US Security System Still Broken, Study Says

A new, 93-page, congressionally-mandated study has found that Washington’s national security institutions have failed to work together to combat terrorism, rogue states, natural disasters and other dangers.

According to CNN’s Pam Benson, the study by the Project on National Security reform found specific examples of where the institutions — including the Pentagon, the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security, the National Security Council and the intelligence agencies — have not collaborated, thus failing on missions to protect the homeland.

Benson says one case mentioned is the Coalition Provincial Authority in Iraq and its effort to reconstruct and stabilize the country. PNSR Executive Director James Locher told Benson, “We needed the capabilities and expertise from many parts of the US government and were not able to pull that together into an effective team to undertake that vision in Iraq.”

The study identifies seven national security imperatives considered essential to a successful system and outlines how the current structure fails to meet those objectives. “It cites a litany of problems plaguing the US government including: competition among agencies; failure of leadership throughout the system; a focus on day-to-day crisis management rather than long-term planning; an inflexible budgeting process; difficulties in recruiting and retaining personnel; computer systems that don't interact; and partisan turf battles in Congress,” Benson says.

The final report is expected sometime in October, and Benson says it will outline recommendations for fixing the national security system, including suggested presidential directives and a new National Security Act to replace the one enacted 61 years ago.