Napolitano gives first State of Homeland Security address

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This afternoon, Secretary Napolitano started a new tradition for the Department of Homeland Security. Just days after President Obama gave the annual State of the Union address, Napolitano decided to specifically address the nation’s security position. While DHS remains a nascent agency, it has obviously garnered a lot of attention (and funding) since its inception and I think it’s only appropriate for the public to hear about its progress and future goals.

The theme of the speech was this continued effort of “shared responsibility.” DHS has really been advocating the various roles that everyone, from law enforcement to the public, shares the collective responsibility of securing the homeland.

In case you forgot: “Homeland security starts with hometown security.”

She emphasized that DHS is working with other agencies to ensure that intelligence collected makes its way to the appropriate group of people, whether that be local law enforcement or members of the private sector.

Napolitano made a few big announcements including the formal end to the color-coded threat advisory system. “In its place, we will implement a new system built on a simple and clear premise: When a threat develops that impacts you, the public, we will tell you. We will provide you with whatever information we can so know how protect yourself, your families and your communities,” she said. This new National Terrorism Advisory System “means the days are numbered for automated recordings at airports about the color code system.” Here’s the link to the official DHS announcement.

She also highlighted four areas that DHS will focus on in the coming year:

1. Counter-terrorism efforts. “We’ve worked hard to strengthen and build information-sharing architecture by increasing the capacity of our state’s fusion centers and analytic centers of excellence,” she said. She also discussed the department’s effort to strengthen the global supply chain.

2. Border security and immigration enforcement. She discussed the improvements the government is making to increase technology and personnel to secure our borders. (No mention of the recent announcement to end the SBInet program, though.)

3. Cybersecurity. She discussed continuing to make the infrastructure more resilient to attacks.

4. Improving national preparedness. She touched on the President’s announcement to designate the D Block spectrum for public safety communication and further improving technology and interoperability (Check out a recent SDN article on the topic based on a speech by the former director of FEMA.). She also announced that FEMA will run the largest exercise to date based on a massive earthquake scenario.

Overall, I wouldn’t say there was anything particularly groundbreaking in this speech, but rather Napolitano’s continued effort to encourage everyone to play their part and take national security seriously.