute today at 5:00 pm for a webcasted event featuring the Hon. Janet Napolitano, Secretary of Homeland Security, the Hon. Michael Chertoff, Former Secretary of Homeland Security, and Hon. Tom Ridge, Former Secretary of Homeland Security. The secretaries will partake in a conversation about the future of homeland security, discussing how the nature of their work has evolved since the creation of the Department, and how to best move forward in this ever-evolving threat environment.

The Principal Federal Official (PFO) was a post-9/11 initiative designed to put a senior official on top of the operational response to major disasters. Apparently, the idea of a PFO has fallen on hard times. If the word on the street is right, the current thinking in DHS is that if there is a really big oh-my-God event, the secretary will be the PFO and we’ll leave it at that. That is frankly a really bad idea. Who runs the department while the secretary is acting as PFO, and what happens if there is more than one OMG event at a time?

In the wake of “National Preparedness Month,” over the weekend the first edition of the National Preparedness Goal (NPG) was released. The NPG correctly recognizes resilience as a fundamental component of national preparedness – a desired outcome. The issue, however, is not what America can do but rather what America will do. There can be little doubt that since 9/11, America is far more physically protected. However, contrary to the assertion in the NPG, and as protected infrastructure failures and nature-driven consequences continue to demonstrate, America is anything but more prepared.