Newswise — Today, the George Washington University Homeland Security Policy Institute (HSPI) held a forum featuring John Brennan, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, and Randy Beardsworth and Dr. Michele Malvesti, the co-chairs of Presidential Study Directive-1 (PSD-1): Organizing for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism. Issued by President Obama on February 23, 2009, PSD-1 directs the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism to "lead an interagency review of ways to reform the White House organization for counter-terrorism and homeland security in order to strengthen the government's ability to craft and implement sound policies designed to keep our country secure and our citizens safe." Yesterday, the President issued a statement on the outcome of the review, including the new White House organization for homeland security and counterterrorism. Frank J. Cilluffo (moderator), director, GW's Homeland Security Policy Institute opened the event, observing that the organization of homeland and national security "transcends well beyond the beltway, it has real implications for how our nation prepares for and responds to terrorism and other national disasters." Explaining the review's recommendations for integrating and coordinating the efforts of the federal, state, local, and tribal governments, Dr. Malvesti noted that threats to our national security do not begin at our borders but exist on a continuum that extends from "the FATA to the firehouse."
Malvesti outlined the new structures that will integrate the formerly separate National Security and Homeland Security staffs. The combined staff will support White House policymaking on the full range of international, transnational, and homeland security issues. Both the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council will continue to exist and focus on their principal areas of concern. Both councils will be supported by the combined staff " which will answer to National Security Advisor James Jones. To ensure homeland security issues receive adequate attention, the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism (Brennan) will remain a deputy to the National Security Advisor but with direct access to the President. Malvesti detailed new directorates to be created, including for cybersecurity, transborder security, information sharing, as well as for preparedness, response, and resilience policy.
By integrating the national security staff, the panelists explained, their intent was to create as flat an organizational structure as possible. Their goal, establish an agile, flexible system with a team approach to the multidisciplinary issues that make up national security. Mr. Beardsworth stated that it was never an issue of removing staffs or capabilities. "We're not doing away with the NSC and HSC themselves. We took a rational approach to integrating staffs," said Beardsworth. He added that the new system will allow for more comprehensive thinking about strategies and end-states. In discussing how the system will operate moving forward, Mr. Brennan said the challenge before the White House is to take care of both the long-term and near-term; "where I think we've come out is in a good place. One of the charges I had from President Obama was to protect and preserve homeland security, to not diminish it. I think we have in fact leveraged it " enhanced our homeland security."
A webcast of the forum is available for viewing at http://www.gwumc.edu/hspi/psd-1.html.
About the GW Homeland Security Policy Institute, and its Policy & Research Forum series:
The Homeland Security Policy Institute Policy and Research Forum series is designed to spotlight cutting-edge policy solutions and innovative strategies to some of the most pressing national and international concerns. The forum features leading officials, practitioners and thinkers in a systematic way designed to better highlight their work and promote a dialogue on effective solutions to current issues.
Founded in 2003, The George Washington University Homeland Security Policy Institute (HSPI) is a nonpartisan "think and do" tank whose mission is to build bridges between theory and practice to advance homeland security through an interdisciplinary approach. By convening domestic and international policymakers and practitioners at all levels of government, the private and non-profit sectors, and academia, HSPI creates innovative strategies and solutions to current and future threats to the nation. For additional information about HSPI, please visit http://homelandsecurity.gwu.edu
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