John Edwards for President-Strengthening Domestic Defense

Strengthening Domestic Defense

"The administration may think domestic defense is about changing the color code from yellow to orange. Let me tell you something: the colors that will make America safer are firefighter red, EMT white, and police officer blue." -- John Edwards

John Edwards has outlined a strategy to strengthen America's defenses against the threat of further terrorist attack. Edwards' strategy focuses on tightening our border security, strengthening security at the likeliest targets of terrorist attacks and improving domestic readiness so we are always prepared to respond to threats. At the same time, Edwards believes that winning the fight against terrorists requires wisdom and moral strength, as well as military might. If we are to succeed in spreading democracy abroad, we must defend the fundamental principles of democracy at home.

Protecting First Responders

Our first responders are our first line of defense for homeland security. Yet we need to do far better to stand up for those who stand up for us. As we saw in 9/11, first responders can suffer terrible health consequences as a result of their heroism. We also need to do more to strengthen the organizational capacity and training of first responders.

Strengthen staffing: Edwards will strengthen the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Fire Fighters Act, which helps local governments meet the growing demands of our emergency preparedness requirements.
Help for frontline officers: Police on the front lines need better warning information, more security clearances, and improved access to newly-combined federal watch lists. Edwards will apply all available federal resources to ensure that local law enforcement agencies receive the information they need to respond to terrorist threats.
Protect the health of first responders: If we don’t take care of our first responders, they won’t be able to take care of us. Edwards would put an Incident Safety Management System in place to make difficult safety decisions and will give it the equipment, capabilities, and authority it needs. Edwards would also launch pilot programs for integrated safety management, conduct preparedness exercises, and train disaster management safety experts who can be deployed to lead the response at the site of an emergency.
Employ the National Guard more effectively. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, our nation’s military response had significant shortcomings in the critical first few days. To learn the lesson from Katrina, Edwards would speed up National Guard response across state lines by making each National Guard unit capable of rapid deployment and having state governors ready to call up units and not just wait for volunteers. He would establish plans to use the Air National Guard or commercial air services to fly designated National Guard units to out-of-state emergencies. He would also create a new system of regional National Guard task forces to train regularly with local first responders, including law enforcement officials, as well as other units that are focused on counterterrorism and weapons of mass destruction.
Implement a COPS II program. Edwards would provide state and local law enforcement agencies the resources to hire intelligence analysts and counterterrorism officers. Edwards would also create a culture of “first preventers” and not just “first responders” so that state and local law enforcement offers get training and information to prevent terrorism, not just clean up after it.

Tightening Our Border Security

Our border is the line of first defense against those who would do us harm. Yet five and a half years after 9/11, we still have dangerous vulnerabilities, which run the risk of allowing a terrorist to transport weapons across our border. Edwards believes we should be far more aggressive with border security.

Borders: Edwards supports substantial increases in the ranks of the Department of Homeland Security, Border Patrol, and consular officials to secure our borders.
Seaports: Over 1 million passengers and pedestrians, 327,000 vehicles, and 70,000 shipping containers come into the United States through ports of entry each day. Only 80% of the country's ports have the ability to screen for nuclear and radiological materials and weapons. Edwards would require the following steps: 100% of all foreign ports should screen within five year, with no extensions; 100% of all U.S. ports should screen within three years; and “smart containers” should be made available to shippers that will detect and report entries into containers so anything dangerous can be quickly spotted. [DHS, 2006]
Air Cargo: The 23 billion pounds of air cargo that enter the U.S. annually are only partially screened today. Edwards would request a National Intelligence Estimate on the mid- to long-term threat to passenger air travel; at least double the volume of air cargo inspected within three years; and work through the new Counterterrorism and Intelligence Treaty Organization (CITO) he has proposed to establish stronger multilateral global air cargo security standards.

Protecting The Most Vulnerable Targets

Many of our most valuable assets—our chemical plants, skyscrapers, and sports arenas—are also potential targets for terrorists. A successful attack on any of these targets would be devastating, and we must do everything in our power to protect them. Edwards believes we must do far more to protect our most vulnerable targets.

Chemical Plants: Because of industry pressure, new watered-down security rules imposed by the Bush administration may actually weaken security at many plants. Edwards has supported tough new safety standards at chemical plants vulnerable to terrorist attacks. [USA Today, 2/19/07]
Skyscrapers and Arenas: Today, many tall buildings and arenas lack state-of-the-art security and blast-resistant materials. Edwards supports research into improved safety standards, building construction, and building security methods. He also supports better training, screening and supervision for the private security industry.
Cybersecurity: Only a few federal agencies follow best practices for securing their computers against cyber-attack. Edwards will require all federal agencies to adopt these practices.

Improving Domestic Readiness

Homeland security is not just a matter of borders and protecting valuable targets. We must also improve our readiness by working more with the people who serve us and the warning systems that tell us when something had gone wrong. Edwards believes we must dramatically improve our systems for assuring domestic readiness.

Getting Americans Involved: Edwards will support communities that encourage citizens to serve—e.g., for one weekend each year. He also supports neighborhood watches and other measures that would enable communities to better address homeland security concerns.
Improved Emergency Warnings: The color-coded warning system is often more confusing than helpful and does not reach all Americans in the event of a nighttime attack. Edwards would require the provision of better, faster and more practical information using all available technologies, including traditional telephones, cell phones, and pagers.
Establish Professional Responsibility Training: Several inspectors and border patrol agents have been indicted and convicted for lapses in professional responsibility. Edwards would establish better training that will focus on employee integrity and improved reporting of corruption.

Keeping America Safe And Free

John Edwards believes we must stop the Bush administration's trampling of basic freedoms in the name of the war against terror. As president, Edwards will prohibit surveillance of Americans’ phone calls and emails without a warrant, close down Guantanamo Bay, restore habeas corpus, and say no to torture.