Tom Ridge

Cybersecurity Act Of 2012 Challenged on Capitol Hill; McCain To Draft Alternative

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Sen. John McCain (R-Az.) on Thursday ripped into the authors and supporters of the Cybersecurity Act of 2012 for what he called “legislative bullying,” suggesting that democrats are attempting to push a flawed bill through the Senate without input from those that oppose the bill.

During a hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, McCain sent an unexpected shot across the bow of committee chairman Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT), stating that a lack of transparency in the legislative process that led to the drafting of the bill has now forced him and at least seven other Republicans to begin work on “an alternative” cybersecurity bill that they plan to introduce before the end of the month. Keep reading →

 /  Published February 16, 2012 at 5:54 PM

Battle Lines Being Drawn Over Cybersecurity Legislation

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Just two days after introducing the controversial Cybersecurity Act of 2012, Senate lawmakers on Thursday plan to hold a hearing on the legislation, raising concerns that what some are calling a flawed piece of legislation may be on the fast-track for approval by the end of March.

The bill would grant the Department of Homeland Security vast new regulatory authorities over select portions of the nation’s critical infrastructure – everything from the national electric grid to transportation, water and financial services, among others. Keep reading →

 /  Published February 15, 2012 at 4:41 PM

Ten Years After 9/11 – Three Perspectives On Homeland Security’s Mission

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Roger Cressey can recall with great precision the moment, ten years ago, when the homeland security mission came to life out of the rubble of the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon.

“It was the magnitude and the gravity of what we were dealing with, literally when the towers were crumbling, realizing that the world had changed and that our government – our nation – had changed,” said Cressey, who served as the Deputy for Counterterrorism on the National Security Council on 9/11. Keep reading →

 /  Published September 7, 2011 at 12:15 PM

Ten Years After 9/11: Three Eyewitness Perspectives On DHS’s Creation

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About This Program:
In this mini-documentary exclusive for Breaking Gov, award-winning journalist Dan Verton brings us back to the day that changed the world and traces the evolution of the homeland security mission through the eyes of three men who were present at its creation.

This is the story of the birth and evolution of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as told by the nation’s first secretary of Homeland Security, the deputy for counterterrorism on the National Security Council, and the CIA’s deputy director of intelligence, who would go on to become the first Staff Director for the House Select Committee on Homeland Security. Keep reading →

 /  Published September 7, 2011 at 12:01 PM

9/11 Management Lessons: #2 Leaders Must Embed Vision, Values

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The experience of DHS and ODNI suggest leaders must imbed the vision and values in the new organization for it to gain traction and succeed, but that doing so might rank among the most challenging tasks.

Intangible elements, or the “soft stuff,” such as communicating a new culture and identity while remaining sensitive to tradition, are often the toughest to tackle. Keep reading →

 /  Published August 31, 2011 at 4:30 PM

9/11 Management Lessons: #1 – Chain Of Command Can’t Stand Alone

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An in-depth analysis of flaws in DHS and ODNI reorganization efforts shows both would have benefited from strong leadership to articulate the mission and the reasons for change, guide the transformation, and meld together disparate entities and management approaches.

Essentially, chain of command is necessary, but not sufficient. Keep reading →

 /  Published August 30, 2011 at 4:00 PM

Ex DHS Secretary Says Border Can Be Secured Despite Budget Crunch

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The nation’s first Secretary of Homeland Security says the border can be secured using commercially available technologies, and that the Department of Homeland Security’s failed multibillion-dollar contract with Boeing Co. to build an electronic border fence ran counter to the legislation that created the DHS in the first place.

Tom Ridge, who served in that role under President George W. Bush, recently praised the Department of Homeland Security for putting an end in January to Boeing Co.’s multibillion-dollar contract for the Secure Border Initiative (SBInet). After nearly five years and $1 billion in taxpayer funding, the deal netted a mere 28-mile prototype and a 53-mile permanent segment of electronic sensors in Arizona. According to Ridge, the effort failed in large part because it did not leverage commercially available technology. Keep reading →

 /  Published August 26, 2011 at 7:01 AM

Ridge Blasts Public Safety Wireless Battle; Calls Congress’ Inaction ‘A Bloody Outrage’

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The nation’s first Secretary of Homeland Security said Congress has “failed” America’s first responders by not acting on legislation that would dedicate wireless communications spectrum to a nationwide, interoperable, public safety network and said it is unlikely anything will pass before the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

“It’s wrong. It’s really wrong for them to have failed these first responders,” said Tom Ridge, appointed by President George W. Bush shortly after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 to lead the homeland security effort, and who subsequently became America’s first Secretary of Homeland Security in 2003. Keep reading →

 /  Published August 19, 2011 at 9:45 AM