The Brooking Institution
A Discussion with Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff
The Future of U.S. Homeland Security
Event Summary
On September 5, the Brookings Institution hosted Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff for a discussion of America’s homeland security. With the upcoming anniversary of the September 11th attacks, Secretary Chertoff reflected upon the department’s progress to date while also outlining future challenges we may face over the next five years, with a particular focus on our nation’s critical infrastructure. He broadened the scope of the discussion with a forward-looking view of homeland security, and how best to address certain vulnerabilities as we advance into the twenty-first century.
Michael Chertoff was sworn in as the second Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on February 15, 2005. He formerly served as United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit Court of Appeals and was previously confirmed by the Senate to serve in the Bush Administration as Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division at the Department of Justice. As Assistant Attorney General, Chertoff helped trace the 9/11 terrorist attacks to the al-Qaida network, and worked to increase information sharing within the FBI and with state and local officials.
Brookings Senior Fellow Michael O’Hanlon provided introductory remarks.
Transcript
SECRETARY CHERTOFF: Let me begin by outlining the fact that I think there are two very different views that are often offered when we address the question of how to reduce the threats and the vulnerabilities in our critical infrastructure. One view is basically a government-centric model. It’s a view that takes the position that the federal government really should pull the laboring oar in reducing vulnerabilities to all of our critical infrastructure and protecting the public. Under this view, homeland security is essentially a government function in all respects. And, therefore, Washington should figure out where the vulnerabilities are, should dictate to the private sector what the private sector should do to reduce those vulnerabilities, and in many cases, that the government should simply send its own personnel to guard the most critical vulnerabilities and the most critical infrastructure all across the country.
Under this view, essentially any business which operates or owns critical infrastructure ought to be managed with a great deal of detail and a great deal of specificity by officials in Washington or in state capitals, that the only way to show we’re truly serious about reducing vulnerabilities is to have a lot of regulation, preferably painful or punitive regulation, and that where we see threats that we have to protect against, federal boots on the ground should be involved in guarding those particular elements of infrastructure.
Now, I term this a kind of 20th century command and control view of how you protect things. . . .Our position, rather than the 20th century command and control position, our position is that the 21st century requires a different approach to protecting critical infrastructure, and that’s what I call a partnership approach. It’s an approach that is not merely relying on government, or even mainly relying on government, but that looks to work with the private sector to leverage their capabilities and their incentives together with federal government know how to get the maximum reduction in risk for the most efficient use of resources. This 21st century approach to reducing vulnerability is focused on cooperation and stakeholder input. It’s based on the recognition that most businesses are very keenly aware of their personal incentive to maintain security and to protect their own assets and employees.
The fact is that the federal government or the state government does not need to order people to protect assets when the people themselves place great value on the assets. What we have to do is, we have to help them do the job they have a natural incentive to carry out themselves.
Continue Reading
http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/events/2008/0905_homeland/20080902_chertoff.pdf
The Future of U.S. Homeland Security
Event Summary
On September 5, the Brookings Institution hosted Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff for a discussion of America’s homeland security. With the upcoming anniversary of the September 11th attacks, Secretary Chertoff reflected upon the department’s progress to date while also outlining future challenges we may face over the next five years, with a particular focus on our nation’s critical infrastructure. He broadened the scope of the discussion with a forward-looking view of homeland security, and how best to address certain vulnerabilities as we advance into the twenty-first century.
Michael Chertoff was sworn in as the second Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on February 15, 2005. He formerly served as United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit Court of Appeals and was previously confirmed by the Senate to serve in the Bush Administration as Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division at the Department of Justice. As Assistant Attorney General, Chertoff helped trace the 9/11 terrorist attacks to the al-Qaida network, and worked to increase information sharing within the FBI and with state and local officials.
Brookings Senior Fellow Michael O’Hanlon provided introductory remarks.
Transcript
SECRETARY CHERTOFF: Let me begin by outlining the fact that I think there are two very different views that are often offered when we address the question of how to reduce the threats and the vulnerabilities in our critical infrastructure. One view is basically a government-centric model. It’s a view that takes the position that the federal government really should pull the laboring oar in reducing vulnerabilities to all of our critical infrastructure and protecting the public. Under this view, homeland security is essentially a government function in all respects. And, therefore, Washington should figure out where the vulnerabilities are, should dictate to the private sector what the private sector should do to reduce those vulnerabilities, and in many cases, that the government should simply send its own personnel to guard the most critical vulnerabilities and the most critical infrastructure all across the country.
Under this view, essentially any business which operates or owns critical infrastructure ought to be managed with a great deal of detail and a great deal of specificity by officials in Washington or in state capitals, that the only way to show we’re truly serious about reducing vulnerabilities is to have a lot of regulation, preferably painful or punitive regulation, and that where we see threats that we have to protect against, federal boots on the ground should be involved in guarding those particular elements of infrastructure.
Now, I term this a kind of 20th century command and control view of how you protect things. . . .Our position, rather than the 20th century command and control position, our position is that the 21st century requires a different approach to protecting critical infrastructure, and that’s what I call a partnership approach. It’s an approach that is not merely relying on government, or even mainly relying on government, but that looks to work with the private sector to leverage their capabilities and their incentives together with federal government know how to get the maximum reduction in risk for the most efficient use of resources. This 21st century approach to reducing vulnerability is focused on cooperation and stakeholder input. It’s based on the recognition that most businesses are very keenly aware of their personal incentive to maintain security and to protect their own assets and employees.
The fact is that the federal government or the state government does not need to order people to protect assets when the people themselves place great value on the assets. What we have to do is, we have to help them do the job they have a natural incentive to carry out themselves.
Continue Reading
http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/events/2008/0905_homeland/20080902_chertoff.pdf
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