House committee official says DHS can be more efficient
The Department of Homeland Security could be made more responsive and efficient, John C. Gannon, staff director of the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on Homeland Security, told an industry meeting in New York.
Homeland Security needs to set priorities on its multiple functions, Gannon told attendees at the Maritime Security Expo. 'They have not gotten the mix quite right.'
Gannon said that Congress was 'well aware of the urgent need' for the federal government to develop standards for technologies from the private sector in tracking, securing and scanning containers. 'That's not going to happen overnight,' he cautioned. 'Homeland Security has taken initial steps to develop standards, and Congress is monitoring that progress. Congress would like it to be faster, but understands the complexities.'
Gannon, a former CIA official, said he had found the recent investigative report about the terrorist attacks of 9/11 to be 'impartial and fair' in its highly critical assessment of intelligence failures before the attacks.