Local Partners Essential In The Fight Against Terrorism

During the recent Homeland Security National Dialogue (QHSR), I had the opportunity to take part in two DHS round table discussions for Bloggers. During those discussions I was able to see first-hand the commitment DHS now has in reaching out to both the public and private sectors. My hope is that this commitment is extended beyond the QHSR and that the open dialogue and round tables are continued and eventually expanded to include other community leaders and stakeholders.

Today, in another show of the Department’s interest in partnerships, Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano delivered remarks at the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Conference in Denver, Colo., emphasizing her commitment to enhanced information sharing with state and local law enforcement partners to combat threats of terrorism.

“Effective information sharing is essential to our partnerships with state and local law enforcement as we work together to secure our country,” said Secretary Napolitano. “DHS will continue to strengthen fusion centers and other collaborative initiatives across the country to enhance our capabilities to combat terrorism and serious crime.”

In her remarks, Secretary Napolitano stressed the Department of Homeland Security’s role as the central conduit of information for state and local partners regarding all threats to the homeland—including terrorism, drug trafficking and border security.

She discussed the vital role of partnerships between DHS and federal, state and local law enforcement and highlighted the success of collaborative initiatives—including the Joint Terrorism Task Forces that strengthen information-sharing between federal partners and 72 fusions centers nationwide.

Secretary Napolitano also outlined the ways DHS is strengthening these partnerships—from creating a new program management office to coordinate the Department’s support of fusion centers to collaborating on the Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) initiative that trains frontline officers across the country to identify and document activities possibly linked to terrorism-related crime.

Homeland Security Launches Final Phase of National Dialogue – QHSR

It’s live! The third and final phase of the National Dialogue on the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR) began today, and will run through next Sunday, October 4th. Over 26,000 people nationwide have participated in the discussion on Homeland Security policy and strategy, but even more are needed. The QHSR is now nearly finished, and the DHS wants your feedback on the final goals, objectives, and outcomes.

Your participation will help impact homeland security operations and policy from the federal to the local level for the next four years.

In this final phase of the Dialogue, you can:

• Read and review the final goals, objectives, and outcomes developed by DHS for each of the four mission areas
• Submit your feedback on the final products of each mission area
• Rate, comment, and tag others’ responses to ensure the best ideas “rise to the top”

I’ll be participating in a Department of Homeland Security Blogger’s Round Table on Wednesday to discuss this final phase and I’ll post additional comments after the meeting. In the meantime I want to encourage each of our readers to get involved. This is your last chance to make your voice heard, don’t miss this opportunity.

Go to DHS QHSR Website

QHSR – 2nd Homeland Security Review Extended

DHS has extended the second National Dialogue on the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR) until Wednesday, September 9th. You can get involved by sharing your thoughts and ranking ideas on what needs be done in order to achieve community preparedness and resilience across our nation.

• More information on the QHSR Disasters topic
• Rank and Comment on Disasters topics
• Rank and Comment on Community Preparedness
• Rank and Comment on Resilience

As a nation, we face a number of common threats and we recognize that homeland security is a shared responsibility. The QHSR is a critical part of DHS’s efforts to review and refine the nation’s collaborative approach to homeland security. Your input is critical, visit the QHSR website today and help prioritize our homeland security mission goals and objectives.

Your ideas need not be elaborate, or overly detailed.  Here’s an idea I submitted:

Submission – A Nationwide Educational Campaign

A nationwide educational campaign with a simple message could prove be an effective way of laying the foundation for engaging and creating a culture of preparedness among our youth and in our communities.  “Duck & Cover”, “Call 911″ and “Just Say No” were each built upon and supported by such campaigns.

The framework might be as simple as something like this:

Think. Act. Prepare.

• THINK about what types of emergencies you may have to respond to in your community
• ACT if you see or hear of something suspicious
• PREPARE, plan and practice for emergencies at home, work, school

If you would like to comment or rate this idea, you can do so here.

This is your opportunity to share your thoughts and ideas… Ideas that may make your community more resilient, strengthen our nations defenses against act’s of terrorism, or maybe even someday save a life. One thing is certain, you’ll never know the impact you could  have, if you don’t share your ideas today.

QHSR website

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Homeland Security National Review Dialogue Round 2 – QHSR

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Homeland Security National Review Dialogue Round 2 – QHSR

On Monday afternoon I had the opportunity to participate in a Department of Homeland Security Blogger’s Round Table. The round table was held to not only kick-off the second part of the National Homeland Security Dialogue but also to discuss the results from the  first dialogue.

It was an honor to be invited and included among such an outstanding group of  blogger’s including two of my favorites, John Solomon of InCaseofEmergencyBlog and Christopher Bellavita of Homeland Security Watch . If you don’t have these two sites bookmarked, you’ll want to add them.  Both are incredibly articulate, informative writers who regularly put forth some of the best, most insightful ideas and approaches to homeland security and preparedness that you’ll find anywhere.

Back to the QHSR. Now I could provide a lot of the details from the meeting upfront, however  if you don’t read the entire post you’ll miss the most important takeaway from it, so here it is.

If you’ve registered and are participating in the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR),your comments are being read, your voice is being heard, and your ideas are being considered and discussed at the highest levels in the Department of Homeland Security.

One brief but convincing example to illustrate this point would be the removal of the term “man made disaster” from the lexicon shortly after the first dialogue. Comments in regards to the term were brought up, considered by the working group and based on feedback from round one it was immediately removed. DHS is not only listening, they’re engaged and responding to your ideas and comments… And they want more.

I encourage you to not take this lightly. You’re making a difference and helping to shape at least the next four years of Homeland Security strategy and policy. This is a unique and very rare opportunity, one that I know many of you have hoped for, for a very long time. If you haven’t participated up to this point, it’s not too late. Now is the time to register and get involved. Register here.

Alan Cohn, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Strategic Planning for the Department of Homeland Security was the moderator for the round table and he shared the results from the first dialogue with the group. Over 20,000 individuals have visited the site, with over 8200 participants and over 200 separate proposals. Many of YOU are included in these numbers. Outstanding results for a new initiative such as this.

It was obvious from his comments and enthusiasm that  he and the various working groups at DHS are very excited with the participation thus far and hopeful that even more of you submit your ideas and comments for consideration in this second round.

The second round will run through September 6th so time is short. With the Labor Day weekend coming up, don’t delay in submitting your ideas and comments early.

To participate, you can go to directly to the site at www.homelandsecuritydialogue.org

Once  logged in, the online tool allows you to prioritize the objectives in the various categories by allocating points to each objective. You can allocate points in increments of 10 and the number of points you have to allocate per goal is dependent on the number of objectives in each goal. (This will make more sense once you log in)

You can assign negative points to objectives that you think are less important resulting in more points for you to assign to other objectives.

The categories are as follows:

• Counterterrorism and Domestic Security
• Securing Our Borders
• Tough, Smart Enforcement of Immigration Laws
• Preparing for, Responding to, and Recovering from Disasters
• Homeland Security Nation Risk Assessment
• Homeland Security Planning and Capabilities

If you’ve been an armchair Homeland Security quarterback in the past (and I know there’s many of you from the comments and emails I receive daily) now’s the time to step up, get in the game and get your ideas on the table.  The primary goal in this second round is simple; increase participation, comments and ideas.

This really is your opportunity to make a difference, take advantage of it.

QHSR Website

Homeland Security Review QHSR National Dialogue

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano invites you to participate in the National Dialogue on the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR). This groundbreaking, web-based interactive dialogue is designed to allow a broader range of opinions and ideas to inform the QHSR process, and to strengthen the Department’s relationship with its vast array of partners and stakeholders, including other federal agencies, state, local, and tribal governments, law enforcement professionals, first responders, academic institutions, and the business community.

In order to capture this critical feedback, the Secretary is seeking your participation in three week-long, web-based dialogues. Each dialogue will build on the previous one, allowing participants to view and comment directly on proposed elements of the review before they are made final. Your invaluable participation will directly inform the work of the DHS study groups conducting the QHSR—and ultimately, our Homeland Security policies and priorities over the next four years. The final report is due to Congress on December 31, 2009.

What is the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review?

The Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR) is a congressionally mandated, top-to-bottom review of the Department’s policies and priorities that will guide the Department and the nation for the next four years. The review is conducted by the Secretary of Homeland Security with key assistance from a set of study groups within DHS, each charged with reviewing a different aspect of the Department’s mission and operations. For more information, see http://www.dhs.gov/qhsr.

What is the National Dialogue on the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review?

The National Dialogue is a conversation between you, other Homeland Security stakeholders, and DHS on an innovative web-based platform. The National Dialogue is an iterative process, building on your input over the course of three dialogues. Each of the three dialogues will involve discussions on six topics being reviewed by DHS:

• Counterterrorism and Domestic Security Management
• Securing Our Borders
• Smart and Tough Enforcement of Immigration Laws
• Preparing for, Responding to, and Recovering from Disasters
• Homeland Security National Risk Assessment
• Homeland Security Planning and Capabilities

This unique experiment in 21st-century stakeholder consultation is being hosted by the National Academy of Public Administration, an independent, non-profit, congressionally-chartered institution, on behalf of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Read More – Register To Participate