Streamlining Security?

DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano announced a new department-wide efficiency effort this morning, designed at “challenging every agency, component and office to generate new efficiencies and to promote greater accountability, transparency and customer satisfaction.”

The action directive establishes an Efficiency Review Initiative Steering Committee, composed of key leaders from within DHS offices and component agencies, to meet before the end of the month. The committee will be charged with identifying and developing strategies to reduce costs, streamline processes, eliminate duplication and improve transparency and customer service.

Napolitano also charged each agency with initiating an internal review of current efforts related to improving efficiency, which will be incorporated into a department-wide inventory. According to DHS, the initiative is similar to one Napolitano oversaw as governor of Arizona. The Arizona efficiency initiative focused on procurement, energy conservation, travel, fleet management, training and electronic communications and resulted in more than $1 billion in savings and cost avoidances for the state.

Government observers are justifiably skeptical about the creation of steering committees to handle massive management challenges like those at DHS, but at least the new secretary is clearly delineating management and efficiency as a priority. We’ll see how components respond and what this committee comes up with.