When the President asked former Governor Tom Ridge to stand up a new Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress (CSPC) offered the incoming Secretary off-the-record dialogues with think tanks, universities, and business leaders for innovative counsel. Participants in these sessions examined the relationship of DHS to the other agencies in the Executive Branch, addressed the shortcomings of country’s first National Homeland Security Strategy, including the need for close coordination among governors and federal authorities in the event of a terrorist attack on the homeland, and gathering perspectives on current and upcoming Homeland Security Concerns, among other topics.

CSPC continues to sponsor roundtables featuring noted speakers on topics concerning homeland security. Most recently, on November 14, 2008, Mr. Andrew Cutts, Director of Cyber Security Policy at the Department of Homeland Security, provided a substantive overview of where the DHS efforts currently stand on this issue, what remains as defined goals, and areas that should receive better focus.