Critical Releases in Homeland Security: July 25, 2012

"The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) was established by the 'Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-296) by amendment to the 'Inspector General Act of 1978'. This is one of a series of audit, inspection, and special reports prepared as part of our oversight responsibilities to promote economy, efficiency, and effectiveness within the Department. This report addresses the strengths and weaknesses of DHS' Intelligence Community members' Continuity of Operations programs. It is based on interviews with employees and officials of relevant agencies and institutions, direct observations, and a review of applicable documents. The recommendations herein have been developed to the best knowledge available to our office, and have been discussed in draft with those responsible for implementation. We trust this report will result in more effective, efficient, and economical operations. We express our appreciation to all of those who contributed to the preparation of this report."

From the Introduction: "On December 17, 2008, United States Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan visited the website of radical Islamic cleric Anwar al-Aulaqi. He sent a message to Aulaqi. The Federal Bureau of Investigation acquired the message. A second message followed on January 1, 2009. Members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) in the San Diego Field Office reviewed the messages. Concerned by the message's content and implications that the sender was a U.S. military officer, San Diego set a lead to International Terrorism Operations Section 1 at FBI Headquarters and the JTTF in the Washington, D.C., Field Office (WFO). Five months later, WFO conducted an assessment of Hasan, who worked as a psychiatrist at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. WFO queried certain FBI and Department of Defense (DoD) databases and reviewed the limited set of Army personnel records available to DoD personnel serving on JTTFs. […] Effective July 15, 2009, the Army assigned Hasan to the Darnall Army Medical Center at Fort Hood, Texas. In October 2009, the Army notified Hasan that he would be deployed to Afghanistan in November 2009. On November 5, 2009, Hasan entered the Fort Hood deployment center. He carried two pistols. He jumped on a desk and shouted 'Allahu Akbar!' - Arabic for 'God is great!' Then he opened fire, killing twelve U.S. soldiers and one DoD employee, and injuring forty-two others. The FBI immediately conducted an internal review of how San Diego and WFO handled Hasan's communications with Aulaqi. As a result of the review, the FBI took specific steps to improve its ability to detect and deter threats like Hasan. […] FBI Director Robert S. Mueller, III, determined that an additional, independent investigation of the FBI's actions was appropriate."

From the Highlights: "U.S. government threat assessments have discussed plans by terrorists to use general aviation aircraft--generally, aircraft not available to the public for transport--to conduct attacks. Also, the September 11, 2001, terrorists learned to fly at flight schools, which are within the general aviation community. TSA [Transportation Security Administration], within DHS, has responsibilities for general aviation security, and developed AFSP [Alien Flight Student Program] to ensure that foreign students enrolling at flight schools do not pose a security threat. GAO [Government Accountability Office] was asked to assess (1) TSA and general aviation industry actions to enhance security and TSA efforts to obtain information on these actions and (2) TSA efforts to ensure foreign flight students do not pose a security threat. GAO reviewed TSA analysis comparing FAA data from January 2006 to September 2011 on foreign nationals applying for airman certificates with AFSP data, and interviewed 22 general aviation operators at eight airports selected to reflect geographic diversity and variations in types of operators. This is a public version of a sensitive security report GAO issued in June 2012. Information TSA deemed sensitive has been omitted, including two recommendations on TSA's vetting of foreign nationals. [...] GAO recommends that TSA identify how often and why foreign nationals are not vetted under AFSP and develop a plan for assessing the results of efforts to identify AFSP-approved foreign flight students who entered the country illegally. DHS concurred with GAO's recommendations and indicated actions it is taking in response."

From the letter of transmittal of John F. Kerry: "Mexico is one of the United States' most important partners. Recently, bilateral security cooperation has deepened and matured as Mexico and the U.S. seek to address drug trafficking and the violence associated with it. In April of this year, I dispatched Senate Foreign Relations Committee majority staff to Mexico City and Monterrey where they conducted extensive interviews with Mexican and U.S. officials, top policy thinkers and human rights advocates, closely examining U.S.-Mexico bilateral security cooperation. Their findings are included in this report. I hope these findings and recommendations will inform policy discussions during the forthcoming periods of political transition in both countries."