Fourteen members of the Committee on
the Civil Dimension of Security visited New York, as well as Baton Rouge and
New Orleans, Louisiana, on 1-4 October. The delegation, led by
Jo Ann Emerson (United States), Chairperson of the Committee, met with
local and federal officials, academics and private sector representatives to
discuss homeland security, and disaster preparedness and response in the United
States.
I. NEW YORK
A. AFGHANISTAN
1. The
delegation met with scholars at New York University’s Center on
International Cooperation to discuss
international stabilization and reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan and, more
generally, the security situation in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region. There is
currently a widespread sense of pessimism concerning the developments in this
region, particularly following the presidential and provincial council
elections of 20 August 2009. Jake Sherman, Associate Director for Peacekeeping
and Security Sector Reform, put forward six priorities for moving beyond
current difficulties; he argued that:
·A second round of elections is necessary to
restore the credibility of the election process, both in the eyes of the Afghan
population and of the citizens of those nations contributing to stabilization
and reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan.
·Training Afghan security forces should receive
greater priority. The new, district-based approach to police training seems to
be working, but will require a lot more time and resources. Recent initiatives
to set up community militias could also help curb ordinary crime, but so far
these militias have had limited appetite for counterinsurgency actions.
·Afghan authorities and the international
community need to engage more determined efforts to disarm irregular, armed
groups.
·ISAF and other international troops’ reliance on
private security providers and militias are problematic. Oversight of these
groups remains very weak.
·Negotiating with the insurgency is necessary in
order to achieve national reconciliation.
·More international assistance needs to be
channeled through Afghan institutions in order to allow them to build capacity
and take credit for reconstruction projects.
2. Mr.
Sherman stressed that the Taliban should not be considered as a monolithic
group. Public support for the Taliban is mixed, but some of the movement’s
strengths include its capacity to create fear, to coerce, as well as to provide
a relatively predictable justice. While the drugs problem remains a serious
concern, Mr. Sherman argued that there is no clear evidence that the drugs
industry is the main source of revenue for the Taliban. The movement seems to
rely comparatively more on financial flows from the Gulf.
3.
Arif Jamal, Associate Researcher at the Center, was very critical of the
Pakistani army’s ambiguous attitude towards jihadi groups in the region. He
argued that while Pakistan’s new civilian government was determined to take on
jihadis, Pakistan’s military continued to tolerate those groups, particularly
in the Kashmir region, which they consider useful instruments for achieving
certain foreign policy goals. In Mr. Jamal’s view, resolving the dispute over
Kashmir is therefore crucial in order to achieve regional stability. In
addition, he argued that western governments need to give Pakistan’s civilian
government greater support than has been the case so far, and pursue a clear
and consistent policy towards the country.
4. Both
Mr. Sherman and Mr. Jamal insisted that continued commitment to stabilization
and reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan is essential. However, they
acknowledged that participating nations are facing increasing difficulty in
mustering public support for the Afghan campaign. Even in the United States, a
recent poll indicated that 58% of Americans now oppose the mission in
Afghanistan. It has also become increasingly difficult to link this mission to
the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001. In this context, the challenge for
many countries will be one of “managed withdrawal”. Mr. Sherman stressed,
however, that even if military commitments waver, reconstruction and
development efforts need to continue, noting that, besides their strategic
interests, Western governments also have a moral obligation to assist with
rebuilding the country.
B. COUNTERTERRORISM AND EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT IN NEW YORK CITY
1. The
delegation met with Joseph Bruno, Commissioner of the New York City Office of
Emergency Management (OEM). The OEM is the main co-ordinating agency for all
types of emergencies. Its missions include: planning and preparing for
emergencies; co-ordinating emergency response and recovery efforts; educating
the public about preparedness; collecting and disseminating critical
information; and seeking funding to support preparedness. The OEM receives from
the US government a general assessment of threats; based on this, it assesses
which threats are relevant for New York City and which capabilities each of
these require.
2. The
OEM’s plans include both the provision of general, all-hazards functions – such
as evacuation, sheltering, mass care and feeding, management of donations and
volunteers, etc. – and preparedness and response for specific hazards – coastal
storms and flooding, chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN)
incidents, transit strikes, etc. The Citywide Incident Management System
identifies the lead agency for each type of emergency, and lists the tasks to
be performed by each agency under the overall co-ordination of the OEM.
3. Mr.
Bruno detailed some of the city’s plans in response to the H1N1 influenza.
These include, for instance, measures to increase the health care system’s
capacity at short notice, vaccination policies, and alternative solutions to
ensure the continuity of education should schools have to be shut down. Mr.
Bruno explained in particular that the city is planning to conduct a voluntary
campaign of vaccination for all the 1.4 million schoolchildren in New York
City.
4. The
OEM maintains a watch command, operational 24/7, which allows it to identify
emergencies as soon as they happen and notify relevant agencies. The OEM’s
Emergency Operations Center acts as a control room in the event of an
emergency; it can host up to 130 different entities, including federal, state
and city agencies, private sector representatives, nongovernmental
organizations, etc. The military can also be called upon to assist with
emergencies, but a request to this effect has to be addressed to the state.
Part of the National Guard is dedicated to the protection of New York City.
5. The
OEM has developed co-operation mechanisms with its counterparts in neighbouring
states (New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut), as well as with other major
cities in the United States.
6. Raymond
Kelly, Commissioner of the New York Police Department (NYPD), emphasized how
the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 had transformed the NYPD’s mission
and structure. The NYPD has been the first police department in the United
States to create its own counterterrorism bureau. It maintains a joint
terrorism task force with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Department
has hired first class analysts and has refined its language capabilities to
enhance its capacity to deal with the terrorist threat. It has deployed NYPD
officers in 11 cities around the world, who act as a first line of defence,
gathering information with a view to better protecting New York City. According
to Mr. Kelly, since 9/11, there is also a much higher degree of co-operation
between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.
7. While
the terrorist threat remains very serious – with eight plots against New York
City uncovered since 9/11 – conventional crime has dropped by 40% since 2001,
despite a restructuring of the force, which cut the number of police officers
by 5,000 in the same period (the force is currently 35,400-strong). Two
programmes have played a key role in this regard: one programme which aimed to
concentrate the presence of police academy trainees in specific areas of
concern; and the creation of a real time crime center, which gathers into one
data warehouse information from a wide range of sources. Whenever a crime is
committed, relevant information stored in this warehouse can be communicated to
the field in order to allow for a quicker identification of the perpetrators.
C. AIRPORT SECURITY
1. The
delegation visited JFK airport and met with officials from the federal
Transportation Security Administration (TSA), from the airport’s administration
and from the Port Authority New York New Jersey (PANYNJ), to discuss airport
security.
2. In
2008, JFK airport received an average of 1,300 flights a day and 48 million
passengers in. Besides the eight terminals and other airport facilities, the
area also includes an Airtrain system and a Light Rail system, which transport
some 35,000 to 40,000 passengers a day.
3. Within
six months of the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, security at all
airports in the United States was federalized and the TSA was created as the
main supervisory body. The TSA defines regulatory security requirements for all
airports, dealing with such issues as access control, training, emergency
plans, etc. Besides TSA requirements, the PANYNJ also implements additional
security measures.
4. The
TSA’s mandate has been progressively extended since 2001. Aviation security
relies on so-called “layers of security”. The TSA has sought to push these
layers back further and further in order to identify threats as early as
possible. Thus, it has recently encouraged the use of suspicious behaviour
detection as a pre-screening method. The Secure Flight Program, which requires
airlines to send flight manifests 72 hours in advance, also allows the TSA to
check passenger names against federal watch lists and identify possible
threats.
5. A
second main pillar of the TSA’s action has focused on perfecting screening
technologies. Whole-body scanners have not yet been certified by the TSA, as
technological issues, as well as civil liberties concerns, remain. TSA and
PANYNJ officials stressed, however, that technology is not sufficient in
itself, and that enhanced security also requires trained personnel and vigilant
travellers.
6. In
defining adequate aviation security standards, several challenges need to be
taken into account:
·the need to preserve the freedom of movement and
of travel, which characterizes our societies;
·considerations relating to the protection of
civil liberties;
·the danger of public complacency as awareness of
the threat diminishes;
·specific security issues relating to those parts
of the airport that are accessible to the general public;
·divisions of responsibility in the field of
security (between federal Authorities, airport management, airport operators,
airlines, etc.);
·the difficulty to protect a large perimeter
implanted in an urban setting;
·financial constraints.
7. The
main threats to aviation security currently include attacks using small
conventional explosives, large conventional explosives and CBRN weapons, and
are directed mainly at aircraft, terminals and passengers, as well as,
secondarily, at other assets. In response to these potential threats, New York
airports have set the following priorities:
·the introduction of biometric identification for
employees with ID cards;
·enhanced perimeter security both on the landside
and waterside;
·enhanced terminal security, with a particular focus
on the exterior frontage and the interior lobby;
·improved passenger and cargo screening;
·better training of employees;
·continual auditing, testing and inspection;
·improved intelligence.
274 million USD have been spent in
capital improvements at New York airports since 2001.
D. SAFETY AND SECURITY AT NUCLEAR
POWER PLANTS
1. The
delegation visited the Indian Point Energy Center and met with plant officials
to discuss safety and security at US nuclear power plants.
2. Indian
Point was the first nuclear power plant to receive a license to produce
electricity in 1962. The first unit was retired in 1974; two other units opened
in 1974 and 1976 and they continue to operate today, providing some 20-25% of
New York City’s power needs. Both units use pressurized water reactors.
3. The
delegation discussed several safety and security concerns:
·contamination risks: plant officials explained
that the three water systems on which pressurized water reactors rely are
completely separate, and there is therefore no risk that contaminated water
could leak into the tertiary loop, which uses water from the Hudson River;
· environmental issues: plant officials cited
studies which show that the plant’s operations contribute to an increase in
temperature in the Hudson River of only 1.4°F;
·waste: plant officials pointed out that one
pellet of nuclear material – the size of a pencil eraser – generates as much
power as one ton of coal; each reactor uses 193 fuel assemblies each made up of
204 rods with 240 pellets each, or a total 9,449,280 pellets per reactor; each
fuel assembly is replaced on average every six years; spent fuel is kept in a
pool onsite;
·capacity to sustain attack: plant officials
explained that the containment building around the reactor is designed to
sustain collision by an aircraft; it is made of one single pour of concrete;
·access: plant officials informed the delegation
that three concentric circles of security – the owner-controlled area, the
protected area and the vital area -, with gradually increasing levels of
security, help control access to the plant’s site.
II. LOUISIANA: DISASTER PREPAREDNESS
FOUR YEARS AFTER HURRICANE KATRINA
1. The
delegation met with officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA), the Governor’s Office for Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness
(GOHSEP), and the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in New Orleans
and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to discuss disaster preparedness and the lessons
learned from the response to hurricane Katrina in August 2005.
2. Emergency
management procedures in the United States give precedence to local response.
Only if local capacities are insufficient does the state intervene. State
authorities in the stricken state can also request assistance from neighbouring
states if necessary. In accordance with the 1988 Stafford Act, federal
assistance – including from FEMA and USACE – is provided upon request by the
state governor and following a presidential declaration of emergency or of a
major disaster.
3. Local
officials are also generally entitled to order evacuations. This responsibility
is passed onto state officials upon declaration of an emergency or disaster by
the state. States rely heavily on federal assistance for funding of recovery
efforts; the usual ratio is 75% of federal funds and 25% of state funds.
4. The
scale of the devastation caused by hurricane Katrina was unprecedented in the
United States. The largest share of the damage was caused after the levees
gave way. The area affected by Katrina extended over some 90,000 square miles
in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, an area the size of Great
Britain. Winds reached 127 miles per hour at the hurricane’s landfall in
Louisiana. The hurricane left over 1,300 dead, over 300,000 homes destroyed and
an economic loss estimated at over 125 billion USD. Over one million people
evacuated the area; temporary housing was provided for 92,000 households. Water
surged by 28 to 30 feet along the Mississippi coast. Eighty percent of the city
of New Orleans was submerged and it took over 40 days to pump out some 224
billion gallons of flood water. 217 square miles of land was lost from
hurricanes Katrina and Rita. 169 miles of levees and floodwalls were damaged
and 62.2 billion litres of debris were left by the hurricane.
5. Federal
and state officials pointed to some of the main lessons from the Katrina
response:
·prevention and preparedness are key: the primary
responsibility for disaster response is with individuals; awareness campaigns
are therefore essential;
·hazard mitigation – building back “smarter,
stronger and safer” – is also crucial; every dollar spent on mitigation saves
four dollars in future disaster-related costs;
·New Orleans’ hurricane protection system has
been rethought: it includes 350 miles of levees and flood walls, 73 pumping
stations and 4 gated outlets; according to current plans, construction of
category 3 hurricane-resistant levees should be completed by June 2011; these
should eventually be replaced by category 5 hurricane-resistant levees; the delegation
also learned about the role that the Bonnet Carré Spillway plays in protecting
New Orleans from floods. The spillway, located 30 miles north of the city, can
divert up to 20% of the Mississippi river flow to Lake Pontchartrain;
·co-ordination of response efforts is essential;
GOHSEP hosts a unified command group, which brings together state agencies
involved in an emergency;
·evacuation plans have been improved and
consultation procedures between local, state and federal authorities have been
put in place in order to facilitate decision-making regarding evacuation.
Hurricane Gustav in September 2008 provided a major test in terms of
evacuation. For the first time in its history, the state called for a mandatory
evacuation of the entire coastal area of Louisiana. Some two million people
were subsequently evacuated. It was also the first time Louisiana had conducted
dual contra-flow traffic for the evacuation of both south-eastern and
south-western areas;
·ideally, shelters should be located in safe
areas as close to home as possible in order to facilitate returns and recovery;
most shelters in Louisiana are currently located in the northern part of the
state; Louisiana also relies on a number of shelters in neighbouring states;
·interoperability and communications capacity
have been improved; 95% of Louisiana’s territory is now covered by radio
communications;
·partnerships are being established with the
business community; GOHSEP is currently working together with the Louisiana
State University on the creation of a business Emergency Operations Center,
which would coordinate the contribution of the business and volunteer
communities to disaster preparedness, response and recovery;
·a new system has been put in place to
co-ordinate international assistance in the event of a disaster.
6. Post-Katrina
recovery efforts nevertheless continue to face a number of challenges:
·a significant share of the local population has
not returned (including 41% of the population of St Bernard parish, 29% of
Orleans parish and 23% of Plaquemines parish). Additionally, 1,500 households
still live in temporary housing;
·many of the areas that are currently being
rebuilt remain high-risk. Overall, 2 of the 4.2 million inhabitants of
Louisiana live in risk-prone coastal areas;
·only slightly over half the public assistance
funds obligated in the aftermath of Katrina (4.8 out of 8.1 billion USD)
have actually been disbursed; this is due primarily to delayed planning of
reconstruction projects by affected cities and communities.
Respectfully submitted,
The Honorable Senator Jane Cordy
Canadian NATO Parliamentary Association (NATO PA)