"Specifically, the agencies do not have interagency policies and procedures and protocols for information sharing," D'Agostino said.
Of particular concern is CBP's possible response to a Defense Department order to shoot down an intruder. The military chain of command is clear, but CPB doesn't fall under that chain of command, officials note. That's where the Coast Guard comes in. As both a federal law enforcement agency and a military service, it has arrest authority and can follow military orders. This dual capability frees the service from restrictions imposed by posse comitatus law on other armed services restrictions that essentially prohibit them from conducting law enforcement operations on U.S. soil." Holy Cow! Four years after 9/11 and there are "gaps" in coverage of the U.S. Capitol? Long ago I predicted DHS would need ten years to get its act together but you would at least think they would have gotten their act together by now for protection of the Seat of Government. The creaky and underfunded status of the Coast Guard is not a thrilling item either since they would have to rapidly gear up for extended operations if a major threat to U.S. ports emerges...and then swiftly fall apart. Hope Bin Laden doesn't read this article... David Bier http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=1034204&C=america Posted 08/22/05 08:13 Service Joins Fight To Defend U.S. Capital By PATRICIA KIME A turf battle has erupted over who should protect Washington's airspace, and the U.S. Coast Guard is among the combatants. Discussions are under way within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as to whether the Coast Guard or Customs and Border Protection (CBP) should serve as the lead DHS agency to guard Washington's restricted airspace, a DHS spokeswoman said Aug. 9. Right now, CBP has its finger on the trigger: The agency, which operates UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, has served as the main federal law enforcement agency for the task since January 2003, conducting routine patrols and intercepting aircraft as needed. Airspace defense is bolstered by NORAD, which provides fighter jets and ground-to-air missile systems for the mission. The effort is overseen by the National Capital Region Coordination Center, a facility staffed by Pentagon, Secret Service, U.S. Capitol Police, Federal Aviation Administration and DHS personnel, including the Transportation Security Administration and CBP. Since January 2003, 3,495 intrusions have occurred in restricted Washington airspace; 665 prompted the center to scramble jets or divert other government aircraft to proceed with an interception, the coordination center said. In the past year, the U.S. Capitol, White House and other federal buildings have been evacuated at least three times as aircraft strayed too close to landmarks. While no one has questioned CBP's ability to do its job, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report July 21 raising concerns about what the investigative agency's analysts see as "gaps" in the effort to protect Washington. Davi D'Agostino, GAO's director of Defense Capabilities and Management, said these problems include a lack of coordination between agencies, the absence of a clear chain of command with a single agency at the top, and a dearth of consistent protocols for handling incursions. "Specifically, the agencies do not have interagency policies and procedures and protocols for information sharing," D'Agostino said. Of particular concern is CBP's possible response to a Defense Department order to shoot down an intruder. The military chain of command is clear, but CPB doesn't fall under that chain of command, officials note. That's where the Coast Guard comes in. As both a federal law enforcement agency and a military service, it has arrest authority and can follow military orders. This dual capability frees the service from restrictions imposed by posse comitatus law on other armed services restrictions that essentially prohibit them from conducting law enforcement operations on U.S. soil. Hence, the Coast Guard routinely provides security in U.S. ports and cities. In 2004, at the request of the Secret Service, it provided airspace security for several high-profile events, including the Republican and Democratic conventions, the G-8 Summit and President Ronald Reagan's burial. During these events, the Coast Guard provided round-the-clock coverage with armed HH-60 Jayhawk helicopters and special security teams. The Coast Guard has a handful of armed HH-60s in its fleet and plans to arm all 42 in its inventory within the next decade. In addition, the service operates eight MH-68A Stingray helicopters for counternarcotics operations and will arm its HH-65 Dolphin helicopters as part of an ongoing modernization project. Coast Guard leaders appear eager to take on the task. During press interviews, Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thomas Collins said CBP and the Coast Guard have met to discuss the matter with DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff. Collins expressed confidence that the Coast Guard could handle the job. But others aren't so sure. Loren Thompson, an analyst with Washington think tank the Lexington Institute, said the cash-strapped, overworked service may not be the best candidate for the task. "The reason that Coast Guard has its Deepwater [modernization] program is because it's got a grab-bag of ancient airframes. It's ultimately unequipped to deal with even a moderately challenging mission," Thompson said. Department officials declined to say when a decision would be made. E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> <font face=arial size=-1><a href="http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=12hredfoq/M=362329.6886306.7839369.3040540/D=groups/S=1705323667:TM/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1124770906/A=2894321/R=0/SIG=11dvsfulr/*http://youthnoise.com/page.php?page_id=1992 ">Fair play? Video games influencing politics. Click and talk back!</a>.</font> --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. 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