On June 22, the FBI arrested Abu Khalid Abdul-Latif and Walli Mujahidh in a Seattle warehouse, where the two suspects had arranged to purchase weapons from an anonymous informant in contact with the Seattle Police Department. They were looking to purchase automatic machine guns and grenades in preparation for an…

As Congress moves through the fiscal year (FY) 2012 appropriations process, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Policy may receive a dramatic decrease in funding. While it is important that Congress seek out cost savings within DHS, the Office of Policy is a critical player in policy development…

On May 19, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced its allocations for the fiscal year (FY) 2011 Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) grant program. The purpose of the UASI is to distribute homeland security funds to the highest-risk urban areas in America. This year’s allocations would drastically slash the…

Osama bin Laden’s death was undoubtedly a major victory for the United States and civilized society. The War on Terrorism, however, is not over—al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups will continue to stage plots against the United States, as they have done at least 39 times since 9/11. Successful counterterrorism policies,…

Even with Osama bin Laden’s death and the approach of the 10th anniversary of 9/11, America’s homeland security priorities remain unchanged. Its national progress should have been greater. Unfortunately, Washington squandered far too much time and money because of failed and cumbersome federal oversight, the federalization of homeland security, the…

The Department of State is currently seeking public comment on its proposal to create a new biographical questionnaire for U.S. passport applicants. Reforms in the passport-issuance process are indeed necessary to prevent the misuse of passports by criminals and terrorists. However, the proposed questionnaire goes too far in requesting that…

On April 8, the Obama Administration released Presidential Policy Directive-8 (PPD-8), which claims to update national preparedness policy. While the directive’s emphasis on capabilities-based planning is appropriate and should be applauded, its dismissal of key national preparedness guidance and plans is puzzling. Instead of recognizing what has and has not…