1. Focus DHS on the National Mission.
Congress and the Obama administration should review the current missions of DHS and set clear multi-year national priorities for the department. For each security function, should DHS’s strategy be to manage, regulate, operate or delegate it? As Congress and DHS weigh these choices, they should recognize that state and local governments have constitutionally based law enforcement responsibilities and should not be treated as just another regulated party.
2. Review Agency Mandates and Functions.
With the first change in an administration since DHS was created, it is a propitious time to review the agency’s organizational structure. Do its collection of disparate government agencies under one roof and a single leadership structure make sense? Do the multifaceted missions of agencies such as the U.S. Coast Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency get sacrificed under a department with a homeland security mission? If so, should they be fixed inside the department or moved outside? These reviews should be focused on the future and conducted under the homeland security authorization to be considered by Congress.
3. Strengthen DHS’s Relationship with Congress.
The relationship between the committees of jurisdiction and DHS was often a strained one under the Bush administration. DHS should recognize that Congress has a role to play in setting homeland security policy and overseeing DHS’s work in executing it. DHS should respect congressional intent in authorizations and appropriations, respond promptly to congressional requests for testimony and information, and keep Congress and its staffs apprised of developments. Congress, in turn, should recognize that the more than 20 House and Senate committees and subcommittees with jurisdiction over DHS place a heavy burden on it and that many requests for information could be handled at a staff level rather than through requests for testimony.
4. Invigorate Interagency Partnerships.
DHS needs to work more collaboratively with the modal administrations within the Department of Transportation, and others, that have their own regulatory, operational and enforcement responsibilities over their respective systems. These partnerships would lead to an enhanced understanding of the transportation industry and to better security policies. Other areas that would benefit from intergovernmental cooperation and targeting of resources include international aviation liberalization, hazardous materials safety and emergency response and planning.
5. Consult Internationally and Harmonize Rules to Improve Security and Efficiency.
National security and customs standards for the international movements of passengers and freight are sub-optimal and inefficient. Adopting international standards and/or harmonizing national regulations for screening and inspecting passengers and goods (as well as in other areas) hold great promise for improving security and reducing costs. Where appropriate, the U.S. government should work with international organizations in setting standards, overseeing and auditing operations in member states. Just as one example, this type of policy leadership would help address wasteful practices such as rescreening checked baggage from nations such as Canada, the Netherlands, or the United Kingdom when those bags arrive in the U.S. destined for an onward destination. Each of these nations has state-of-the-art screening but the practices are inconsistent with the narrowly tailored U.S. standard. Negotiating a common standard or recognizing each other’s standards would increase efficiency and save government, airlines and airports valuable resources.
6. Consider a New Transportation “Screening” Agency Within DHS.
The Transportation Security Administration is responsible for regulating transportation security whether it is operated by the public (airports and transit agencies, for example) or the private sector (trucking, rail freight, etc.). At the same time, the TSA is a security provider itself, managing a 43,000-person aviation screening work force. Creating a stand-alone performance-based screening organization within DHS would encourage the new agency to focus on delivery of service and work force issues. It also would create greater accountability because the agency would no longer be charged with overseeing itself. This model has been used successfully in Canada, where the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) manages the screening program while Transport Canada (TC) issues and enforces the regulations. Unlike the current TSA model, the regulator (TC) has every incentive to vigilantly oversee the operator (CATSA).
7. Re-engage the Business Community.
DHS needs frequent contact with and advice from the business community to better understand how best to mitigate risks and prevent threats to the transportation industry; to help it and the other agencies design a more resilient and robust transportation infrastructure that protects against natural disasters and security and terrorist threats; and to help devise an innovative culture within DHS that takes full advantage of new technologies and adapts to developments in the greater transportation industry.
8. Promote Risk-Management Principles.
While 100 percent screening of airline passengers and checked baggage is possible today, 100 percent screening of goods shipped through the supply chain is not possible and probably not desirable, given the level of resources required that would divert DHS from other priorities. DHS deserves credit for understanding this and making a good start with the the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism program where global companies certified by Customs and Border Protection enjoy expedited treatment when their goods are inspected by Customs officials. This logic — calculating risk and scrutinizing a shipment or traveler to the extent they are known —should be extended across transportation security. Education is necessary so the program is not seen as compromising security.
9. Devise a Robust and Relevant Research and Development Program.
DHS spends billions of dollars a year in purchasing and providing funding for new and innovative technology. Many of its decisions, however, have been made incrementally and in a disjointed fashion over the last seven years. This is exacerbated by the proliferation of segregated groups within DHS making research and development decisions without reference to the overall mission. To improve its strategy, DHS should adopt a comprehensive strategy for setting the requirements, funding research and testing new equipment. It also should review its procurement and contracting policies to ensure its bid procedures are getting the best value for the investment and are not stifling innovation, a sometimes difficult balance to reach.
10. Address Work Force Challenges.
A productive work force is instrumental to every enterprise’s success. Recent employee surveys highlight continuing morale issues within the DHS work force. Many of the DHS’s 200,000 employees work on the front line and face harried and often frustrated domestic and international travelers and shippers. Doing everything possible to simplify security requirements and improve the international arrivals process would make the jobs of those workers easier. Focusing on core human resource issues such as professional development, rewards and recognition, as well as whistle-blower protections, also would help. |
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