Vital National Strategic Assets

02/28/2006

Paul Munnis

A post 9/11 mentality would take stock of the nation’s critical assets and assure that they are protected. And, it must go even further than that. Such an assessment would have to include dependencies upon outside sources and assure that in the event that America is isolated we can still function efficiently.

An obvious case of vital strategic assets is the national port facilities, our airports, and highways, and… well the list goes on and on and includes refineries and gas pipelines too.

Frankly a government unit should own these strategic national assets although they should be free to contract who manages them and award the job on a bidding basis.

A lack of aviary flu drugs is a serious problem for example since Tamiflu is only made by Roche in Switzerland. Yet it is a strategic drug in time of flu pandemic. Thus there is a need to invest in cross licensing and manufacturing of foreign drugs within the USA if we are going to sell them here and make people dependent upon them. We also need to exercise a possibility of strikes and riots that shut down the ports or airports, or highways or ….  whatever.

The Department of Homeland Security has not conducted such an audit, not made recommendations, and indeed they are on the wrong side of the political debate as a result of their failure. We encourage them to make haste at correcting this short-coming and to propose legislation to Congress that will assure control of the strategic assets in the event of international war.

A cursory analysis can be a start and it can be improved upon over time. But for heavens sake get going. 9/11/2001 was a long time ago and to be behind the curve and operating in a pre 9/11 mentality is dangerous to all of us.