Flu epidemics: Booz Allen in DHS needs to get a tasker

One thing they're doing more of is floating trial balloons. DHS appears to looking for some feedback: Should we modify our plan; how much should DoD be involved; or should we proceed?

Mind you, we're paying these guys money to float trial balloons. So much for ignoring polls.

Matt offers another link on the Federal use of troops for quarantines. The simple answer is to put some pressure on the DHS planners to figure out how DHS, not DoD, is going to be ready.

This means someone in the Senior Executive Service needs to clearly define the lanes for this "quarantine solution." Right now, it appears the lanes haven't been well defined.

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One of the main thrusts of the debate has been DoD's role under the Posse Comitatus Act.

I argue the issue should be turned on its head: Why not specifically assign DHS the responsibility with this job, and mobilize a civilian-structure that would lawfully enforce a quarantine.

I do not see the solution as being one that DoD necessarily must make; nor is it one that DoD needs to be given.

Rather, the solution is to do what must be done to make DHS work.

If DHS cannot handle this job, then we need to either rethink what we've done post 9-11; or figure out how to get DoD to stay within the lane of the Posse Comitatus Act.

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Some may say that we don't have time.

OK, then given the "lack of time," why isn't there a mobilization to get civilians trained?

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Then the argument comes, "We can't mobilize civilians to do this, we saw what happened in Abu Ghraib."

Hold on, that's a discipline problem and leadership problem, separate from the mobilization issue.

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Thus, I conclude the most credible solution isn't to take DoD with this responsibility when the problem arrives but to mobilize civilians now to be ready if this happens.

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The objective of government is to do more than individual civilians can do on their own. If some are going to argue, "Oh, that's up to the individual to do that," then you're missing what's failed in Katrina: A self-evident problem, but no national mobilization in concert with a clear plan.

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The quick answer: We need a draft, beef up the troops in Iraq, bring home the national guard, and then augment DHS with a mobilized citizenry.

Either waste time doing something else, and then come back and say, "Why didn't we listen, or listen now."

Either way, you've got alot of money that needs to be allocated to move people form their current position, through training, and get them ready.

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We saw the disaster with SETA contractor planning with Booz Allen. If you want more disasters like we've had in Katrina, please continue with the non-sense of "inadequate mobilization, poor planning, and dreams in the sky."

It's time to review the SETA contract performance of the Booz Allen effort and get some straight answers: What happened to the IG reports in DHS; what happened with the IG reviews of the award fee plans for Booz Allen; and how can anyone say, "We did a great job" given the self-evident disaster in the Gulg Coast?

Ball is in Booz Allen's court to come up with a game plan to make this civilian mobilization plan work.

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I suspect someone in the Kennedy School of Government has some interesting ideas; if only someone would make a decision and set a deadline for Booz Allen.

How about it, DHS or are you still trying to figure out what went wrong with Katrina?

It might help if you look at the DHS GC office and ask if the DHS GC has other things on his mind given his father in law could potentially be impeached.