http://www.hlswatch.com/2008/06/25/dhs-policy-office-09-funding-suffers-strategy-document-in-question/ News and analysis of critical issues in homeland security today. Thu, 04 Dec 2008 05:12:53 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 http://www.hlswatch.com/2008/06/25/dhs-policy-office-09-funding-suffers-strategy-document-in-question/#comment-110338 William R. Cumming Sat, 28 Jun 2008 12:46:43 +0000 http://www.hlswatch.com/2008/06/25/dhs-policy-office-09-funding-suffers-strategy-document-in-question/#comment-110338 It continues to be of interest to me that failed DOD models still find influence at DHS. Probably as a rapidly developing second career agency (and remember none other than Frank Carlucci called the Office of Emergency Preparedness -1962-73 an "Old Soldiers Home" when breaking up OEP under Nixon's Reorg Plan No. 1 of 1973) it should find out first why the dOD system is failing by reading GAO and other Congressional reports and then adopt make its own mistakes. The inherently governmental restriction comes originally from OMB guidance and has long since lost its lustre under the Bush Administration. Even Congressional inquiries often answered directly by contractors who naturally find no problemo when assigned to answer the Congressional inquiring. Congress to blame here unless you want to argue the Executive Branch inherently should be able to develop and adopt policies without contractor input. Unlikely under the currently destroyed civil service and merit protection regime. By the way just a post-it but the MSPB is run almost entirely by the Excepted Service and this was approved by President Jimmy Carter who actually relished destroying the civil service system. He saddled the horse and the Republicans rode it out of town. Thanks Jimmy. It continues to be of interest to me that failed DOD models still find influence at DHS. Probably as a rapidly developing second career agency (and remember none other than Frank Carlucci called the Office of Emergency Preparedness -1962-73 an “Old Soldiers Home” when breaking up OEP under Nixon’s Reorg Plan No. 1 of 1973) it should find out first why the dOD system is failing by reading GAO and other Congressional reports and then adopt make its own mistakes. The inherently governmental restriction comes originally from OMB guidance and has long since lost its lustre under the Bush Administration. Even Congressional inquiries often answered directly by contractors who naturally find no problemo when assigned to answer the Congressional inquiring. Congress to blame here unless you want to argue the Executive Branch inherently should be able to develop and adopt policies without contractor input. Unlikely under the currently destroyed civil service and merit protection regime. By the way just a post-it but the MSPB is run almost entirely by the Excepted Service and this was approved by President Jimmy Carter who actually relished destroying the civil service system. He saddled the horse and the Republicans rode it out of town. Thanks Jimmy.

]]> http://www.hlswatch.com/2008/06/25/dhs-policy-office-09-funding-suffers-strategy-document-in-question/#comment-109988 Jason Wed, 25 Jun 2008 13:24:59 +0000 http://www.hlswatch.com/2008/06/25/dhs-policy-office-09-funding-suffers-strategy-document-in-question/#comment-109988 I would not be as concerned about the fact that the $1.5M is going primarily to contractor support. In the grand scheme of things, you're going to need that expert facilitation, not to generate the long-term planning and goal setting, but to get the conference rooms, get people's calendars aligned, invite briefers and outside experts to give discussions, get the interim meeting notes drafted, get the reports drafted, etc etc. The DHS components should use their own internal funds to actually do the heavy lifting. Since DHS appears set on copying DOD, that is what the Services do in reference to the QDR. I would not be as concerned about the fact that the $1.5M is going primarily to contractor support. In the grand scheme of things, you’re going to need that expert facilitation, not to generate the long-term planning and goal setting, but to get the conference rooms, get people’s calendars aligned, invite briefers and outside experts to give discussions, get the interim meeting notes drafted, get the reports drafted, etc etc. The DHS components should use their own internal funds to actually do the heavy lifting. Since DHS appears set on copying DOD, that is what the Services do in reference to the QDR.

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