SEARCH: Advanced Search

Today's Paper

PDF Version | Latest News

September 21, 2006

Mission Impossible?

A Q&A with Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff

Strides Have Been Made in Security

Since Sept. 11, 2001, our nation has made great strides in establishing security measures to protect our citizens from another terrorist attack; yet there is still much more to be done. I believe the same could be said for the Department of Homeland Security. Since the DHS was created in 2003, we’ve seen a number of missteps and failures in terms of fulfilling its mission; yet, we’ve also seen signs of improvement and an increasing understanding of what needs to be done to protect the American people.

Coordinated, Thorough Security Efforts Needed

Five years ago this Wednesday, President Bush announced to Congress the creation of the Office of Homeland Security, the predecessor of the current Department of Homeland Security, to “develop and coordinate the implementation of a comprehensive national strategy to secure the United States from terrorist threats or attacks.” Five years and tens of billions of dollars later, homeland security efforts still are not coordinated or comprehensive. There is great uncertainty about the security of our nation. Just flipping through the newspapers covering the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks recently, there were widely conflicting responses to the question “Is America as safe it needs to be?”

Chemical Security Legislation Needed

Five years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, America is not nearly as secure as it should and could be. One of the areas with the most worrisome security gaps is the chemical industry. Large and potentially hazardous chemical plants operate all over the country, and at least 123 of those plants are located in such close proximity to population centers that a worst-case-scenario incident at those plants would expose more than 1 million people to toxins. Given the possibility for such disastrous consequences, most Americans probably assume that the Department of Homeland Security closely regulates the security of chemical plants. Unfortunately, they are wrong.

Grants Should Be Given Based on Risk

It’s simple, really — homeland security grants should be allocated on the basis of risk, delivering federal funding to the areas that need it most. We have to focus on protecting the most likely terrorist targets; and, in almost every case, that means the areas with the most economic activity, critical infrastructure and tourist activity.

DHS Grant Allocation Doesn’t Make Sense

Most Americans agree that New York City and Washington, D.C., are the leading contenders for a future terrorist attack. Likewise, most Americans understand that al Qaida maintains an acute determination to carry out colossal assaults — the kind that are possible only in a small number of cities. So it makes sense for the federal government to focus its anti-terrorism grant money on the areas that need it most. At least it makes sense to most Americans. The administration and many in the Republican leadership in Congress, however, have shown that they are utterly baffled by this sensible, practical concept.

Reform Bill Offers FEMA Improvements

FEMA: The name is staying the same, and that’s about it. The emergency management reform bill the House and Senate recently agreed on represents a bipartisan, bicameral commitment to comprehensive emergency management reform. The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be more able to provide a 21st-century approach to emergency management that responds better and faster to the wider variety of threats we are facing.

Emergency Management Requires Restructuring

In August 2005, Americans witnessed the most devastating natural disaster in our nation’s history when Hurricane Katrina made landfall. During my three visits to the Gulf Coast since then, many residents have told me that there were two disasters that month: Hurricane Katrina, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s response to Hurricane Katrina. FEMA’s failure to act in the days before and after Katrina led to the loss of almost 2,000 lives and damage of billions of dollars of property throughout the Gulf Coast.

TSA, Congress Are Making Progress

Sept. 11, 2001, forever will be etched in the minds of the American people for the sadness and anger we all felt that day. This assault on our country and the values we stand for forced us as a nation to reassess our vulnerabilities as well as our priorities. As we watched terrorists transform commercial airliners into weapons, we forever changed the way we look at air travel. In the wake of Sept. 11, it is our responsibility as the Congress of the United States to take the necessary steps to ensure our nation’s airline security.

More Must Be Done to Secure America’s Skies

Aviation provided the means for the devastating terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Recent events in Britain prove that terrorists still consider aviation a prime target, though terrorists are now more likely to try taking planes down rather than use them as weapons.