Newly appointed
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, in his first major
speech on March 16, 2005, hosted by the George Washington
University Homeland Security Policy Institute, announced he was
undertaking a top-down review of the organization of the
Department. "Old categories, old jurisdictions, old turf
will not define our objectives or the measure of our achievements,"
he declared, "because bureaucratic structures and categories exist
to serve our mission, not to drive it." In rethinking the structure
and missions of the department, the Secretary could well turn to
The Heritage Foundation's homeland security research, which has
examined in depth many of the key organizational challenges facing
the Department.
Homeland
Security Dollars and Sense #3: Checkbook Security Is Not
Enough
By James J.
Carafano, Ph.D.
Many of the claims
that fraud and incompetent management plague the Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) are either false or overblown. None of the
fourteen audits of the Department revealed any suspect activity.
Likewise, many delays and funding mismanagement are created at the
state and local level. However, DHS does waste too much funding by
having no clear priority system for where the money goes.
Therefore, many less important projects receive a disproportionate
amount of funding. Although DHS is in the process of implementing a
system to more effectively allot funding, Congress needs to refrain
from allocating large sums of money to the Department until the
system is firmly in place.
Border
Securities: Setting the Right Federal Priorities
By James J.
Carafano, Ph.D.
The American
government and Congress need to make a bipartisan effort to keep
America's borders safe and the nation more secure. National
security, economic growth, and liberty are interdependent, and the
structure of the government should reflect this dynamic. DHS should
direct a single border services agency that issues visas, oversees
customs, and protects America's borders. It is most important for
the Department to monitor legal movement between borders and reduce
illegal passage.
Before the Subcommittee on Management, Integration and Oversight,
House Committee on Homeland Security
By James Jay
Carafano, Ph.D.
The Customs and
Border Protection (CBP) and Immigrations-Customs Enforcement (ICE)
agencies should be merged into a single DHS agency. The Department
was created to consolidate the agencies involved in border control
and immigration, thereby reducing inefficiency and overlap.
Although the Department has been somewhat successful in this goal,
the current split between the CBP and ICE still causes confusion
and wastefulness. If merged, the two agencies could create a single
coalition of border and immigration enforcement.
Making
the Sea Safer: A National Agenda for Maritime Security and
Counterterrorism
By James Jay
Carafano, Ph.D., and Alane Kochems
DHS plays an
important role in protecting maritime commerce from attack or
unlawful seizure. The gap in resources must be closed between the
Coast Guard and DHS. Additionally, the Department needs to
facilitate more partnerships with the private sector to most
effectively combat maritime terrorism.
Before the House Budget Committee
By James Jay
Carafano, Ph.D.
Congress needs to
more carefully monitor information technology spending by DHS
agencies, as ill-planned programs tend to create ballooning costs.
The Department also needs to dedicate more funding to human
resources programming. The Department has to create an effective,
cohesive workforce from 180,000 personnel in over 22 agencies.
By James Jay
Carafano, Ph.D.
DHS needs to be
evaluated in terms of its effectiveness in protecting the nation's
security. The Department was analyzed in terms of management, roles
and missions, authorities, and resources and recommendations were
then formed. The Department first needs to focus on making its
management more effective. The whole rationale behind the creation
of DHS was to enhance the synergy and efficiency of homeland
security efforts by several agencies under one department.
Therefore, the management must be able to effectively implement
Department-wide policies and procedures. The Department also needs
a more extensive and organized system of policy-making. DHS should
also consolidate the CBP and ICE for more effective border
management. The President and Congress should create a nonpartisan
commission to evaluate the Department in all of these areas of
improvement.
Organizing
for Victory: Proposals for Building a Regional Homeland Security
Structure
By Edwin Meese
III, James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., and Richard Weitz, Ph.D.
DHS is organizing
a new regional structure to govern how the Department deals with
state and local agencies. DHS needs to clearly articulate its goals
and guiding principles of its plan. The Department should focus on
increasing coordination, planning, and information sharing between
agencies on all levels of government. DHS plans to implement 8 to
10 regional centers to organize such efforts. DHS also needs to
determine how it will reorganize its secretariat to oversee the new
regional structure.
DHS
2.0: Rethinking the Department of Homeland Security
By James Jay
Carafano, Ph.D., and David Heyman
This report
presents the findings of a task force that examined the
organization and operations of DHS in light of the mandate set out
for it in the Homeland Security Act of 2002. The task force
developed over 40 recommendations.
After
Ridge-Much Done Much Still to Do
By James Jay
Carafano, Ph.D.
Tom Ridge, the
first secretary of DHS, leaves both a great legacy and a lot of
unfinished work in the wake of his resignation. Although Ridge set
the foundations for many effective programs, considerable flaws
within the new administration stifled his efforts. His successor
must work with Congress to create a more integrated leadership
within the Department, to consolidate border and transportation
security agencies, to establish better mechanisms for fund
allocation, and to empower executives in key defense
industries.
Homework:
Congress Needs To Return with a Better Plan to Reform Homeland
Security Oversight
By James Jay
Carafano, Ph.D.
Congress's biggest
roadblock to creating an effective and efficient DHS is its
inability to consolidate leadership within the Department. Many
policy experts agreed that it was important for Congress to reform
its committee system and establish a permanent, dedicated oversight
committee for the Department. However, committee chairs have been
unwilling to surrender any power over the 22 agencies now
encompassed by DHS. This refusal has blocked several important
reforms.
Department
of Homeland Security Needs Under Secretary for Policy
By James Jay
Carafano, Ph.D., Richard Weitz, and Alane Kochems
DHS currently
lacks a high-ranking policy officer and the adequate staff to
effectively implement the President's policies. DHS needs a senior
policy officer with straight access to the Secretary. The
Department should not add new staff, but rather reorganize the
staff it has into a more organized structure. DHS can look to the
Department of Defense (DOD) as an example of such organization. By
creating an office for the Under Secretary of Policy, the
Department should be able to run more smoothly.
What
the 9/11 Commission's Report Should Contain: Four Recommendations
for Making America Safer
By James Jay
Carafano, Ph.D.
The creation of
DHS by the Homeland Security Act of 2002 was just the first step in
ensuring greater national security. The 9/11 Commission Report
should have several important recommendations to improve DHS. They
should advocate for responsible intelligence reform and the
strengthening of DHS. Additionally, they should urge Congress to
reauthorize the provisions of the Patriot Act that are set to
expire in December 2005. They should also promote the use of
information technology to more effectively combat terrorism.
Finally, they should recommend that both houses of Congress
establish permanent homeland security oversight committees.
Protectionism
Compromises America's Homeland Security
By James Jay
Carafano, Ph.D., Tim Kane, Ph.D., Dan Mitchell, Ph.D., and Ha
Nyugen
DHS should be
allowed, and even encouraged to outsource security contracts when
profitable to ensure that America gets excellent security for a
good value. To preserve DHS's ability to outsource, Congress and
the Bush administration should remove any barriers to outsourcing
in the Homeland Security Act and any appropriations bills. However,
they should insist that DHS require companies to follow strict
security practices and should establish a system for checking the
security of such contractors. Congress should also refrain from
implementing protectionist policies that would hinder the creation
of private contracts.
Housekeeping
and Homeland Security
By James Jay
Carafano, Ph.D.
Congress needs to
create a permanent oversight committee for DHS. In creating the
Department, the government pulled together 180,000 employees from
22 existing agencies. Clearly, a permanent committee is needed to
organize and unify these people into an efficient, effective
department. The war on terror will be long and protracted, so a
permanent committee must be established to consider the future of
the Department.
Homeland
Security Grant Bill Needs Revision But Is a Step in the Right
Direction
By James Jay
Carafano, Ph.D.
Federal funds
cannot meet all of the nation's security needs, but should instead
be used in combination with state and local resources. DHS and the
Department of Health and Human Services must coordinate their grant
processes to eliminate the need for state and local governments to
submit duplicate paperwork. The government should also establish a
separate and independent organization within DHS to evaluate the
success of such grants.
Improving
Federal Response to Catastrophic Bioterrorist Attacks: The Next
Steps
James Jay
Carafano, Ph.D.
Before the
creation of DHS, multiple agencies across different departments
shared responsibility for assisting at the site of a bioterrorist
attack. Although the Department is now primarily in charge, many
important aspects of the effort lie beyond its control.
Additionally, the Department still has many organizational and
communication problems. Congress needs to create an Assistant Secretary for Bioterrorism and
Infectious Disease Response, who would make sure that all plans are
consistent and allow for rapid response to an attack. DHS and the
Department of Health and Human Services also need to collaborate in
an effort to make sure their grant programs most efficiently
deliver aid to communities targeted in an attack of
bioterrorism.
Better
Intelligence Sharing for Visa Issuance and Monitoring: An
Imperative for Homeland Security
By James Jay
Carafano, Ph.D.
The terrorist
attacks of September 11 have made painfully clear the importance of
a secure visa issuance. After the passage of the Homeland Security
Act of 2002, DHS has become the main department in charge of visa
issuance and monitoring. Considering the importance of this task,
Congress should establish a permanent oversight committee for DHS
to ensure the proper functioning of the department. Additionally,
the Office of Visa Services in the
Bureau of Consular Affairs should be moved from the Department of
State to the Department of Homeland Security to further
consolidate immigration oversight. Finally, DHS needs to
devise a uniform system of evaluation for its system of visa
issuance, so as to more easily solve problems in a timely
fashion.
Harmonizing
House and Senate Appropriations for Homeland Security
By James Jay
Carafano, Ph.D.
While determining
appropriations for DHS, Congress should be sure to prioritize key
initiatives. It should be sure to direct funding towards important
programs, while refraining from pouring money into less important
and developed projects. It should give more funding towards Coast
Guard modernization. Additionally, they should consolidate all
state and local funding under a single organization in DHS.
Congress should insist that DHS come up with national standards for
emergency preparedness, as well as take a more cautious approach
towards information technology. Many DHS programs dealing with such
technology are not yet organized well enough to efficiently utilize
funding.
Principles
the Department of Homeland Security Must Follow for an Effective
Transition
By Michael
Scardaville
Tom Ridge
faces a tough job when the newly-created DHS absorbs 22 government
agencies and 180,000 employees. Ridge should develop a "multi-use
culture" that will help the agency handle diverse responsibilities.
He should use the private sector as an example when fashioning
efficient programs with minimum redundancy. He should also take
care to preserve civil liberties through the empowerment of the
Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. Fourth, he needs to
address deficiencies in the Homeland Security Act. Finally, he must
create regional offices to oversee state and local grant
programs.