WebMemo posted June 7, 2004 by Michael Scardaville
9/11 Commission's Executive Focus Ignores Half the Picture
For
over a year now, the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks
Against the United States (less formally, the "9/11 Commission")
has been investigating the actions of the executive
branch-including the current and former presidential
administrations-to identify shortcomings in federal policy that may
have contributed to the nation's inability to detect and…
WebMemo posted July 28, 2003 by Michael Scardaville
What the Joint Inquiry into 9/11's Report Says About Today's Needs
The report of the
Joint Inquiry into Intelligence Community Activities Before and
After the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001 describes a
systematic failure of the United States intelligence community to
respond to the then emerging terrorist threat.
While it offers no
smoking gun, the report's main value is as a reminder of what the
intelligence community…
WebMemo posted July 17, 2003 by Paul Rosenzweig, Michael Scardaville, Ha Nguyen
Senate Should Restore TIA Funding
A rider on the Senate's 2004 Defense
Appropriations bill cuts off all funding for the research and
development of the Terrorism Information Awareness (TIA) program --
potentially a valuable tool in combating terrorism -- before
research is completed.
Congress needs to consider TIA in depth,
and the Senate should restore funding. Anything less…
Backgrounder posted May 6, 2003 by Michael Scardaville
Adding Flexibility and Purpose to Domestic Preparedness Grant Programs
State and local first response agencies
are at the forefront of the nation's ability to respond to
terrorist acts. In fact, these local agencies will nearly always be
the first to respond to an incident and will be the determining
factor in mitigating the consequences of an attack. As a result,
the federal government has maintained programs to improve
preparedness…
Backgrounder posted February 27, 2003 by Michael Scardaville
Emphasize How, Not How Much, in Domestic Preparedness Spending
First responders are a crucial link in any
effective homeland security policy. To meet the demands of the
terrorist threat, a major investment is necessary to train and
equip police, firefighters, emergency medical technicians, and the
public health community.
Last
year, President George W. Bush proposed the First Responder
Initiative to meet the needs of this…
Executive Memorandum posted January 28, 2003 by Michael Scardaville
Securing the Homeland Begins at Home
The creation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will not
reduce the crucial role of state and local government in providing
homeland security. Local agencies are most likely to respond first
in a crisis. However, with the recent focus on federal efforts for
the new DHS, many of the needs of state and local communities have
been neglected. More can and must…
WebMemo posted November 20, 2002 by Michael Scardaville
No Orwellian Scheme Behind DARPA's Total Information AwarenessSystem
If you believe the
political pundits in all the major news outlets, you probably
believe the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA)
Total Information Awareness system (TIA), managed by Dr. John
Poindexter, is about TMI - or Too Much
Information on you. In fact, TIA is what the
public, Congress and many in the policy community have rightly…
WebMemo posted November 20, 2002 by Michael Scardaville
No Orwellian Scheme Behind DARPA's Total Information AwarenessSystem
If you believe the
political pundits in all the major news outlets, you probably
believe the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA)
Total Information Awareness system (TIA), managed by Dr. John
Poindexter, is about TMI - or Too Much
Information on you. In fact, TIA is what the
public, Congress and many in the policy community have rightly…