Commerce export bureau emphasizes homeland security role

On a wall next to the office entrance of Ken Juster, head of the Commerce Department's Bureau of Export Administration (BXA), hangs a giant aerial photo of ground zero in New York, taken soon after Sept. 11. The photo is a reminder that Juster, in addition to overseeing the nation's export-control regulations, plays a central role in national security.

BXA has long been known by the high-tech community as the place to go to discuss export issues, like the MTOPS (millions of theoretical operations per second) standard governing the exports of high-performance computers to certain countries. The office, however, has not been perceived as a place to discuss cybersecurity--a perception that Juster is working to change.

"The name Bureau of Export Administration is a bit of a misnomer because this bureau really deals with all issues at the intersection of industry and national security," Juster said Tuesday in an interview with National Journal's Technology Daily. "Critical infrastructure protection and homeland security are a significant part of what we do, and increasingly so since Sept. 11."

Under President Bush's executive order creating a Critical Infrastructure Protection Board, Juster is one of about a dozen government officials overseeing various aspects of critical infrastructure protection, such as education, research and development, or internal government security. Juster is in charge of outreach to the private sector, and to state and local law enforcement authorities.

In that role, BXA and its Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office (CIAO) are planning a series of regional meetings with state and local officials, as well as public town-hall meetings, in 2002 to hear concerns and suggestions on protecting critical infrastructure. Juster also hopes to convince the private sector to invest in security, as 90 percent of critical infrastructure is in private hands.

"We are really trying to make the private sector realize that critical infrastructure protection is a business issue that they have to address in the same way that they address other business issues," he said. "It's a matter of good corporate governance."

Juster also sees a part of his job as ensuring economic confidence in light of the constant threat of more terrorism. To that end, the president's Critical Infrastructure Protection Board, with input from the private sector, is working on a national strategy for critical infrastructure protection. The board expects to complete the first draft by mid-2002, Juster said.

"One of the most important functions of the Commerce Department in the days ahead is to work with the business community not only to prevent further terrorist attacks but to demonstrate the resilience of the American economy," Juster said.

Meanwhile, separate from Commerce, the White House is planning a national cyber-protection awareness day next month to raise individuals' understanding about critical infrastructure, according to administration sources.