New DHS secretary launches total review of operations

Homeland Security Department Secretary Michael Chertoff announced Wednesday he is initiating a thorough review of the department's organization, operations and policies.

"Our review of the department is driven by our singular purpose of meeting the threats--both current and future--that face our nation," Chertoff told the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security during his first hearing as DHS secretary. "Any changes we make or recommend as a result of this review will be designed to better enable us to identify, prevent, and, if necessary, mitigate and respond to attacks on our homeland."

He said the review would begin "within days." The newly minted secretary added that it is already clear to him that the department needs a policy shop that is "powerfully driven and well-resourced."

Several lawmakers said during the hearing that they think the department is not emphasizing the right priorities.

Subcommittee Chairman Harold Rogers, R-Ky., said the next two years are critical for establishing the department's credibility.

"Mr. Secretary, there are a number of problems at the department that I believe deserve your immediate attention," Rogers said. "I am afraid that, left unchecked, underlying management deficiencies will take root and become part of the department's own culture and legacy."

Chertoff said the comprehensive review will look beyond existing structures and perspectives.

"I want to emphasize that our analysis of the threats and risks will drive the structure, operations, policies and missions of the department, and not the other way around. We will not look at the threats and our mission through the prisms of the department's existing structures and functions," he said. "Instead, we will analyze the threats and define our mission holistically and exhaustively, then seek to adapt the department to meet those threats and execute that mission."