Janet Hale is director of Deloitte Consulting LLP and former undersecretary for management, U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is increasingly using risk-based strategies and techniques to protect the nation's borders, airspace, and infrastructure. Analytics tools, big data, and advanced systems analysis are helping DHS efficiently focus its resources on threats uncovered through intelligence and surveillance.
The potential benefits of shifting to risk-based security are threefold:
- Better assessment and targeting of security and operational risks.
- Improved customer service and experience.
- Continuous improvement in operating efficiency.
Serving as DHS undersecretary for management, I observed firsthand the interplay among these priorities and the challenges of fulfilling them. While rooting out the bad guys takes precedence, operating effectively and efficiently necessitates smart allocation of personnel, systems and data. Cyberattacks need to be fought while maintaining the free flow of electronic communications and transactions. And ongoing improvements in intelligence, coordination and policies are essential for risk-based security to address new threats.
Encouragingly, we're starting to see solid evidence of risk-based security's value, notably in the travel realm. DHS's Trusted Traveler programs are enhancing security while helping improve many travelers' experiences and increasing system-wide efficiency.
Likely the best known of these programs is the Transportation Safety Administration's TSA Pre-Check, which provides millions of air passengers with expedited airport screening. U.S. Customs and Border Protection operates the three other Trusted Traveler programs:
Global Entry, which expedites clearance of low-risk U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and select foreign nationals arriving in the U.S.
NEXUS, which speeds U.S. entry from Canada at designated northern border points for U.S. and Canadian citizens, and permanent residents
SENTRI, which provides access to dedicated lanes into the U.S. at southern U.S. land borders
All of these programs are geared toward fulfilling the goals of stronger security, improved customer service, and greater efficiency. And, robust analytics underlie each of them. TSA uses an intelligence-driven risk-based analysis of passenger data to determine a person's eligibility for TSA Pre-Check on a flight-by-flight basis. Global Entry employs fingerprint verification scanners and can select travelers for further review. CBP officers verify SENTRI users through radio frequency identification document (RFID) cards, while license plate readers and computers check vehicles and occupants against continuously updated law enforcement databases. NEXUS employs RFID cards and iris scans to check user identity and eligibility.
The Trusted Traveler programs are demonstrating how risk-based security can contribute to safety, convenience, and efficiency. And, DHS is continuing to build on their example through:
- Risk-based, intelligence-driven operations
- Smart investments to enhance the security system against national objectives
- Resource allocation and deployments to be responsive to emerging threats
- Resilient systems that can resist and recover from cyberattacks
Analytical tools, massive data and advanced systems are integral to fulfilling these objectives. And, they can help create a virtuous cycle. The more we know about security levels, security threats, and how security operations function, the more risk-based these efforts can become.
Certainly other agencies inside and outside DHS are working to strike this balance. I'd enjoy hearing from you.
