SINET Innovation Summit Massachusetts Institute of Technology October 4, 2011 Tara OToole, M.D., M.P.H. Under Secretary for Science and Technology U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Key Points Homeland Security missions: cover broad scope of problems and operations, complex, dynamic Value Proposition of DHS Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) How do we build national innovation ecosystem? Possible directions for government, academia and private sector

3 Department of Homeland Security The Core Missions 1.Preventing terrorism and enhancing security; 2.Securing and managing our borders; 3.Enforcing and administering our immigration laws; 4.Safeguarding and securing cyberspace; and 5.Ensuring resilience to disasters.

Evolution of Terrorist Attacks in Aviation TimeEvent/ThreatVulnerabilityResponse 1970sHostage/HijackingGuns, weaponsMagnetometers 1988Pan Am 103, Lockerbie Bomb in baggage Baggage scans Sept 2001WTC, PA, PentagonBox cutters, etcTSA Dec 2001Richard ReidShoe bombShoes removed 2004Chechen suicide attacksVests Pat downs, backscatter 2006Heathrow liquids plot Novel liquid bomb Liquids ban 2009Non-metallic body bomb Body bomb in sensitive area ETD, WBI, pat down 2010Printer cartridge bombs Explosives packed in cargo Trace detection for cargo

US Airline Flight Density Sources:Koblin

Worldwide Land and Sea Shipping Density Sources: Uchida, Nelson

Visualization of the Internet Sources: OPTE Project

Deepwater Horizon Sources: Reuters, Wikimedia Commons

Three Near-Simultaneous Disasters Magnitude 9.0 Sources: AP, Reuters

Complex Systems Fail Complexly In complex industrial, space, and military systems, the normal accident generally (not always) means that the interactions are not only unexpected, but are incomprehensible for some critical period of time. - Charles Perrow, Normal Accidents, 1984

DHS S&T Mission Strengthen Americas security and resiliency by providing knowledge products and innovative technology solutions for the Homeland Security Enterprise

S&T Value Proposition S&Ts contributions to the Homeland Security Enterprise will come from: Creation, of new technological capabilities and process enhancements Cost savings due to technological innovation and analytics Leveraging scientific and engineering expertise to achieve improvements in operational analysis, project management and acquisition management Progressively deeper, broader understanding of homeland security technology priorities and capability gaps

Goal 1: Transition to Use Provide knowledge, technologies, and science-based solutions that are integrated into homeland security operations, employing month innovation cycles from project inception through operational testing Strengthen relationships with DHS components to better understand and address their high-priority requirements Become best-in-class at technology foraging – find and use whats out there; encourage and enable multidisciplinary teams Focus on rigorous project selection and regular review of the entire R&D portfolio Implement processes that strengthen project management, evaluation, and accountability within the Directorate Rapidly develop and deliver knowledge, analyses, and innovative solutions that advance the mission of the Department

1.Is our portfolio making a significant impact on our customers mission? 2.Are we transitioning relevant products to the field? 3.Is our investment positioning the organization for the future? 4.Are we clear on what we are trying to achieve? 5.Do we have the appropriate level of customer interaction? 6.Are we sufficiently innovative in the way we approach our challenges? 14 Impact? Transition? Technical Positioning? Clarity of Purpose? Customer Involvement? Innovation? Portfolio Analysis: Key Questions

Innovation as Goal The greatest change of all is probably that in the last 40 years purposeful innovation – both technical and social – has itself become an organized discipline that is both teachable and learnable. …every organization will have to learn to innovate – and innovation can now be organized and must be organized – as a systematic process. On the one hand, this means every organization has to prepare for the abandonment of everything it does…..On the other hand, every organization must devote itself to creating the new. -Peter Drucker, The New Society of Organizations, 1992

W. Brian Arthur, The Nature of Technology In the cases I have studied, again and again I am struck that innovation emerges when people are faced by problems – particular, well-specified problems. It arises as solutions to these are conceived of by people steeped in many means – many functionalities – they can combine. It is enhanced by funding that enables this, by training and experience in myriad functionalities, by the existence of special projects and labs devoted to the study of particular problems, and by local cultures that foster deep craft.

Innovation in DHS S&T Top heavy bureaucracies remain innovation sink holes. Steven Johnson, Where Good Ideas Come From, 2010 DHS S&T Innovation Advantages - Deep understanding of the problem Multidisciplinary teams Emphasis on near-term development, transition to use: technology foraging, leverage others investments Rich opportunities for operational test beds, pilots, T&E Capacity to partner with private sector, academia, other federal agencies, internationally Convening power

Whats Needed New hubs and vehicles for sustained intellectual sharing, collaboration Common, comprehensive understanding of problems to be solved System solutions – not just technology fixes New partnerships between US government and other players: discussion groups, collaborations, grants, contracts Faster transition to use in the field Clear, repeated, public descriptions of purposes and stakes

The single most frequent failure in the history of forecasting has been grossly underestimating the impact of technologies -Peter Schwartz President, Global Business Network