From the U.S. Government Accountability Office, www.gao.gov

Transcript for: Homeland Security 10 Years after 9/11

Audio interview by GAO staff with Cathy Berrick, Managing Director,
Homeland Security and Justice

Related GAO Work: GAO-11-881: Department of Homeland Security: Progress
Made and Work Remaining in Implementing Homeland Security Missions 10
Years after 9/11

Released on: September 7, 2011

[ Background Music ]

[ Narrator: ] Welcome to GAO's Watchdog Report, your source for news and
information from the Government Accountability Office. It's September
7th, 2011. The events of September 11th, 2001, led to profound changes
in government, including the creation of the Department of Homeland
Security in 2003. Ten years after 9/11, a group led by Cathleen Berrick,
Managing Director of GAO's Homeland Security and Justice team, has
reviewed the Department of Homeland Security's progress in confronting
security threats facing our nation. GAO's Jeremy Cluchey sat down with
Cathleen to learn more.

[Jeremy Cluchey:] The ramping up of a large agency like DHS is obviously
quite an undertaking. Can you talk about some of the biggest
achievements the agency has made in the last 8 years?

[Cathleen Berrick:] Sure. Well, if you look at DHS since its creation in
March of 2003, they really have made a lot of important progress across
its reigns of missions and also in the management of the department. On
the people side, they've had to hire, train, and deploy workforces
across most of its missions or if the missions were already existing,
enhancing those workforces. One example is in the aviation security
area. If you remember, TSA, after it was created, had to hire and deploy
over 50,000 federal screeners to man commercial aviation security across
the aviation sector. They've also made important progress in setting up
operational and strategic plans. On the technology side, again, progress
across its reigns of missions in deploying technologies at the border
security area and aviation security, immigration, and other programs.
So, yeah, they definitely have made a lot of progress. I think what
makes their progress even more noteworthy is the fact that they've had
to do this while creating a very large federal department, combining 22
disparate agencies while at the same time having such a critical mission
as securing the United States.

[Jeremy Cluchey:] You touched on some of the challenges the DHS is
facing; can you talk about a few of these gaps that DHS has yet to
address?

[Cathleen Berrick:] Sure, in each of the areas I just mentioned,
unfortunately there are gaps in DHS's operations. Most of these DHS is
working to address; however, there are difficult problems and it's going
to take time and attention to get over them. One area, for example, is
cybersecurity. Cybersecurity is so important, so critical, given the
threats that face our computer networks. And also because of the fact
that stakeholders that own this infrastructure are so diffuse. Another
area is border security, which most people can relate to and you hear
about on the news. In that area, although DHS has made a lot of
progress, DHS still hasn't been able to field a system that tracks
foreign nationals' exit from the United States. And the reason that's
important is having information on who is entering and exiting the
country is really fundamental to knowing the security posture. Another
example is an emergency preparedness and response. Although FEMA has
been trying to do this, they haven't been able to develop a system where
they can assess how prepared states and localities are in responding to
a disaster. So those are just a few examples of key areas in DHS's
operations where more work remains.

[Jeremy Cluchey:] For taxpayers interested in the progress America has
made in securing the homeland in the 10 years since 9/11, what's the
bottom line in this report?

[Cathleen Berrick:] I think the bottom line is you really have to look
at DHS along a continuum of progress, right? We're 8 years into its
development, so I think we need to look at this from the standpoint,
"Are they where they should be 8 years into its development?" And I
think the answer to that is, "They are," generally speaking. We've
reported across work that we've done in a lot of different sectors
across government that for a transformation and merger as large as DHS,
it could take years to fully achieve that. And I think that's where DHS
is; they're maturing. They haven't yet reached their full potential, but
they're moving along that continuum. I would say, though, that the
themes that we talk about—you know the coordinating with stakeholders,
leading the homeland security enterprise, program planning and
performance measurement, and also strengthening the management functions
of the department—are very, very important. And I think if they aren't
addressed and that DHS doesn't put the focus that they need to put on
those, then, you know, 2 or 3 years down the road, then I may have a
different response to that question.

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