Infighting Cited at Homeland Security
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The Department of Homeland Security remains hampered by personality conflicts, bureaucratic bottlenecks and an atmosphere of demoralization, according to officials and independent experts.
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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is hampered by having to report to 88 congressional committees and subcommittees, the Washington Post said.
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Reporters there say they face a growing threat from feuding political factions.
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By Katy Stech, The Post and Courier, Charleston, S.C.  Feb. 4--The homeland security spotlight has shifted to the nation's  15,000 chemical manufacturing plants, including the dozen or so in the  Charleston region.
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Advocacy groups for immigrant families and the Department of Homeland Security are at odds over detention facilities in Texas and Pennsylvania that critics argue are inhumanely housing adults and young children in jail-like conditions.
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Sectarian tensions have been blamed for vandalism and student confrontations in American Muslim communities.
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(InfoWorld) - The Department of Homeland Securityâs Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) raised a few eyebrows in late November when it sent a warning out to U.S. banks and financial institutions about a possible cyber attack by Islamic militants. The alert, dated Nov. 30, was triggered by a posting on what the DHS considered an Islamic jihadi Web site calling for hackers to attack U.S. financial and banking Web sites, apparently to protest the detention of Muslims at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. However, the warning was heavily qualified, with DHS calling the threat âmore aspirational than operational.â Financial firms downplayed the danger, too. One security executive at a major brokerage told InfoWorld that the warning was a ânon-event.â But could repeated warnings about such non-events eventually make critical infrastructure owners deaf to DHSâs warnings? InfoWorld Senior Editor Paul F. Roberts recently chatted with John Carlson, senior director of security and risk Assessment at BITS, a financial-services industry consortium focused on security, fraud, and risk management, about the DHS warning and state of the public-private partnership on cybersecurity. InfoWorld: Iâm guessing that your members received the US-CERT warning about the cyber terrorist attack? John Carlson: There were two messages sent: the first was [Nov. 30]; then a second revision came out [Dec. 1]. The gist of it was that these reports were not corroborated. IW: What was the reaction of BITS members to the warning? JC: Our members have an âall hazardsâ approach to business-continuity planning. Theyâve got well-developed approaches that have been bolstered since 9/11. In response to new regulatory requirements, firms have done a lot to improve backup, theyâve done tests with the various exchanges. Theyâre also working in closer harmony with the federal government to share information on threats and vulnerabilities. I think thereâs a spirit of appreciation that the government is willing to share information with the financial services industry. The firms take that information into account in responding and activating their business continuity plans. IW: How do your members apply information like this that comes from DHS? JC: Iâm not sure I can give a blanket answer. Each firm has its own mechanisms for gathering information. Risk-management professionals at these firms read the paper and understand the military conflicts and theyâre mindful of that. They take it into account when they have employees traveling. Theyâll monitor where they are. With the [bird flu] pandemic issue, firms were monitoring that closely and trying to figure out what impact it would have on their organizations. IW: Is there a danger from these warnings of creating a âBoy Who Cried Wolfâ situation, where firms begin to disregard the warnings? JC: Thereâs always a concern about the crying-wolf syndrome. But our firms appreciate getting the information even if itâs not corroborated. A continuous flow of information helps build trust between the private and public sectors. IW: Was this warning about the jihadist threat something that your members see all the time, or was this an unusual kind of warning from DHS? JC: I think the warning came across the transom at a high level [saying] âpay attention to this.â So it was different from what we normally get. Weâre getting a steady stream of information on threats and vulnerabilities and a range of things. For example, if thereâs a known virus thatâs being perpetrated in [the United States] or against a financial institution. Weâre also getting information on political changes around the world. IW: Do you think DHS has its arms around the cybersecurity problem? JC: My personal opinion is that the government has some capabilities, but not all capabilities. In general, our firms would like more information, but there are many reasons why if (the government) has the information they donât provide it. But itâs a touchy question. People have lots of different views. Â  IW: Do you feel like your members are getting all the information they need? JC: Thereâs some filtering, but I donât have information to compare or validate what the filter is. We talk about issues through coordinating councils that meet quarterly. Itâs a two way conversation.Â
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Bernard Kerik's nomination to run  the Homeland Security Department shows President Bush wants the  no-nonsense former police chief to settle turf wars in the  sprawling bureau and better coordinate its wide-ranging  responsibilities, analysts said on Friday.
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[World News]: New York, Dec 14 : The abortive nomination of former New York City police commissioner Bernard Kerik as President George W. Bush&#39;s Secretary of Homeland Security has left many red faces in the White House and outside.
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Squabbling over who served tainted what to whom masks deeper rifts.
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The largest Homeland Security Department contractors include two companies which paid millions to settle charges they defrauded the Pentagon, one firm which paid a foreign corruption fine and a business accused of botching a computer system for veterans hospitals, records show.
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The first head of the Department of Homeland Security forges a single organization, but spearheaded some questionable initiatives.
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US President George W Bush highlights homeland security as polls suggest he and challenger John Kerry are neck-and-neck.
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As the 108th Congress scrambles in its final days to address homeland security issues, US Reps. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) and Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.
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Lawmakers grill U.S. Department of Homeland Security CIO after an audit found that a vital database lacks security controls.
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A dispute with the United States over a convicted terrorist underscored a much broader disagreement over how to fight terrorism in Yemen.
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CRAWFORD, Texas  - President Bush and Democrat  John Kerry battled over who can best make the United States  safer on Sunday, the Bush camp accusing Kerry of wanting to  treat terrorists like gamblers and the Kerry side saying his  Republican opponent was soft on homeland security.