I swung by the Office of Homeland Security to see if any additional info had been posted since my last visit that might explain just what the hell that office does. Well, apparently the President’s 2003 budget allocates $33.7 billion to homeland security. What that money is supposed to do is explained in the Homeland Security Policy and Budget Priorities.
The document recaps what Homeland Security has done thus far:
- increase the number of sky marshals on our airlines;
- acquire enough medicine to treat up to 10 million more people for anthrax or other bacterial infection;
- distribute $1.1 billion to States to strengthen their capacity to respond to bioterrorism and other public health emergencies resulting from terrorism;
- deploy hundreds of Coast Guard cutters, aircraft, and small boats to patrol the approaches to our ports and protect them from internal or external threats;
- acquire equipment for certain major mail sorting facilities to find and destroy anthrax bacteria and other biological agents of terror; and
- station 8,000 National Guard at baggage screening checkpoints at 420 major airports.
Next, it describes four policy initiatives that Homeland Security will focus on:
- Supporting First Responders
- Defending Against Bioterrorism
- Securing America’s Borders
- Using 21st Century Technology to Secure the Homeland
“Supporting first responders” involves providing fire, police, and EMT personnel with planning, equipment, training, and exercises.
“Defending against bioterrorism” make provisions for such things as training health care providers to handle a large scale bioterrorist attack, stockpiling smallpox and anthrax vaccines, improving emergency medical “push packs”, improving decontamination methods, boosting surge capabilites, and creating more isolation facilities. The NIH will get more research funding, but there is no mention of making the CDC give up its side projects and actually study disease.
“Securing America’s borders” talks about “smart borders” and the “border of the future”. I can’t wait for Border 2003 Special Edition. Apparently, this smart border thing is about automation of inspections and “integrated information systems”. In the people power department, Customs and INS will be doing alot of hiring. The Coast Guard gets a small funding boost so as to implement a “maritime domain awareness” program.
“Using 21st century technology to defend the homeland” seeks to establish an “Information Integration Office” and a “Cyberspace Warning Intelligence Network”. Oooh, sounds cool. $50 million will be provided to setup a “Priority Wireless Access” program which will give first responders priority access to wireless networks during emergencies. Given the inability of wireless providers in the U.S. to rollout a damn thing, this should be interesting.
So, there it is. Give it a look.
