As these organizations continue to evolve, policymakers remain uncertain about their governance, policies, and priorities. To begin to answer questions concerning these areas, the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) conducted its second annual survey of the 55 state homeland security directors during December 2005 and January 2006.
The results of this survey reflect the responses of 40 homeland security directors from the states, territories, and commonwealths comprising the United States. This number includes 38 responses from the 50 states -- a 76 percent response rate -- and two responses from the commonwealths and territories. For the purposes of this issue brief, all results are based on the 40 survey respondents and the term "state" includes territories.
Key findings of the survey include:
- Two new challenges -- pandemic influenza and natural disasters -- joined the list of top priorities from the previous year's survey. The ongoing top priorities include interoperability, intelligence, and coordination with local agencies.
- Concern continues over the lack of state input into federal policy development. Homeland security directors are nearly unanimous in their recommendation that the federal government coordinate with states prior to adopting and implementing policies. They also want to see greater federal coordination among key agencies such as the Department of Justice, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
- The multiple demands on National Guard forces have left more than half of the states with a diminished capability to meet responsibilities of state emergency plans.
- State homeland security directors view the primary DHS state grant program as underemphasizing disaster prevention and recovery.
- Eighty percent of respondents are in the process of coordinating homeland security plans with infrastructure owned by the private sector. For example, more than 50 percent of homeland security directors report coordinating with surrounding states to protect ports, transit systems, agriculture, energy infrastructure, water infrastructure, and public health infrastructure.
- A majority of homeland security directors are somewhat or completely dissatisfied with the specificity and actionable quality of the intelligence their states receive from the federal government.
- Fifty percent of state homeland security directors tout the Emergency Management Assistance Compact as "very efficient," with some offering changes to further improve the process of obtaining resources through the mutual aid agreement.
2006 State Homeland Security Directors Survey
