Outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano yesterday said that the most important lesson in her four-plus years as the head of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the need to be agile and adaptable to myriad and changing threats.
“In a world of evolving threats, the key to our success is the ability to be flexible and agile, and adapt to changing circumstances on the ground, whether that is across the globe, or here at home,” Napolitano said in her farewell address at the National Press Club. “At DHS, to be flexible and agile means being forward-looking in our preparations, early and active in our engagement, nimble in our response, and resilient in our recovery.”
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| DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano Photo: DHS |
Napolitano, 55, announced her resignation in July. She has been appointed to be president of the Univ. of California, which consists of 10 campuses, five medical centers, and a new medical school, at various locations throughout the state. She departs DHS on Sept. 6 and will begin her tenure with the university later that month.
Napolitano said that while not every threat can be stopped, being flexible and agile means being “prepared to address them quickly when they happen, minimize their consequences, draw pragmatic lessons, and emerge stronger and better.”
Among the natural disasters and terrorist threats Napolitano had to contend with were the H1N1 flu pandemic, the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Hurricane Sandy, the Boston Marathon bombing, the Christmas Day underwear bombing attempt aboard a United States-bound passenger plane, and printer cartridge bombs aboard two flights destined for the United States
She said the attempted attacks on the aviation system exposed weaknesses that led to a “stronger and more resilient” system.
Napolitano also said that another of her lessons is the need for close cooperation with state and local partners.
“The well-timed and coordinated emergency response that immediately followed the marathon attack was not accidental,” she said. “It was the product of years of planning, training, and investment in building state and local capacity.”
In addition to heeding the lessons of the past four years, Napolitano said her successor will also need to continue to implement risk-based, intelligence-driven security systems such as PreCheck and Global Entry at the nation’s airports, support research and development investments, continue to recapitalize the Coast Guard, attend to the cyber security threat, prepare for more severe weather related events given climate change, and continue to integrate DHS amid challenging fiscal times.
The Obama administration has not nominated a successor to Napolitano.