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James Loy, deputy secretary of the Homeland Security Department, announced his resignation Saturday, and it will be effective March 1 or when a successor is named.

"His vision and commitment to the protection of our country during the department's early years will have a lasting effect for years to come," Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said in a statement.

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Christopher Cox, R-Calif., also said Loy has been one of the "federal government's foremost strategic thinkers and innovative managers of the past decade."

Cox also said Loy's departure will be "doubly painful" because Ridge is leaving the department "and replacements of their caliber will be hard to find."

Before serving as deputy secretary, Loy was commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard from 1998 to 2001.

COMMENTS

• There are two more high level departures from DHS that were recently announced, namely, James Loy, the Deputy Secretary (the 2nd Deputy in the 21 months DHS has been in existence to resign), and Frank Libutti, the Under Secretary for Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection. I'm sure that this is only the beginning of the exodus from this department. There is still nobody to replace Tom Ridge as DHS Secretary, now that Bernard Kerik's nomination has gone down in flames. Funny, when I was hired, I had to undergo a background investigation first, not afterwards. I guess it's different for bosses, especially political appointees. This monstrosity of an agency somehow continues to lurch along, despite the lack of competent management, low morale, budget problems, mission encroachment, lousy administrative systems, and a lack of overall direction and focus. Meanwhile, the FBI and CIA, who came out after 9/11 with increased budgets, personnel and authority, despite their dropping the ball prior to that terrorist attack, now have a fall guy to blame the next attack on, namely DHS. This is because of DHS's lack of real authority to investigate terrorism, which is jealously held by the FBI. Yet DHS is supposed to protect the U.S. from terrorists! No wonder nobody wants to be in charge here! GovExec.com reader Posted January 6, 2005 11:56 AM
• And the exodus from DHS continues! Here is an agency that is not yet two years old, and virtually all of its top level managers have bailed out (some positions more than once, e.g., Deputy Secretary). This turnover is amazing, especially when compared to other federal government agencies. What are the problems with DHS? Unfortunately, space prevents me from listing them all, but rest assured, otherwise qualified people are staying away in droves. We can't get a new Secretary, as the first applicant, Mr. Kerik, self-destructed, and others are avoiding this agency like the plague. No wonder, with the low morale and budget problems at ICE, the lack of mission focusand direction, the raids on our authority by the FBI and others, and finally, the fact that we are in a no-win position. Although we are called "Homeland Security", the truth is we cannot investigate terrorism (the FBI again), and merely exist to "take the fall" when (not if) there is another terrorist attack on the U.S. No wonder nobody wants to come here, or if they do come, they don't last very long!!! GovExec.com reader Posted December 23, 2004 4:22 PM
• Physics laws always prevail. It’s a matter of cause and effect. If DHS ran the way it was supposed to, then people would stay. JEHoover stayed in the FBI for half a century. He carved the whole department to run the way he wanted it to. Well, DHS is new and has too many backseat drivers. The people who resigned had other viable options and plenty of golf outings to enjoy. Some smarty congressman is complimenting Loy with epitaph politics. Instead, he should address the roots of the problem. God bless DHS. DHS is dead! Rocky Termanini Posted December 23, 2004 12:10 AM