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Release Date: 03/31/04 00:00:00
Washington, DC
Center for Homeland Security's 2004 Homeland and Global Security Summit
March 31, 2004
Remarks as Prepared
Thank you, Scott, for that introduction. And thanks to each of you for making the commitment to be at this summit. Bill Loiry has provided this important opportunity to continue the critical dialogue on homeland security -- thank you, Bill, for your vision and perseverance to bring us all together.
Several times throughout our shared history, the American people -- and the world -- have been asked to meet the challenge of challenging times.
Whether to defeat a monarchy, limit the reach of evil, or hold back the scourge of genocide -- the responsibilities of freedom have weighed heavily on our Nation -- and allies of liberty around the world.
As a people, we have learned -- freedom's greatest companion is fellowship, unity, the integration of freedom-loving nations everywhere, pledged to freedom's cause. It's this fellowship that has allowed us to meet great challenges with combined strength and, ultimately, success.
Now, we are in the midst of a new challenge and again must combine our efforts if we are to prevail against those who wish us harm.
On September 11th, 2001, moments after the Twin Towers fell, and the Pentagon burned, and the passengers of Flight 93 made their heroic goodbye -- we knew that unified efforts were key to our security.
And so, fear and frustration from that day turned quickly to resolve -- and resolve turned into action. The protection of our people became the highest charge of our Nation. The stark reality of September 11th made this absolutely necessary.
There are, I believe, two realities about this war on terrorism -- reaffirmed by the recent train bombings in Madrid, but remaining with us each and every day. First, the threat is real for everyone around the world, and it will not go away. Second, the terrorists are working to uncover new vulnerabilities, so we must continue to work to close them.
The most recent attacks, of course, fell upon our friends and allies in Spain. The deadly rail bombings there again showed that no one is safe from the reach of these murderers. Every region has been touched by this new brand of terrorism -- from the smallest countries in the world -- to the world's superpowers.
In Bali, Baghdad, Jakarta, Istanbul, New York, Washington, and Madrid. In hotels, night clubs, embassies, and office buildings. Terrorism anywhere, weighs heavily on the hearts of freedom-loving people everywhere. Each new attack is shocking, is saddening, and is a vivid reminder that our emotions of September 11, 2001 must not be dulled by the passage of time.
While terrorism is not a new phenomenon, we must recognize that in the 21st Century, it is different -- fundamentally different. It is not the localized terrorism of Ireland or even the Middle East. It is something very different and something much more sinister -- and it affects the entire globe.
We now face an enemy with no flag, no borders, no president, nothing but deeply held hatred and a desire to harm our country and citizens. They wield a far more menacing brand of warfare.
Terrorists, on 9-11, were able to turn airplanes into missiles, with an "army" of fewer than two dozen men, and a budget of roughly a half million dollars. They showed that they are adaptable, patient, and opportunistic. That is why we have to be just as adaptable, innovative, and responsive, if not more so.
That means we must constantly evaluate the terrorists' methods, match them against our vulnerabilities, and close any gaps in the security of our homeland.
I am pleased to report, one year after President Bush and Congress created the Department of Homeland Security, we have made significant strides in evaluating and securing our areas of greatest vulnerability. Let me take a moment to detail some of what we have accomplished over the past year.
The historic government reorganization that took place, the largest since the Truman presidency, presented the biggest "change management" challenge of all time -- simultaneously a merger, acquisition, divestiture, and start-up on the largest of scales.
In fact, just existing as a cohesive unit was perhaps the greatest challenge of our first year. However, we could not settle for simply getting the department up and running operationally -- meaning consolidate systems, integrate servers, and get a stapler on every desk. We also had to be squarely focused on strengthening and extending the depth and breadth of our homeland's security.
I am proud to say that the men and women of DHS managed to do both -- and do both well. Of course, we had help.
The private sector plays a critical role in homeland security -- especially when it comes to developing the technologies that will allow us to provide more and better layers of security.
In this -- and so many other areas -- we got help from many of you, from our partners at every level of government, and from concerned citizens throughout the country.
After 9/11, the obvious vulnerability was in our skies. We took immediate and extensive measures to enhance aviation security. In less than a year, we deployed newly trained screeners, thousands of federal air marshals and state-of-the-art technologies, which, from the curb to the cockpit, have made airline travel safer.
We also strengthened security at our borders -- welcoming the free flow of trade and travelers, but keeping terrorists out. We unified the inspection process -- presenting "one face" at the border -- and in doing so, nurtured better morale, improved service, and shorter delays.
We launched the US-VISIT program at 115 airports and 14 seaports across the country. Now, the "smart technology" of biometrics are speeding the entry of millions of travelers, and stopping criminals before they enter our country.
We made important changes to SEVIS, which will ensure that foreign students seeking academic opportunity are not delayed upon entry -- and that those posing as students, seeking fraudulent entry, are stopped in their tracks. This year, 300,000 actual students entered the country, while almost 300 fraudulent users were stopped and sent home.
We significantly expanded the nation's container security initiative, known as CSI. The result: as I speak today, there is an inspector in Rotterdam, in Singapore, in Hong Kong, and 14 other ports of trade, working alongside our allies to inspect and protect the nearly 20,000 containers of cargo that arrive at our ports every single day.
We also launched the Ready Campaign and expanded Citizen Corps to 900 communities. This one-two punch for engaging individual Americans is the most widespread citizen preparedness effort ever undertaken.
We improved communication -- and coordination -- with our partners at the state and local level. Amid the disasters wrought by Hurricane Isabel, the California wildfires, the August blackout, and the worst tornado season in years, the hard work of early preparation meant faster deployment of resources and manpower -- so that assistance was available and ready to turnaround at a moment's notice.
In addition, thanks to secure communications, expanded security clearances for our partners, and the shared language of the Homeland Security Advisory system, we created a powerful and constant two-way flow of information between the federal government and our partners at the state and local level.
Most importantly, we allocated or awarded a record $8 billion to states, regions and cities to help train and equip our nation's dedicated first responders -- those on the front lines of homeland security in our hometowns and neighborhoods.
It has been said that at DHS we have to be right more than one billion times per year, while the terrorists only have to be right once. But the daunting nature of the task cannot blind us to the work that must be done.
Of course, just as we were celebrating our first year, we discovered that there was no time to rest long on past accomplishments.
The terrorists again proved to be undiscerning in their choice of methods and targets, and the recent events in Madrid reminded us that we must continue to stay ahead of them.
We must understand the lessons of 3-11.
First, the terrorists in part targeted the democratic elections in Spain -- again striking at the elements of our society that they hate the most. Entering our own election season, we must remain on heightened alert so that the very foundation of our freedom does not become a weapon of the enemy.
Second, we must evaluate the security throughout our nation's vast system of railways and add to our efforts where necessary.
While there are no indications that terrorists are planning similar attacks in the United States in the near term, we have asked transit and rail operators around the country to be on a heightened state of alert and deploy additional security personnel and surveillance equipment.
I also recently announced several new initiatives to enhance the federal government's ongoing efforts over the past two years to bolster security along the country's thousands of miles of railroad.
These new initiatives will target three specific areas: threat response support capability, public awareness and participation, and future technological innovations.
They include the development of a rapid deployment Mass Transit K-9 program, a pilot program to test the feasibility of screening luggage and carry-on bags for explosives at rail stations and aboard trains, and advanced research into bomb interdiction for truck and suicide threats. Already, DHS screens high-risk rail cargo entering the U.S. through the National Targeting Center (NTC) and border inspection workforce to help prevent rail lines from being used as instruments of terrorism.
Along with the Department of Transportation's Federal Railroad Administration and Federal Transit Administration, DHS' Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection division has conducted comprehensive vulnerability assessments of rail and transit networks that operate in high-density urban areas. These risk-based assessments have provided information on where current and future security resources must be directed and have helped transit systems produce robust security and emergency preparedness plans.
DHS also coordinates information and threat sharing through the Surface Transportation ISAC, has held security exercises that bring together rail carriers, federal and local first responders, and security experts, and has hosted key rail personnel at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center to receive antiterrorism training.
As we approach the Final Four this weekend, I think it is appropriate to quote one of the most inspirational tournament coaches, North Carolina State's Jim Valvano. He asked: "How do you go from where you are to where you want to be?" -- his answer, "You have to have a dream, a goal, and you have to be willing to work for it."
These last months have provided DHS with an opportunity to publish a strategic plan -- the "dream and goal" toward which we are planning to work very hard indeed.
We will do that in the coming year by focusing on several strategic areas -- with action items and timelines for achievement.
First, we will improve our information sharing and infrastructure protection -- namely by working in greater tandem with the private sector to strengthen vertical communication systems and significantly increase permanent protections around our nation's most vital assets. The goal is to maximize real-time sharing of situational information -- without delay, and with full throttle distribution of intelligence to those in the field who need to act on it.
Second, many of us know that part of the tragedy of September 11th was that equipment didn't work across jurisdictions and disciplines. Fire department radios couldn't transmit to police department radios. Firefighters rushing in from other cities and even neighborhoods were, in some cases, unable to assist because the couplings that attach "hoses to hydrants" simply wouldn't fit; they weren't compatible.
And so, we all must work together to establish truly interoperable communications and equipment -- to give first responders the tools to do their jobs -- in a way that replaces outdated, outmoded relics with an innovative and integrated system.
Next, we'll broaden and enhance the security measures on our borders and at our ports, by expanding US VISIT, FAST Lanes, and CSI, all the while continuing to facilitate the free flow of legitimate goods and people.
Just as important as local governments and private companies -- are citizens. Terrorism is insidious, and we must strive to build better prepared -- and more aware -- states and communities. So, over the next year, Homeland Security will focus its efforts on raising the baseline level of preparedness across the nation, through new programs such as Ready for Business and Ready for Schools.
Our desire is that nearly half of all Americans, in some form or combination, will be better prepared by the end of 2004 -- whether that's by preparing family Ready kits and emergency plans; volunteering to aid in disaster planning; or engaging in CPR and training exercises to help someone in a life-threatening situation.
We operate every day with the knowledge that our enemies are changing based on how we change. As we shore up one vulnerability, they work to uncover another. This is why science and technology is key to winning this new kind of war.
The work we do at Homeland Security, in partnership with the private sector, national laboratories, universities and research centers, help us push the scientific envelope -- and drive the development and use of high technology to combat the weapons of high consequence.
Specifically over the coming year, we will be working to develop new capabilities for detecting the presence of nuclear materials in shipping containers and vehicles. And to develop the next generation of biological and chemical detectors, ones uniquely sensitive enough to redirect air flow to allow evacuation of buildings, if a dangerous pathogen is detected.
Obviously, many of you will play a role as we bring future technologies to bear on the challenges we face today. The resources of the enemy are deceptively vast and current. Ours must be not only larger, but stretch further into the future.
There is much the government can do to broaden the scientific horizon, but there is no doubt that the real work will be done in laboratories, classrooms, and board rooms in the public and private sectors.
The last of our priorities for 2004 will be to improve the service we provide to immigrants and visitors to our country and continue our quest to build the Department of Homeland Security as a model cabinet agency for the 21st Century.
These are our goals. As to how well we do in meeting them, I have invited everyone to evaluate our progress again this time next year.
But, let me state clearly. Homeland Security is a national strategy -- one that requires a philosophy of shared responsibility, shared leadership, shared accountability -- and that engenders a shared imperative -- in essence, a new commitment to federalism.
Washington can be expected to lead, but we cannot, nor should not, micro-manage the protection of a nation. Instead, it must be a priority in every city, every neighborhood, and every home across America.
Homeland security in the 21st century may have begun with national leaders, but it will continue and succeed only with the added efforts of governors, mayors, county executives, tribal leaders, airline personnel, border patrol agents, the intelligence community, law enforcement, firefighters, diplomatic officers, business leaders, international partners -- citizens and freedom-loving people everywhere.
There is the old maxim: strength in numbers. And perhaps, if there is anything we gained from 9-11 and 3-11 and many attacks in between, it is the collective understanding of the most basic of principles: again, that freedom's greatest companion is fellowship, unity, the integration of a nation -- and nations.
Our responsibilities to one another must reach from national crises to individual needs. They must extend from nation to nation, community to community, neighbor to neighbor, citizen to citizen.
I'm quite grateful for the resolve and responsibility shown by all Americans -- especially those of you here today who work hard to protect this country and its citizens. And I ask that we continue to work together as we have time and again.
Thank you.
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This page was last reviewed/modified on 03/31/04 00:00:00.