Thread: Napolitano Issues First in a Series of Action Directives

Secretary Napolitano Issues First in a Series of Action Directives

D.H.S. News Release
Release Date: January 21, 2009
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010

On her first official day as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Janet Napolitano issued five Action Directives, all centered on one of the primary missions of DHS: Protection. In the coming days, Secretary Napolitano will issue other action directives focused on other missions critical to the department: Preparedness, Response, Recovery and Immigration.

The action directives Secretary Napolitano issued today on protection instruct specific offices and agencies to gather information, review existing strategies and programs, and to provide oral and written reports back to her by a time certain. The areas in which today’s action directives were issued are: critical infrastructure protection; risk analysis; state and local intelligence sharing; transportation security; and state, local and tribal integration.

“One of my top priorities is to unify this department and to create a common culture. These action directives are designed to begin a review, evaluation and dialogue between the various functions of this department and me,â€

Homeland Security secretary asks Bush personnel to stay

The Washington Post
2:00 a.m. January 23, 2009

WASHINGTON — Wary of being caught short-handed in case of a domestic crisis, the Obama administration has asked nearly two dozen Bush administration officials in the Department of Homeland Security to stay in their jobs until successors can be named.

The attempt at continuity is unusual in presidential transitions between parties, which typically lead to wholesale purging of politically appointed personnel. At the Justice Department, for example, almost no Bush holdovers remain beyond Deputy Attorney General Mark Filip, who is acting as attorney general pending confirmation of Obama nominee Eric Holder, and Filip's two top aides.

By contrast, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has retained the department's second-ranking official, Deputy Secretary Paul Schneider, and its top border security official, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Ralph Basham, as well as its operations director and the assistant secretaries responsible for policy and private-sector coordination. The heads of the Coast Guard and Secret Service, who are not political appointees, and Undersecretary for Management Elaine Duke, whose tenure is set by law, also remain.

Napolitano acted “to assure a smooth and effective transition in a department whose responsibility for the security of the American people is paramount,â€

Secretary Napolitano Issues Additional Action Directives on Cyber Security and Northern Border Strategy

Release Date: January 23, 2009

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-8010

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today issued a second round of action directives on cyber security and the northern border strategy.

These action directives instruct specific offices to gather information, review existing strategies and programs, and to provide oral and written reports back to her by mid February. In the coming days, Secretary Napolitano will continue to issue additional action directives focused on the missions critical to the department: Protection, Preparedness, Response, Recovery and Immigration.

"This continuing evaluation will unify our shared efforts and help me assess where improvements need to be made," said Secretary Napolitano.

The full action directives are below:

* Cyber Security. Given the increasingly sophisticated number of threats to all areas of national cyberspace and considering the authorities provided by the Homeland Security Act, the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act, and Homeland Security Presidential Directive 23/National Security Presidential Directive 54, what are the authorities and responsibilities of DHS for the protection of the government and private sector domains, what are the relationships with other government agencies, especially the departments of Defense, Treasury, and Energy, and the National Security Agency, and what are the programs and timeframes to achieve the department’s responsibilities and objectives? An oral report is due by Feb. 3, with a final report due Feb. 17.

* Northern Border Strategy. The northern border of the United States has become, since 9/11, important to our national security. As we have designed programs to afford greater protection against unlawful entry, members of Congress and homeland security experts have called for increased attention to the Canadian border. What are the current vulnerabilities, the overall strategy for reducing those vulnerabilities, the requirements, the programs, the budget, and the timeframe for improving security along this border and what level of risk will remain once the programs are completed? An oral report is due by Feb. 10, with a final report due Feb. 17.

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This page was last reviewed/modified on January 23, 2009.
http://www.dhs.gov/xnews/releases/pr_1232725181516.shtm