Synopsis
Based on his first-hand experiences and observations of how the Department of Homeland Security is failing to make America safe, Ervin shows the real threats we face--from nuclear attack to homegrown terrorism. Pushed out by the White House for refusing to sugarcoat its failures, Ervin candidly discusses the circumstances of his departure. He takes the reader inside the decision-making councils of this newest department of the U.S. government, and shows how his team's prescriptions for urgent change were ignored--leaving the US vulnerable to another terrorist attack.
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About the Author
Clark Kent Ervin is former Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security and currently holds a post at the Aspen Institute. He is an on-air terrorism analyst for CNN, and will be appearing regularly as an expert on Wolf Blitzer's new show, The Situation Room. Previously, Ervin served as Inspector General of the State Department for over a year under Secretary Powell, and worked as Assistant Secretary of the State of Texas under President George W. Bush when he was Governor of Texas. Ervin has been profiled in media such as U.S. News and World Report, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, among others. He lives in Washington, D.C.
Reviews
Appointed acting inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security in January 2003, Ervin left after 18 months when Congress refused to confirm him. The reason, he writes, is that he did his job too well, pointing out so much mismanagement and so many security lapses that the bureaucracy turned against him. Ervin sounds the alarm and attempts to settle scores in this book, a detailed warning that America remains frighteningly vulnerable to terrorism. Ervin explores the homeland's weaknesses, describes what the DHS should be doing and how it falls short. Ports, airlines, "soft targets" such as stadiums and critical infrastructure like the water supply must be further secured, as must mass transit (which receives a fraction the funding aviation does). Fragmented intelligence allowed the 9/11 plotters to succeed, but the DHS has not yet achieved coordination of intelligence. Finally, the massive DHS budget requires the establishment of strict accounting and antifraud policies. Though the author notes progress in some areas, he thinks the department has made woefully inadequate headway, is incompetently administered and starved for funds. Ervin's criticisms ring true, and they were well covered in the media, but readers may prefer an account less colored by personal feeling.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Open Target: Where America Is Vulnerable to Attack
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St. Martin's Press (edition First Edition), 2006
ISBN 10: 1403972885
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