DHS Secretaries See National Security As An Enterprise

Secretaries Ridge, Chertoff and Napolitano spoke before an SMPA audience

The three recent secretaries of the Department of Homeland Security met for a panel discussion about the department’s evolution and future at SMPA’s Jack Morton Auditorium Tuesday evening. 

The panel included the first, second and current secretaries of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge, Michael Chertoff and Janet Napolitano, respectively, marking the first time the institute had all three secretaries at GW on the same panel. Admiral Thad Allen, distinguished professor of practice at the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration, moderated the panel.

“I saw a decade of my life collide simultaneously,” said GW’s Homeland Security Policy Institute Director Frank Cilluffo.

Tom Ridge viewed the DHS like a “holding company.” As the first secretary of the department, Ridge saw infrastructure and integration as key components to building DHS. Ridge said the current challenge is consistency with other cabinet departments.

Chertoff claims there are several challenges that the department faces today. Some of these challenges include joint culture and the ability to share information, lack of a finite leadership structure laying out who exactly is in charge and overall expectations.

“The need to bring together a department that embodies a new doctrine and one that spans across several departments was a challenge in and of itself,” said Chertoff.

Napolitano says DHS is all about building the department, adaptation to the cabinet, and identifying threats. Napolitano claims the creation of DHS was the largest reorganization since Department of Defense and other departments are still accommodating the creation of DHS.

Looking into the future, Napolitano commented on the budget and how it has strained the development of the department.

“The budget has put a premium on what [DHS] can do,” Napolitano said.

When determining budget priorities, Napolitano often finds herself asking, “What is the right mix between manpower and technology?”

In response to whether a divided government negatively impacts national security, Chertoff said the situation is twofold. Divided government does not negatively impact national security, “But it presents challenges [in which] surprise agreement happens on the basis of security,” Chertoff said.

The other secretaries offered more criticism of government polarization.

“Separation of powers has created a problem with the creation of the department,” said Napolitano, adding that the government lacks strategic oversight for the DHS.

Ridge concluded that divided government acts as on obstacle slowing down Congress and the executive branch.