DHS Top Jobs Remain Unfilled

The Heimatschutzministerium, or Department of Homeland Security as it says on the official letterhead, has been a disaster from start to finish. The Loss of New Orleans alone proves how dysfunctional it is. While part of the reason is lack of a clear mission, and some of it is incompetence, there is also a lack of personnel at the top levels. Some of the big jobs aren’t being done badly; they aren’t being done at all. According to a recently released report by the majority staff of the House Homeland Security Committee, 138 of the top 575 positions aren’t filled.

The report goes on to say that the leadership shortages are particularly acute in the department’s policy, immigration, legal and intelligence sections, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Coast Guard. These positions include presidential appointees, senior management and high-level advisory posts. As a result, morale is lower than it should be, and external contractors wind up without direction.

According to the Washington Post, “Of the 138 vacant positions, the DHS provided no explanation for 70, according to the House report. Seven others had tentative or pending appointees and 60 were under recruitment. The department currently has 130 vacancies at senior levels, [department spokesman Russ] Knocke said, with 92 now in the process of recruitment.” Whichever set of figures is correct, the lack of manpower is appalling. Moreover, the Republican members of the House Homeland Security Committee, led by Thomas M. Davis III (R-VA), agree with the assessment of the problem.

Committee Chairman Bernie G. Thompson (D-MS), said, “One of the continuing problems appears to be the over politicization of the top rank of Department management.” This should surprise no one, given that the Department was established under the Bush administration, and this White House is incapable of leaving anything apolitical alone. The Post also notes a sense of denial about that face at the Heimatschutzministerium, “The DHS says it has never had more than 220 senior political appointees, although the Office of Personnel Management told Congress of more than 360 in 2004, National Journal reported last month.” Perhaps, the difference was composed of vacancies.

The problem is only going to worsen in the next 18 months. Congressman Thompson said, “we can expect more vacancies to occur than what we have been accustomed to” as the Bush duck grows ever lamer. The Post notes, “A major focus of the current DHS leadership, Knocke said, is preparing a competent bench of managers by 2009, when a new presidential administration will come into power. Department officials said they have removed officials whose qualifications and political backgrounds were called into question in favor of more seasoned personnel.” Good news, but what happens for the next year and a half? Congressman Thompson suggests, “This could lead to heightened vulnerability to terrorist attack.” It has been 2,127 days since September 11, 2001, and 679 days since Katrina hit New Orleans. America still can’t seem to organize its own protection.

© Copyright 2007 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

Home