Address by Dr. Charles E. McQueary to the DOE Facilities Caucus Breakfast Meeting

Release Date: 09/30/03 00:00:00

For Immediate Release
Science and Technology Directorate
September 30, 2003

Good morning and thank you for inviting me. Today I would like to tell you about some of the priorities of the Department of Homeland Security and its Science and Technology division, which I lead.  In doing so, I will touch on the role of the Department of Energy National Laboratories in contributing to our very important missions.    

With the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, President Bush envisioned an organization that would engage entrepreneurs and tap America's inventive spirit and our science and technology strengths in the war on terrorism.  The Department mobilizes the efforts of 21 federal agencies under a common mission and chain of command. This greatly enhances the Department's ability to react swiftly and effectively to threats against the homeland.  It also facilitates better coordination with homeland security partners in the private sector and state and local government including first responders - such as fire and police departments.

DHS has five Under Secretaries responsible for its major operation:

• Border and Transportation Security
• Emergency Preparedness and Response
• Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection
• Science and Technology, and
• Management

America's historic strength and investment in the fields of science and technology is one of our greatest weapons in the fight against terrorism. Recognizing this, the Department created the Science and Technology division to serve as its primary research and development arm.  DHS Science and Technology is specifically tasked with marshalling the intellectual capital of the engineering and scientific communities to develop fresh and effective approaches to safeguard the American public from terrorist attacks.

The Division must constantly monitor the many threats to our homeland and assess our vulnerabilities to them. We must develop new and improved capabilities to anticipate and counter chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, high explosive and cyber threats and be prepared to mitigate the effects of terrorist attacks should they occur. We must also enhance the conventional missions of the Department to protect and assist civilians in response to natural disasters, law enforcement needs and other activities.

Science and Technology has been guided by current threat assessments, our understanding of capabilities that exist today or that can be expected in the future, and by the priorities identified in the President's National Strategy for Homeland Security.

In brief, our key areas of emphasis are to:

1. Prevent the illicit traffic of radiological and nuclear materials and weapons into and within the United States.
2. Rapidly detect and mitigate the consequences of the release of biological and chemical agents.
3. Detect and prevent the transit of illicit high explosives into and within the United States.
4. Enhance Department operations through targeted research, development, testing and evaluation, and systems engineering to support Department missions.
5. Protect cyber and other critical infrastructures.
6. Prevent technology surprise by anticipating emerging threats, and
7. Develop and implement technical standards for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear countermeasures.

The nation is undeniably safer today than it was before 9-11, due in large part to technological innovations that help us detect, intercept and swiftly respond to potential acts of terrorism. The Department has been active on many fronts to help ensure the safety of Americans.  For example, we continue to develop and release standards for radiation detection equipment, biological pathogen detectors, interoperable communications, and other types of equipment that might be purchased by federal agencies, the private sector, and state and local agencies.

In many of our cities, we have deployed sensors that are capable of detecting aerosol releases of dangerous biological pathogens - in a timely enough manner to treat the exposed populations and minimize the impact.

And at our borders, we are deploying radiation sensors to detect the illicit transport of radioactive materials, and are experimenting with capabilities to similarly protect our cities.

These results are the outcome of only some of our programs. Our programs require the mobilization of the nation's premier science and technology talents from academia, private industry, and the Federal government. To reach the academic community, we are setting up university-based Centers of Excellence and awarding fellowships and scholarships to encourage participation in disciplines that directly apply to homeland security. The Homeland Security Advanced Research and Projects Agency - known as HSARPA - will engage the private-sector through the merit-based award of contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements to support our homeland security missions. We will also tap into the Federal government's research community where the Department of Energy national laboratories play a prominent role.  

The Department of Homeland Security is fortunate to have the vast expertise and capabilities of the DOE national labs and sites at its disposal to support this work. In the founding legislation of the Department of Homeland Security, Congress had the foresight to allow the Department free and ready access to the considerable resources of DOE national labs, technology centers, and sites. We currently have more than $114 million in funding in place within the national laboratory system to support our work in many critical areas.

The Department is carefully assessing the role that the national labs can play in the war on terrorism.  DHS recognizes the strengths and capabilities of the labs - some with large, multi-disciplined programs, while other smaller labs excel in specialized areas. While the larger labs offer a breadth of capabilities that can accommodate many of our needs, we also see significant value in the type of focused expertise that the smaller labs can bring to the table.  We will need a mix of both types of labs, and will match their capabilities with our requirements as needs arise.

The DOE national laboratories can produce advanced technologies for protecting the homeland.  In harnessing those technologies, effective technology transfer from the laboratories to the private sector will be important.  We will work with the laboratories and DOE to develop effective, streamlined processes and mechanisms to help this along, and will encourage the labs to participate in as many activities involving HSARPA as possible.  As we shape our technology transfer policies, we may need your help to develop legislative solutions to improve the transfer of technology from the labs to the private sector.

While the Department has made great strides in getting systems in place to safeguard the American people, the mission to protect the homeland is an enormous undertaking - and in the grand scheme of things, we are still in the early stages. The Department and its Science and Technology division are committed to pursuing activities that are designed to thwart, deflect and counteract biological, chemical, nuclear and other attacks from our enemies. We can never return to the days that preceded September 11, 2001 - when we could move about so freely, so effortlessly, with little concern about our safety and well being. But I am confident that we can bring the nation to an unprecedented level of readiness that will save lives if we are ever attacked again on our own soil.  

Thank you for your time.  I'll be happy to take your questions now.

This page was last modified on 09/30/03 00:00:00