HSPI co-hosts symposium on "Homeland Defense and Security for the Next Administration"

November 19-20, 2008

Click here for audio and video from the event

Under the banner of the Consortium for Homeland Defense and Security in America, the Homeland Security Policy Institute (HSPI) joined with the Center for Strategic & International Studies, the Heritage Foundation, and the Army War College’s Center for Strategic Leadership, to host their third annual symposium on November 19-20, 2008. This year’s conference tackled the timely theme of “Homeland Defense and Homeland Security for the Next Administration.” Panel discussions addressed six key themes: the strategic direction of the Department of Defense in homeland defense and civil support; the current status of disaster preparedness and response capabilities, and the challenges that lie ahead in this area; the need to build a more secure and resilient infrastructure: the role of public-private partnerships in security; the evolving role of the National Guard and the Services’ Reserves in homeland defense and civil support; the international dimensions of homeland security; and the challenges of streamlining the current system of congressional oversight of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), dubbed “congressional chaos” by conference organizers.

HSPI convened and moderated the international panel, and participated in the disaster preparedness and response panel. Premised on the idea that the international dimension must be considered and integrated into our understanding of security for the homeland – in short, that our own security depends upon the stability of other nations – HSPI’s panel featured three distinguished subject matter experts and practitioners: Deputy Assistant Secretary Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, Deputy Coordinator, Programs Directorate, Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism, U.S. Department of State; Dr. Christopher Boucek, Associate, Middle East Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; and Mr. William C. Lane, Caterpillar’s Washington Director for Governmental Affairs, and Co-President of the US Global Leadership Campaign.

Three fundamental elements emerged from the discussion: the need to build international capacity and partnerships to further enable others’ counter-terrorism, counter-insurgency and counter-proliferation efforts; the importance of employing all elements of statecraft, and expanding our appreciation of non-kinetic measures such as public diplomacy, humanitarian assistance and economic measures; and the need to prevent radicalization by formulating, tailoring to context, and supporting counter-radicalization efforts, de-radicalization and disengagement programs. Moderating the discussion, HSPI Deputy Director Jan Lane observed that “historically the United States has been a good global partner, but the new Administration must answer some tough questions to move forward – such as finding the proper balance between foreign assistance, development aid, and counter-terrorism efforts.”

Participating in the disaster preparedness and response panel, HSPI Counselor Daniel Kaniewski shared lessons learned during his tenure as White House staff. Starting on the job only a month before Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Kaniewski saw first-hand the shortcomings of the federal government’s response. He later participated in an after-action study and ultimately helped implement certain correctives – the latter demonstrating that “the U.S. government could recover from its own disaster.” As for his advice to the next Administration, Kaniewski advocated for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to stay within DHS, and for the President’s staff to clarify roles and responsibilities during national incidents before a disaster strikes.