Decision on homeland security centers draws interest on Hill

Members of Congress have not failed to see the opportunities inherent for their districts in the mandate the Homeland Security Department has to create "centers of excellence" for security.

The mandate in the law that created the department last year states that there must be at least one such center, but Charles McQueary, Homeland Security undersecretary for science and technology, told a House subcommittee on Wednesday that he is "sure it will be more than one."

Several members asked about the process for selecting universities and touted the universities in their districts. McQueary said the decision had not been made yet. He said he is consulting with the National Science Foundation and with key university and science associations for their recommendations. He assured one member seeking consideration for historically minority universities that "consideration will be given to all schools."

McQueary also said a memorandum of understanding with the Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology on the development of security technology standards should be announced Thursday.

McQueary reiterated that his directorate's focus for the coming months will be on determining what technologies already exist. He said it is more important to find good technologies quickly than to wait to find perfect ones over time.

In response to a question from subcommittee ranking Democrat Zoe Lofgren, whose northern California jurisdiction includes many technology firms, McQueary said he has three goals for making it easier for tech companies to get their products reviewed. The first is the so-called broad agency announcement issued last week by the interagency Technical Support Working Group listing dozens of technologies being sought for homeland security.

A second approach is to collect e-mailed technology proposals at science.technology@dhs.gov, where McQueary said he now has received about 500 inquiries. And third, where he identifies promising near-term technologies, he will invite officials with those companies in for meetings.

McQueary said he inherited the work being done by the Energy Department on detection technologies, including six workers and the ability to work with the national laboratories. He also said his office is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop software programs for analyzing when biological incidents have occurred.

Pennsylvania Republican Curt Weldon gave the same list of issues to McQueary that he presented to Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge on Tuesday. They include creating an integrated emergency communications system, providing spectrum for emergency communications, improving the process of transferring technology from the military to emergency responders, and finding new ways to encourage universities to train cyber-security specialists.

McQueary made the remarks before the House Homeland Security Cybersecurity, Science and Research and Development Subcommittee chaired by Mac Thornberry, R-Texas. Thornberry and other members highlighted the importance of cyber security and detection devices.

"We've got to be just as fast and just as aggressive, not just in pursuing this enemy but in pursuing new technologies that will help keep our cities and towns more secure," Thornberry said.