In July 2022, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) identified 46 priority recommendations for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Since then, DHS has implemented 14 of those recommendations leading to improvements in National Flood Insurance Program management, disaster recovery response, noncitizen processing at the southwest border, U.S. Coast Guard asset management, and cybersecurity and IT management, among other areas.
In June 2023, GAO identified 10 additional priority recommendations for DHS, bringing the total number to 42. The 42 recommendations fall into the following areas:
- Chemical security
- Emergency preparedness and response
- Countering violent extremism
- Domestic intelligence and information sharing
- Border security
- Transportation security
- Infrastructure and management
- Information technology and cybersecurity
DHS’s continued attention to these issues could lead to significant improvements in government operations.
Chemical Security
Thousands of high-risk chemical facilities, comprising key U.S. critical infrastructure, may be subject to the risk posed by cyber threat adversaries—terrorists, criminals, or nations. These adversaries could potentially manipulate facilities’ information and control systems to release or steal hazardous chemicals and inflict mass causalities to surrounding populations.
CISA, within DHS, evaluates high-risk chemical facilities’ cybersecurity efforts via inspections that include reviewing policies and procedures, interviewing relevant officials, and verifying facilities’ implementation of agreed-upon security measures. By implementing one priority recommendation in this area—developing a workforce plan that addresses cybersecurity-related needs—CISA could ensure that it has the appropriate number of staff to carry out its chemical program’s cybersecurity-related efforts.
Recommendation: The Assistant Director of the Infrastructure Security Division should develop a workforce plan that addresses the program’s cybersecurity-related needs, which should include an analysis of any gaps in the program’s capacity and capability to perform its cybersecurity-related functions, and human capital strategies to address them.
Action Needed: DHS concurred with this recommendation and took several steps to begin addressing it. According to CISA officials, as of March 2023, they had issued new guidance to assist with chemical security workforce planning and estimated that they would implement the requirements of the workforce plan by August 2023.
Fully addressing this recommendation by developing a workforce plan that includes analysis of any gaps in the chemical security program’s capacity and capability to perform its cybersecurity-related functions, and human capital strategies to address them, will help the program ensure that it has the appropriate number of staff to carry out cybersecurity-related efforts.
Emergency Preparedness and Response
Disasters affect numerous American communities and cause billions of dollars of damage. FEMA plays a key role in preparing local communities for emergencies, rapidly responding during crises, and supporting recovery. FEMA should implement 11 priority recommendations in this area, including identifying ways to better manage fragmentation across federal disaster recovery programs, taking steps needed to identify and address barriers to and disparate outcomes from disaster programs, and implementing a methodology to more comprehensively assess a jurisdiction’s capability to respond to a disaster without federal assistance. By implementing these recommendations, FEMA could more effectively manage the federal response to disasters and limit the federal government’s fiscal exposure.
Countering Violent Extremism
Violent extremism—generally defined as planning or committing violent acts to achieve political, ideological, religious, or social goals—has been perpetrated and promoted by a broad range of individuals and groups. Violent extremists continue to be a threat to the homeland.
DHS tracked a total of 231 domestic terrorism incidents from 2010 to 2021, resulting in 145 deaths in the U.S. Further, according to our analysis of FBI data, the number of FBI’s open domestic terrorism-related cases grew by 357 percent from 1,981 to 9,049 (from 2013 to 2021). By implementing the three priority recommendations, DHS can have a more comprehensive approach to countering violent extremism domestically.
For instance, DHS should revise or supplement its Countering Terrorism and Targeted Violence strategy to include key elements of a comprehensive strategy relating to identifying (1) resources and investments and (2) key external factors that could affect goals. It should also take steps to close the gaps on those elements that are partially included in the strategy related to problem definition, scope, and methodology; activities, milestones, and performance measures; and organizational roles, responsibilities, and coordination.
DHS should also establish common terminology for targeted violence, and incorporate its targeted violence and terrorism prevention mission into its departmental governance of data.
Read the full report at GAO.gov