Date: 01/25/2010
Final
Briefing by the Department of Homeland Security
COMMITTEE ON JOINT JUDICIARY
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01:34 PM -- Briefing by the Department of Homeland Security
The committee was called to order by Senator Carroll. Senator Carroll made introductory remarks concerning the format for the department briefings.
01:35 PM
Major General Mason Whitney, Director of the Governor's Office of Homeland Security (GOHS), introduced himself and distributed a handout of his presentation (Attachment A). He discussed the mission of the GOHS and its various components. General Whitney addressed funding for the office and noted that the GOHS is completely federally funded and that federal funding is assured through 2013. General Whitney summarized the history of funding for the GOHS and provided detail on issues that are taken into account when prioritizing spending, such as grant guidance and risk assessments.
01:42 PM
General Whitney explained the development of the State Homeland Security Strategy, which is in effect through 2013. He defined the four key questions addressed by the strategy, including: (1) What are the threats? (2) How prepared do we need to be? (3) How prepared are we? and (4) How do we close the gap? General Whitney pointed out that the GOHS prepares for natural disasters that are unlikely to ever occur in Colorado, such as a hurricane, because the state must also be prepared to accept refugees from other states. General Whitney outlined the 15 national planning scenarios identified by the GOHS as well as the 7 state planning scenarios. He explained that the GOHS's strategy for ensuring that Colorado is prepared for threats includes "capabilities-based preparedness planning," which is defined as planning, under uncertainty, to provide capabilities suitable for a wide range of threats and hazards while working within an economic framework that necessitates prioritization and choice.
01:46 PM
General Whitney provided additional definitions for terms used by the GOHS. He discussed the use of the acronym "POETEs," which refers to: planning; organizations; equipment; training; and exercises and evaluations. General Whitney explained that POETEs are what the GOHS spends its time, money, and efforts on. He discussed the role of the Governor's Senior Advisory Committee in reviewing the State Homeland Security Strategy, and he encouraged the members to read the security strategy on the GOHS's website. General Whitney moved on to an explanation of the five state homeland security strategy goals and the relationship between capabilities and goals. He noted that various agencies work together to accomplish the strategy goals. He provided a brief discussion of the GOHS's process for determining and assessing threats and preparedness, and noted that slide 28 of the presentation contains a graphic illustrating the process.
01:54 PM
General Whitney spoke about the GOHS's use of numerical rankings to objectively assess the state's capabilities. He mentioned the annual Improvement Planning Workshop, which consolidates input from all regions into a statewide score. He provided additional detail on the capability assessment tool chart on slide 33 of the presentation. General Whitney closed his presentation by describing the GOHS's priorities for FY 2010-11.
02:03 PM
Representative Gardner asked General Whitney to comment on the GOHS's risk assessment of cyber threats, particularly the threat of electromagnetic pulse (EMP) technology. General Whitney provided a general explanation of EMP and noted that the priority of any threat rises in the event of actionable intelligence. General Whitney commented on the GOHS's assessment of the probability of a threat versus its consequences. Discussion continued between General Whitney and Representative Gardner on the possible impact of an EMP attack.
02:10 PM
Senator Newell asked for an overview of the Citizen Corps Program, and General Whitney responded by discussing the importance of community preparedness. He described the work of the Citizen Preparedness Advisory Committee. Senator Newell asked General Whitney for further detail on slide 20 of the presentation, which indicates that response capabilities outweigh prevention and protection capabilities. General Whitney acknowledged that in the past, more money was spent on recovery capabilities, but the GOHS has shifted its focus to concentrate more on prevention capabilities.
02:15 PM
Senator King asked General Whitney to comment on the GOHS's involvement in aviation safety and security and issues concerning immigrants who may be interested in terrorist activities. General Whitney explained that the federal government is responsible for aviation safety and security, although the GOHS does develop capabilities for the general aviation community within the state. He did point out that the Colorado National Guard is responsible for the interception of dangerous aircraft within the sate, but the coordination of such efforts is a federal responsibility rather than a state one.
02:18 PM
General Whitney responded to a question from Representative Miklosi concerning coordination between local, state, and federal governments, as well as entities such as Amtrak. In response to a question from Representative McCann, General Whitney described the process of assessing capabilities across regions of the state. Discussion continued between General Whitney and Representative McCann concerning statewide lows as determined by the capability assessment tool. General Whitney pointed out that a low score does not indicate that work isn't being done to improve the score. He remarked that the legislature accepts a certain level of risk by virtue of its departmental oversight briefings. He indicated that members with a desire to raise statewide lows should consider what funds the legislature could dedicate to the issue.
02:27 PM
Representative Kagan mentioned the GOHS's interest in the threats of pandemic influenza and the plague. He noted that President Obama has directed individuals who may have the flu to stay home to avoid spreading the virus. Representative Kagan asked General Whitney to comment on whether the availability of paid sick leave may affect an individual's choice to stay home in the event of illness. General Whitney said that in the event of an outbreak, community leaders must reinforce the message that individuals have a responsibility to stay home.