[oema] Senate Panel Questions DHS Nominee on Cybersecurity Plans

From: George Houston <ghouston@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Most Significant, Yet Undisclosed Folks List" <ghouston@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 03 Jun 2009 09:37:43 -0700

>
> Senate Panel Questions DHS Nominee on Cybersecurity Plans
> By Rob Margetta, CQ Staff
>
> Rand Beers, nominee for undersecretary of the Department of Homeland
> Securityís National Protection and Programs Directorate, cruised
> through a bloodless confirmation hearing before a Senate panel on
> Tuesday despite some probing questions about his background as a
> veteran counterterrorism official.
>
> Beers, who has served in several high-level security and intelligence
> positions in the last four presidential administrations, had been the
> acting deputy secretary of DHS from Feb. 11 until Jane Holl Lute was
> confirmed for that position. Beers also headed the departmentís
> transition to a new administration, which Homeland Security and
> Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn.,
> said was ìby all accounts about as good as a transition can be.î
>
> If confirmed, Beers promised to review the structure of the
> directorate, which protects the U.S. infrastructure and computer
> networks, among other things, and vowed to make one major change:
> cutting the number of contract employees from nearly 50 percent to a
> much lower figure ìas quickly as possible.î
>
> The nominee told the senators he wanted to talk to directorate
> employees to get a better feel for the agency before discussing other
> potential changes.
>
> ìI have been around government long enough to know that thereís a
> whole lot of difference between observing an organization from the
> outside and observing an organization from the inside,î he said.
>
> Beers said his primary reason for accepting the nomination was his
> desire to improve cybersecurity, with securing the electrical
> infrastructure also a top priority.
>
> But Obamaís planned expansion of the White Houseís role in
> cybersecurity, announced last week, led the panel to question how
> Beersí prospective job and the rest of DHS fit into the equation.
>
> Ranking Republican Susan Collins, of Maine, said she had reservations
> about whether the administrationís inclusion of a new ìcybersecurity
> czarî will affect Congressí ability to conduct oversight and
> individual accountability within the administration. She pointed out
> that, in addition to the proposed czar and directorate undersecretary,
> several other DHS officials have significant cybersecurity duties.
>
> ìSo my question to you, Mr. Beers, is whoís in charge?î she said.
>
> Beers said Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is trying to
> forge a single chain of command for cybersecurity at DHS, with the
> head of directorate at the top. The cyber czar would have a
> organizational role but no operational authority, he said.
>
> ìIt will be a coordinating function,î Beers said. ìSometimes, Iím
> sorry to say, we need help from the White House to get people to play
> in the same sandbox.î
>
> Departments and agencies would be responsible for implementing
> programs and operations, with DHS in the lead, a logical choice for
> the responsibility, Beers said.
>
> Lieberman voiced his support for Beers throughout the hearing,
> introducing him as a ìhighly qualified nominee.î
>
> But the chairman also kicked off questioning into the one sensitive
> spot on Beersí record that came up at the hearing, an FBI briefing he
> received in 1996, while on the National Security Council, about the
> possibility China would try to use money to influence U.S.
> congressional elections. Beers did not inform his superiors about the
> content of the briefing and later received a verbal reprimand from
> then-national security adviser Sandy Berger.
>
> Beers told the panel that the FBI agents did not provide specifics
> beyond the level of ìchatter,î such as specific races in danger of
> Chinese influence and therefore did not take the matter to his
> superiors.
>
> ìI determined that there was not a great deal of information
> available, but it was something that I should continue to monitor,î he
> said, adding that if he had been given information about specific
> Chinese activities in specific races, he would have told his
> superiors.
>
> In retrospect, he said, he should have briefed them. Beers said the
> matter became conflated with reports that China might try to influence
> the presidential election, which media outlets began discussing later
> in 1996. However, he stressed that his briefing only involved
> congressional elections.
>
> Lieberman said he found Beersí statements satisfactory.
>
> ìFor myself, thatís no obstacle for supporting your nomination,î he
> said. Lieberman said he hoped to have his committee vote on Beersí
> nomination as soon as possible.
> Source: CQ Homeland Security
> © 2009 Congressional Quarterly Inc. All Rights Reserved
>
[oema] Senate Panel Questions DHS Nominee on Cybersecurity Plans

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