Policy Day 2009: Steve Flynn

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Homeland Security expert Steve Flynn, Council on Foreign Relations, spoke about the imperative for the Obama administration to assign greater priority to homeland security but recommended an approach that moves beyond a narrow focus on terrorism and instead emphasizes building societal resilience to better manage the risks and consequences arising from major natural disasters as well as man-made ones. Flynn spoke about the need for four capabilities; 1) robust infrastructure, public health, public safety, and emergency management in the face of foreseeable hazards and threats, 2) readiness to quickly recognize and nimbly respond to disasters, 3) rapid recovery to restore critical systems and services, and 4) thorough review in the aftermath of catastrophic events to identify lessons learned for improving robustness, readiness, and recovery in the face of future disasters.

Flynn argued that an emphasis on building national resilience would have strategic, economic, and civic value. (1) STRATEGIC: The more resilient the American society is, the less attractive target it becomes for adversaries who might be tempted to launch catastrophic terrorist attacks as a way to confront U.S. power.  (2) ECONOMIC: In a century that will be marked by disruptions from natural as well as man-made forces, investing in resilience sustains American competitive position as the world’s safest harbor to live, work, and invest in.  (3) CIVIC: the process of building resilience is an open and inclusive one which therefore bolsters a greater sense of community and civic responsibility.

When asked about the need to restructure the Department of Homeland Security, Flynn suggested more emphasis should be place on reducing turnover and building a cadre of professionals at DHS than on reorganization.  However he endorsed the one neglected recommendation by the 9/11 Commission: the need for Congress to reform its committee oversight structure in order to more effectively interact with DHS.  Fellow presenter John Podesta asked Flynn what advice he would give President Obama about preparing for such real and immediate threats as the drug-related gangs on the Mexico/US border. Flynn recommended that the Obama administration should highlight that there is a "win-win" when the homeland security mission is broadened to include confronting international organized crime and managing catastrophic events such as a pandemic flu.  The efforts for dealing with these threats will not only save American lives and property in the face of clear and present dangers, but at the same time, these efforts will improve the nation’s capacity for dealing with the ongoing terrorist threat.