As the deadline for the second Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR) approaches at the end of this year, much attention is being given to the record of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and what the department’s proper role should be. Ultimately, the strategy cannot simply be to maintain the status quo, continuing down the same path for the next 10 years…
Last month, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce held a hearing on Chemical Facilities Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS), a program that is overseen by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). In this hearing, DHS representatives claimed to have “turned a corner” on the CFATS program, putting slow and burdensome procedures behind them and moving forward with timely…
In March, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will mark its 10th anniversary of existence. DHS was established to prevent terrorist attacks and to reduce the vulnerability of, and minimize the damage to, the U.S. in the case of attacks. Ten years later, the concept of homeland security has come to embody an "all hazards" approach, focusing not only on terror…
The White House has announced that Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano will stay in her post as President Barack Obama begins his second term. While the decision is not terribly surprising, it is an important one. Secretary Napolitano’s dedication to stay on will give her the opportunity to continue to improve the operation of the Department of Homeland Security…
Abstract: In order to enhance national security by reducing identification fraud, Congress passed the REAL ID Act in 2005, calling on all 50 states to meet minimum security standards for issuing driver’s licenses and state IDs. Seven years after passage of the act, and after two deadline extensions, the majority of states are still not in full compliance with REAL ID…
Over the last decade, the domestic counterterrorism enterprise in the United States has added a significant amount of much-needed capacity. From the expansion of Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTFs) by the FBI to the development of intelligence fusion centers by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the resources now dedicated to gathering information, analyzing…
Last week, the FBI foiled the 52nd thwarted Islamist-inspired terrorist plot against the United States since 9/11. The thwarting of this plot came as the FBI and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued warnings to religious organizations and other groups within the U.S. of the potential for heightened violence in connection with recent unrest in Egypt and Libya. Yet…
Testimony before Subcommittee on Transportation Security Committee on Homeland Security United States House of Representatives September 11, 2012 My name is James Jay Carafano. I am Deputy Director of the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies and Director of the Douglas and Sarah…
Eleven years have passed since the tragedy of September 11, 2001. Since then, the U.S. has made great strides in protecting the nation and countering the continued threat of terrorism. Immediately following the attacks, Congress assembled 22 separate agencies—spanning from the Department of Defense (DOD) to the Department of Agriculture—to create the cabinet-level…
Ten Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, represented by Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, filed a lawsuit last Thursday in federal district court in Texas against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and ICE Director John Morton. The ICE officers are seeking to invalidate the Obama Administration’s recently implemented “deferred…
Abstract: In 2007, The Heritage Foundation became the first and only organization to track thwarted terrorist attacks against the United States. That year, Heritage reported that at least 19 publicly known terrorist attacks against the United States had been foiled since 9/11. Today, that number stands at 50. The fact that the United States has not suffered a large-scale…
Criticisms of post-9/11 efforts to protect the United States from attack range from claims that America is more vulnerable than ever to the contention that the transnational terrorist danger is vastly over-hyped.[1] A review of publicly available information on at least 19 terrorist conspiracies thwarted by U.S. law enforcement suggests that the truth lies somewhere in…
Abstract: In 2009 alone, U.S. authorities foiled at least six terrorist plots against the United States. Since September 11, 2001, at least 30 planned terrorist attacks have been foiled, all but two of them prevented by law enforcement. The two notable exceptions are the passengers and flight attendants who subdued the "shoe bomber" in 2001 and the "underwear bomber" on…
Abstract: Many aspects of the terror threat—from communication between terrorist groups to recruitment of new members—has been changing, largely due to ever-developing Internet technology and new possibilities in cyberspace. One new trend is the lone-wolf terrorist—such as Army Major Nidal Hassan, who massacred his fellow soldiers at Fort Hood. New developments in the…
Since September 11, 2001, there has been agreat deal of interest in using biometrics for verification ofidentity. 1 The interest is particularly acutein the areas of visa and immigration documentation andgovernment-issued identification card programs.2 Unlike typical identification methods,which require a person to have something -- an identification card, apersonal…
Executive Summary Getting the national homeland security enterprise right is among the most difficult challenges in Washington because the problems in protecting the homeland are rooted in overcentralization, pervasive complacency, and entrenched politics—problems that often cause Washington to not work properly. This report marks a path through this obstacle…
Abstract: An electromagnetic pulse (EMP) over the United States could end modern life in America overnight. Whether caused by an enemy attack (a nuclear device detonated above the atmosphere) or by a natural phenomenon (a geomagnetic storm), an EMP can cause entire regions of the country to lose electricity—permanently. Despite the EMP Commission’s recommendations in 2004…
Abstract: Highways, bridges, power plants, and cyber networks are all part of the national infrastructure— which is essential for the daily functioning of American society. The Department of Homeland Security carries the prime responsibility for protecting “critical infrastructure” from terrorist attacks and natural disasters. The problem currently plaguing the…
Abstract: The United States is known around the world for sending help—from in-person medical assistance to financial donations—when disasters strike in other countries. When disasters have recently struck the U.S.—9/11, Hurricane Katrina, and the Gulf oil spill—other countries have been equally quick to offer help. Yet, as astute as the U.S. is when it comes to…
Abstract: In 2007, the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program to regulate chemical facilities in the U.S. took effect. While a degree of government oversight of high-risk chemicals is warranted, the CFATS regulations are overly complicated, and overly burdensome on the private sector, with little added security. CFATS expires in October 2012, and the…
Must Washington fix our broken southern border? You bet. Will the comprehensive immigration reform bill help? You bet...…
As details emerge regarding Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s 2012 trip to Dagestan and Chechnya, which his family has insisted was...…
Canadian police announced on Monday that they had arrested two foreign men plotting to derail a passenger train and...…
As the country continues to reel over the attacks in Boston last week, some in Washington quickly looked for ways to...…
Last week, NASA observed the largest solar flare of the year. The coronal mass ejection was one “powerful enough to...…
Last week, a hacker turned cybersecurity expert, Marc Maiffret, published an enlightening op-ed in The New York Times,...…
The world’s second-largest reinsurer, Swiss Re, reports “that natural catastrophes and man-made disasters cost the...…
On March 26, the Nigerian senate proved that President Goodluck Jonathan’s refusal to grant amnesty to terrorist...…
A recent National Journal article discussed the likelihood of an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) over the United States...…
Today, the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is holding a hearing titled, “Counterterrorism Policies and...…
Vice President, Foreign and Defense Policy Studies, E. W. Richardson Fellow, and Director