Emphasizing the need for increased security in metropolitan areas, former Senators Gary Hart (D-Colorado) and Warren Rudman (R-New Hampshire) spoke to a panel of students, community members and faculty at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government last night regarding the newly established Department of Homeland Security.
Hart and Rudman, the founders of the department, proposed it a year before the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center. Although their idea received little attention before the attacks, both senators felt there was a need for more homeland protection, fearing that a large-scale attack on the United States was imminent.
“We knew there would be an attack on U.S. soil, all signs were indicating that,” Hart said. “We just couldn’t get a consensus on how soon the attacks would come or where.”
The senators outlined precautions the United States should take to predict and prevent future terrorist attacks.
“What concerns me is the lack of attention at local and state levels,” Rudman said. “There will definitely be hell to pay if something happens in one of our metropolitan areas.”
Both Hart and Rudman stated firmly that areas outside the east coast are at high risk of terrorist attacks, and that major metropolitan areas, such as St. Louis and Chicago, need to take more precautions to prevent future attacks.
Rudman suggested the National Guard as a resource that could be used to maintain domestic security.
The former senators also addressed recent concerns such as the threat of bio-terrorism within America, U.S. involvement in Israel and the current investigations by Congress into the CIA’s possible warnings of the Sept. 11 attacks.
According to Hart, these issues, as well as the attacks themselves, were not dealt with properly because of the range of government agencies dealing with terrorism. The lack of any overarching authority and organization between organizations is the reason for the new agency.
“Accountability is the key,” Hart said. “All these agencies will now be reporting to the same person. In the government today no one is held accountable.”
Although the former senators touched on virtually every issue regarding U.S. national security and terrorism, some of those who attended did not leave completely satisfied.
“They didn’t come forward with any specific policy aims,” said Joshua Deutsch, a Harvard freshman. “I could read most of what they said in the paper. I want to know what specific things they are planning on doing.”
Neither Rudman nor Hart went into detail on specific policy changes or detailed any plans that might combat terrorism in the near future.
Regarding the issue of chemical or nuclear weapons Iraq actually has within its borders, Rudman said, “If they don’t have it now, they’re not far, and that’s all I can say.”
Some seemed not to mind Hart and Rudman’s broad ideas.
“I don’t think anyone knows what to do to prevent terrorism in the future,” said Harvard freshman Mark Beatty. “It seems that as terrorism evolves, no one knows what we could do about it until after the act has been done.”
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