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Book Downsizing the Federal Government

Download or read book Downsizing the Federal Government written by Chris Edwards and published by Cato Institute. This book was released on 2005-11-25 with total page 263 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The federal government is running huge budget deficits, spending too much, and heading toward a financial crisis. Federal spending soared under President George W. Bush, and the costs of programs for the elderly are set to balloon in coming years. Hurricane Katrina has made the federal budget situation even more desperate. In Downsizing the Federal Government Cato Institute budget expert Chris Edwards provides policymakers with solutions to the growing federal budget mess. Edwards identifies more than 100 federal programs that should be terminated, transferred to the states, or privatized in order to balance the budget and save hundreds of billions of dollars. Edwards proposes a balanced reform package of cuts to entitlements, domestic programs, and excess defense spending. He argues that these cuts would not only eliminate the deficit, but also strengthen the economy, enlarge personal freedom, and leave a positive fiscal legacy for the next generation. Downsizing the Federal Government discusses the systematic causes of wasteful spending, and it overflows with examples of federal programs that are obsolete and mismanaged. The book examines the budget process and shows how policymakers act contrary to the interests of average Americans by favoring special interests.

Book Terrorism  Reducing Vulnerabilities and Improving Responses

Download or read book Terrorism Reducing Vulnerabilities and Improving Responses written by Russian Academy of Sciences and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2004-06-23 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is devoted primarily to papers prepared by American and Russian specialists on cyber terrorism and urban terrorism. It also includes papers on biological and radiological terrorism from the American and Russian perspectives. Of particular interest are the discussions of the hostage situation at Dubrovko in Moscow, the damge inflicted in New York during the attacks on 9/11, and Russian priorities in addressing cyber terrorism.

Book Disaster

    Book Details:
  • Author : Christopher Cooper
  • Publisher : Macmillan
  • Release : 2007-04-01
  • ISBN : 1429900245
  • Pages : 374 pages

Download or read book Disaster written by Christopher Cooper and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2007-04-01 with total page 374 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Based on exclusive interviews, the inside story of how America's emergency response system failed and how it remains dangerously broken When Hurricane Katrina roared ashore on the morning of August 29, 2005, federal and state officials were not prepared for the devastation it would bring—despite all the drills, exercises, and warnings. In this troubling exposé of what went wrong, Christopher Cooper and Robert Block of The Wall Street Journal show that the flaws go much deeper than out-of-touch federal bureaucrats or overwhelmed local politicians. Drawing on exclusive interviews with federal, state, and local officials, Cooper and Block take readers inside the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security to reveal the inexcusable mismanagement during Hurricane Katrina—the bad decisions that were made, the facts that were ignored, the individuals who saw that the system was broken but were unable to fix it. America's top emergency response officials had long known that a calamitous hurricane was likely to hit New Orleans, but that seems to have had little effect on planning or execution. Disaster demonstrates that the incompetent response to Hurricane Katrina is a wake-up call to all Americans, wherever they live, about how distressingly vulnerable we remain. Washington is ill equipped to handle large-scale emergencies, be they floods or fires, natural events or terrorist attacks, and Cooper and Block make a strong case for overhauling of the nation's emergency response system. This is a book that no American can afford to ignore.

Book Terror  Security  and Money

Download or read book Terror Security and Money written by John Mueller and published by OUP USA. This book was released on 2011-10-07 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In seeking to evaluate the efficacy of post-9/11 homeland security expenses the common query has been, "Are we safer?" This, however, is the wrong question. The correct question is, "Are any gains in security worth the funds expended?" In this engaging, readable book, John Mueller and Mark Stewart apply risk and cost-benefit evaluation techniques to answer this very question. Cataloging the mistakes that the US has made--and continues to make--in managing homeland security programs, Terror, Security, and Money has the potential to redirect our efforts toward a more productive and far more cost-effective course.

Book Review of the Department of Homeland Security s Approach to Risk Analysis

Download or read book Review of the Department of Homeland Security s Approach to Risk Analysis written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2010-10-10 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The events of September 11, 2001 changed perceptions, rearranged national priorities, and produced significant new government entities, including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) created in 2003. While the principal mission of DHS is to lead efforts to secure the nation against those forces that wish to do harm, the department also has responsibilities in regard to preparation for and response to other hazards and disasters, such as floods, earthquakes, and other "natural" disasters. Whether in the context of preparedness, response or recovery from terrorism, illegal entry to the country, or natural disasters, DHS is committed to processes and methods that feature risk assessment as a critical component for making better-informed decisions. Review of the Department of Homeland Security's Approach to Risk Analysis explores how DHS is building its capabilities in risk analysis to inform decision making. The department uses risk analysis to inform decisions ranging from high-level policy choices to fine-scale protocols that guide the minute-by-minute actions of DHS employees. Although DHS is responsible for mitigating a range of threats, natural disasters, and pandemics, its risk analysis efforts are weighted heavily toward terrorism. In addition to assessing the capability of DHS risk analysis methods to support decision-making, the book evaluates the quality of the current approach to estimating risk and discusses how to improve current risk analysis procedures. Review of the Department of Homeland Security's Approach to Risk Analysis recommends that DHS continue to build its integrated risk management framework. It also suggests that the department improve the way models are developed and used and follow time-tested scientific practices, among other recommendations.

Book Homeland Security Failures

Download or read book Homeland Security Failures written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Homeland Security and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 112 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Book Homeland Security Failures

    Book Details:
  • Author : United States House of Representatives
  • Publisher :
  • Release : 2019-09-26
  • ISBN : 9781695491533
  • Pages : 110 pages

Download or read book Homeland Security Failures written by United States House of Representatives and published by . This book was released on 2019-09-26 with total page 110 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Homeland Security failures: TWIC examined of the Committee on Homeland Security, House of Representatives, One Hundred Tenth Congress, first session, October 31, 2007.

Book Homeland Security

    Book Details:
  • Author : Michael Chertoff
  • Publisher : University of Pennsylvania Press
  • Release : 2011-11-29
  • ISBN : 081220588X
  • Pages : 217 pages

Download or read book Homeland Security written by Michael Chertoff and published by University of Pennsylvania Press. This book was released on 2011-11-29 with total page 217 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 2003, the President and the U.S. Congress established the Department of Homeland Security. From the beginning, its mission was clear: prevent terrorist attacks, protect against threats to America's safety and security, and prepare the nation to respond effectively to disasters, both natural and man-made. This monumental mission demands a comprehensive strategy. It also requires a crystal-clear explanation of that strategy to Americans and their allies worldwide. In a revealing new book, Homeland Security: Assessing the First Five Years, Michael Chertoff provides that explanation. In a refreshingly candid and engaging manner, America's former homeland security secretary depicts the department's long-term approach, what it has achieved, and what it has yet to do. The strategy begins with the threats America faces, from terrorist groups like al Qaeda to hurricanes like Ike or Gustav. "Once these threats are identified," Chertoff writes, "we can confront them, using every tool at our disposal. We can stop terrorists from entering the country, and discourage people from embracing terrorism by combating its lethal ideology. We can protect our critical assets and reduce our vulnerabilities to natural disasters. We can plan and prepare for emergencies and respond in a way that minimizes the consequences. And we can work closely with our allies abroad to reduce the risk of future disasters." In each of these areas, Chertoff informs the reader what the nation has done and what it still must do to secure its future. How well has this strategy fared in a post-9/11 world? Since that fateful day, there have been no global terror attacks on American soil. Yet in the face of continued dangers, Michael Chertoff warns repeatedly against complacency. He urges America and its leaders to strengthen their resolve, stay the course, and build creatively on past successes.

Book Failures of Imagination

Download or read book Failures of Imagination written by Michael McCaul and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The sitting chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, who receives daily intelligence about threats materializing against America, depicts in real time the hazards that [he believes] are closer than we realize. From cyberwarriors who can cripple the Eastern seaboard to radicalized Americans in league with Islamic jihadists to invisible biological warfare, many of the most pressing dangers are the ones [he feels] we've heard about the least--and are doing the least about"--Amazon.com.

Book Disaster

    Book Details:
  • Author : Christopher Cooper
  • Publisher : Macmillan
  • Release : 2006-08-08
  • ISBN : 0805081305
  • Pages : 351 pages

Download or read book Disaster written by Christopher Cooper and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2006-08-08 with total page 351 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this troubling expose of what went wrong with America's emergency response system after Hurricane Katrina, Christopher Cooper and Robert Block draw on exclusive interviews with federal, state, and local officials to reveal the inexcusable mismanagement and how America is ill-equipped to handle large-scale emergencies, be they floods or fires, natural events or terrorist attacks.

Book The Homeland Security Dilemma

Download or read book The Homeland Security Dilemma written by Frank P. Harvey and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 302 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores the paradox of the ‘security dilemma’ in International Relations, as applied to the post-9/11 context of homeland security. The book's central argument can be summed up by the following counterintuitive thesis: the more security you have, the more security you will need. It argues that enhancing security does not make terrorism more likely, but rather it raises public expectations and amplifies public outrage after subsequent failures. The book contests that this dilemma will continue to shape American, Canadian and British domestic and international security priorities for decades. In exploring the key policy implications resulting from this, the book highlights the difficulty in finding a solution to this paradox, as the most rational and logical policy options are part of the problem. This book will be of interest to students of Homeland Security, Security Studies, US politics, and IR in general.

Book Introduction to Homeland Security

Download or read book Introduction to Homeland Security written by Jane Bullock and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2012-01-03 with total page 688 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Provides a comprehensive account of past and current homeland security reorganization and practices, policies and programs in relation to government restructuring.

Book Homeland Security Failures

    Book Details:
  • Author : United States. Congress
  • Publisher : Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
  • Release : 2018-01-11
  • ISBN : 9781983752247
  • Pages : 110 pages

Download or read book Homeland Security Failures written by United States. Congress and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-01-11 with total page 110 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Homeland Security failures : TWIC examined : full hearing of the Committee on Homeland Security, House of Representatives, One Hundred Tenth Congress, first session, October 31, 2007.

Book Insanity Defense

Download or read book Insanity Defense written by Jane Harman and published by St. Martin's Press. This book was released on 2021-05-18 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An insider's account of America's ineffectual approach to some of the hardest defense and intelligence issues in the three decades since the Cold War ended. Insanity can be defined as doing the same thing over and over again but expecting a different result. As a nation, America has cycled through the same defense and intelligence issues since the end of the Cold War. In Insanity Defense, Congresswoman Jane Harman chronicles how four administrations have failed to confront some of the toughest national security policy issues and suggests achievable fixes that can move us toward a safer future. The reasons for these inadequacies are varied and complex, in some cases going back generations. American leaders didn’t realize soon enough that the institutions and habits formed during the Cold War were no longer effective in an increasingly multi-power world transformed by digital technology and riven by ethno-sectarian conflict. Nations freed from the fear of the Soviets no longer deferred to America as before. Yet the United States settled into a comfortable, at times arrogant, position as the lone superpower. At the same time our governing institutions, which had stayed resilient, however imperfectly, through multiple crises, began their own unraveling. Congresswoman Harman was there—as witness, legislator, exhorter, enabler, dissident and, eventually, outside advisor and commentator. Insanity Defense is an insider’s account of decades of American national security—of its failures and omissions—and a roadmap to making significant progress on solving these perennially difficult issues.

Book Spying Blind

    Book Details:
  • Author : Amy B. Zegart
  • Publisher : Princeton University Press
  • Release : 2009-02-17
  • ISBN : 1400830273
  • Pages : 337 pages

Download or read book Spying Blind written by Amy B. Zegart and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2009-02-17 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this pathbreaking book, Amy Zegart provides the first scholarly examination of the intelligence failures that preceded September 11. Until now, those failures have been attributed largely to individual mistakes. But Zegart shows how and why the intelligence system itself left us vulnerable. Zegart argues that after the Cold War ended, the CIA and FBI failed to adapt to the rise of terrorism. She makes the case by conducting painstaking analysis of more than three hundred intelligence reform recommendations and tracing the history of CIA and FBI counterterrorism efforts from 1991 to 2001, drawing extensively from declassified government documents and interviews with more than seventy high-ranking government officials. She finds that political leaders were well aware of the emerging terrorist danger and the urgent need for intelligence reform, but failed to achieve the changes they sought. The same forces that have stymied intelligence reform for decades are to blame: resistance inside U.S. intelligence agencies, the rational interests of politicians and career bureaucrats, and core aspects of our democracy such as the fragmented structure of the federal government. Ultimately failures of adaptation led to failures of performance. Zegart reveals how longstanding organizational weaknesses left unaddressed during the 1990s prevented the CIA and FBI from capitalizing on twenty-three opportunities to disrupt the September 11 plot. Spying Blind is a sobering account of why two of America's most important intelligence agencies failed to adjust to new threats after the Cold War, and why they are unlikely to adapt in the future.

Book Disaster Response and Homeland Security

Download or read book Disaster Response and Homeland Security written by James F. Miskel and published by Stanford University Press. This book was released on 2008 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hurricane Katrina is the latest in a series of major disasters that were not well managed, but it is not likely to be the last. Category 4 and category 5 hurricanes will, according to most predictions, become both more frequent and more intense in the future due to global warming and/or natural weather cycles. In addition, it is often said that another terrorist attack on the United States is inevitable; that it is a question of when, not whether. Add to that the scare over a possible avian flu pandemic. As a result, the United States should expect that disaster response—to natural and other types of disasters—will continue to be of vital concern to the American public and the policymakers and officials who deal with disaster response and relief, including the military. The U.S. disaster relief program reflects a basic division of responsibility between federal, state, and local governments that has generally stood the test of time. At the federal level, a single agency, FEMA—now under the Department of Homeland Security—has been charged with the responsibility for coordinating the activities of the various federal agencies that have a role in disaster relief. A successful disaster response requires three things: timely and effective coordination between state and federal governments; effective coordination among the federal agencies; and effective coordination between and among state and local government agencies. Miskel examines the effects that operational failures after Hurricanes Agnes, Hugo, Andrew, and Katrina have had on the organizational design and operating principles of the disaster response system program. He also discusses the impact of 9/11 and the evolving role of the military, and he identifies reforms that should be implemented to improve the nation's ability to respond in the future.

Book How Safe Are We

Download or read book How Safe Are We written by Janet Napolitano and published by PublicAffairs. This book was released on 2019-03-26 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Former Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano offers an insightful analysis of American security at home and a prescription for the future. Created in the wake of the greatest tragedy to occur on U.S. soil, the Department of Homeland Security was handed a sweeping mandate: make America safer. It would encompass intelligence and law enforcement agencies, oversee natural disasters, commercial aviation, border security and ICE, cybersecurity, and terrorism, among others. From 2009-2013, Janet Napolitano ran DHS and oversaw 22 federal agencies with 230,000 employees. In How Safe Are We?, Napolitano pulls no punches, reckoning with the critics who call it Frankenstein's Monster of government run amok, and taking a hard look at the challenges we'll be facing in the future. But ultimately, she argues that the huge, multifaceted department is vital to our nation's security. An agency that's part terrorism prevention, part intelligence agency, part law enforcement, public safety, disaster recovery make for an odd combination the protocol-driven, tradition-bound Washington D.C. culture. But, she says, it has made us more safe, secure, and resilient. Napolitano not only answers the titular question, but grapples with how these security efforts have changed our country and society. Where are the failures that leave us vulnerable and what has our 1 trillion dollar investment yielded over the last 15 years? And why haven't we had another massive terrorist attack in the U.S. since September 11th, 2001? In our current political climate, where Donald Trump has politicized nearly every aspect of the department, Napolitano's clarifying, bold vision is needed now more than ever.