From: Nextgov
By Jessica Herrera-Flanigan
oday, the Department of Homeland Security loses one of its top voices as Deputy Secretary Jane Holl Lute departs the agency after four years. In addition to her experience in homeland security, Lute has a long history of public service in national security and diplomacy. I had the opportunity to sit down with her this week for a Q&A to discuss her time at DHS and what the agency’s future might hold.
JHF: What do you see as the three most significant accomplishments during your four years there?
I think the first and foremost accomplishment is answering the question of whether this country can protect itself. The answer is yes. We can pool our strengths and we can be successful in protecting ourselves. It is clear that the government cannot do all that needs doing here. State and local governments and even the public must be brought in to help reach the common goal.
We cannot be complacent. The deterioration of Al Qaeda has not ended the objectives of those who want to do harm to the United States and our citizens. We have made an investment in this country, in the state and local government partnerships, as well as with the private sector, to be able to respond rapidly and effectively. This is the most significant accomplishment.
A second accomplishment is that we put on the map the importance of cybersecurity to our national and economic security. There was not much of a national dialogue four years ago. It was not clear what role the federal government would play. We have learned that we must improve cybersecurity by working together with our partners across government and with the private sector to build the world’s most secure cyber economy.
A third significant accomplishment is what I would call the plumbing and wiring of the department. In less than 10 years, we achieved a qualified audit opinion. We have created administrative and operational systems more responsive and efficient than ever for dealing with all kinds of disasters. We continue to improve on individual preparedness, community resilience and the preparedness and capability of the entire homeland security enterprise.
JHF: One of the issues that has emerged as we get farther away from 9/11 is how do we balance the need for people to be aware of potential terrorism without having fear fatigue or getting them over complacent?
I am a New Yorker. That’s a city with a grip on itself from a security standpoint, and it is exciting and vibrant as it ever has been. Buses, subways, taxis — everywhere are the signs: “If You See Something, Say Something.” We have taken a page out of that book and rolled it out nationwide. We have said to the public: If something looks suspicious, report it to the local authorities. We have taken the lessons of 9/11 and built a security framework where Americans take and understand that homeland security is a shared responsibility. America can protect itself and we must do it together.
JHF: Does the move away from Al Qaeda and organized terrorist groups to lone wolves change the dynamics?
State and local law enforcement has always known about the threat of lone wolves and the potential harm they can inflict. We continue to build on what we know. Police departments are more prepared and capable of responding. We have learned from past experiences and how to respond as effectively as possible. We also know it is unwise to generalize about a particular ethnicity or religious group based on the actions of a few. We will continue to work rapidly and responsively to recognize the signs of lone wolf actors. We also need to break barriers that isolate communities. And we must all stay vigilant.
JHF: One of the first things that the Department undertook under this Administration was the first ever Quadrennial Homeland Security Review. What were the lessons learned there? What do you think the agency should be focusing on as it turns to the next QHSR which is due out in the next year?
The first QHSR answered the questions: What is Homeland Security? What do we do? The upcoming QHSR will answer the question: How will we do it? How will we ensure Homeland Security while protecting civil rights, civil liberties and individual privacy?
JHF: Turning to cybersecurity- there is a lot of discussion on how do we talk about it. Is it national security? Is it law enforcement? Is it preparedness? Is it the private sector’s responsibility?
At the heart of cybersecurity is the reliability and integrity of your personal identity and your information — are you who you say you are? How do we keep someone from profiting from your identity in cyberspace? The Internet is an extraordinary innovation for humanity in and of itself, and at its core cyberspace is a public space — civilian space. It is growing organically and instantaneously. We must have norms in cyberspace. We need to understand what property means in cyberspace. What is the role of government?
It is interesting to me that generally speaking, security is an assignment that society gives to government. We expect government runs the police and makes law; government runs the military and makes treaties. Cybersecurity, however, has not been given to the government as a primary responsibility. It is still open, accessible, and what security exists is largely maintained by the public and the private sector. Again, the key to securing cyberspace is securing people’s identities and information and that will mean identifying roles and responsibilities for individual hardware manufacturers, software developers, internet service providers, governments, international partners, and others.
We will not be able to run the cybersecurity of the nation exclusively like an intelligence program. Is there a role for the intelligence community? Yes, but it is not the leading role. Is there a role for law enforcement? Yes, in that law enforcement must bring law to bear when crimes happen in cyberspace. We must manage cybersecurity as a civilian responsibility — one that recognizes the need to bring reliability and integrity to identity and information protection.
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