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Robert Rand Brittingham Beers [1] (born November 30,1942) is an American government official. He served as Deputy Homeland Security Advisor to the President of the United States during the Barack Obama administration. [2] He also served as acting Secretary of Homeland Security [3] following the resignation of Secretary Janet Napolitano on September 6,2013 until Jeh Johnson assumed that office on December 23,2013.
Beers began his professional career as a Marine officer and rifle company commander in Vietnam (1964–1968). He entered the Foreign Service in 1971 and transferred to the Civil Service in 1983. He served most of his career in the Department of State,including as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Regional Affairs in the Bureau of Politico-Military Affairs,focusing on the Middle East and Persian Gulf (1992–1993). He was Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (1998–2002).
Beers also served on the NSC Staff in the following capacies:Director for Counter-terrorism and Counter-narcotics (1988–1992),Director for Peacekeeping (1993–1995),and Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Intelligence Programs (1995–1998),and Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Combating Terrorism on the NSC Staff (2002–2003).
He resigned from the NSC Staff in March 2003,retired from government service in April 2003,and served as national security advisor for the Kerry-Edwards campaign (2003–2004).
Beers stirred up controversy with remarks [4] he made at an event hosted by the Center for American Progress in June 2008. The event,dubbed "McCain University," was a comprehensive effort to illustrate John McCain's policy proposals in the context of the 2008 Presidential Election. During the question and answer portion of the event,Beers noted that "his [John McCain's] national security experience [...] is sadly limited" due to the fact that "he was in isolation essentially for many of those years and did not experience the turmoil here or the challenges that were involved for those of us who served in Vietnam during the Vietnam war." McCain,a captured U.S. Navy aviator,was a prisoner of war of the North Vietnamese government for several years,and was repeatedly tortured. Beers's comments elicited widespread criticism from conservative observers such as Rush Limbaugh [5] and Karl Rove, [6] as well as a variety of right-wing blogs. [7] [ failed verification ]
As Under Secretary,Beers directed the Department's efforts to reduce risks to physical,cyber and communications infrastructures.[ citation needed ] NPPD collaborates with all levels of government,the private sector,non-government organizations,and international bodies to prevent,respond to,and mitigate threats to U.S. national security from acts of terrorism,natural disasters,and other catastrophic events.
He is a member of the National Infrastructure Advisory Council. [8]
Beers served as Counselor to Secretary Janet Napolitano beginning on January 21,2009 and continued in that capacity while directing the activities of NPPD. Before his appointment,he was the co-leader of the Department of Homeland Security Transition Team for the incoming Obama administration. Prior to the 2008 election,Beers was president of the National Security Network,a Washington,D.C.-based foreign policy think tank he founded in 2006 to foster discussion of progressive national security ideas around the country,and an adjunct lecturer at Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University.
Between April and September in 2013,he was the acting United States Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security.
Following Napolitano's resignation on September 6,2013,Beers became acting United States Secretary of Homeland Security. His tenure ended when Jeh Johnson was confirmed as Napolitano's replacement by the United States Senate on December 23,2013.
Beers earned a bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College and a master's degree from the University of Michigan. The New York Times described Beers as "always a Democrat,though he served in several Republican administrations and says he voted for only one Republican:Spiro T. Agnew for governor of Maryland in 1966". [9]
The United States National Security Council (NSC) is the principal forum used by the president of the United States for consideration of national security,military,and foreign policy matters. Based in the White House,it is part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States,and composed of senior national security advisors and Cabinet officials.
The Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs (APNSA),commonly referred to as the National Security Advisor (NSA),is a senior aide in the Executive Office of the President,based at the West Wing of the White House. The national security advisor serves as the principal advisor to the President of the United States on all national security issues. The national security advisor participates in meetings of the National Security Council (NSC) and usually chairs meetings of the Principals Committee of the NSC with the Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense. The NSA also sits on the Homeland Security Council (HSC). The national security advisor is supported by NSC staff who produce classified research and briefings for the national security advisor to review and present,either to the NSC or the president. The national security advisor is appointed by the president and does not require confirmation by the United States Senate. An appointment of a three- or four-star general to the role requires Senate confirmation to maintain that rank in the new position.
The United States secretary of homeland security is the head of the United States Department of Homeland Security,the federal department tasked with ensuring public safety in the United States. The secretary is a member of the Cabinet of the United States. The position was created by the Homeland Security Act following the attacks of September 11,2001.
The United States under secretary of defense for policy (USDP) is a high level civilian official in the United States Department of Defense. The under secretary of defense for policy is the principal staff assistant and adviser to both the secretary of defense and the deputy secretary of defense for all matters concerning the formation of national security and defense policy.
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Paul Allan Schneider is a former United States Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security. He had previously served as the Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Management. He was responsible for all the department's budget,appropriations,expenditure of funds,accounting and finance;procurement;human resources and personnel;information technology systems;facilities,property,equipment,and other material resources;and identification and tracking of performance measurements.
The Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS),codified at 6 C.F.R. part 27,are a set of United States federal government security regulations for certain high-risk chemical facilities that possess particular chemicals,called chemicals of interest (COI) at particular concentrations. The CFATS regulations apply across a number of industries,ranging from chemical plants and chemical storage facilities to electrical generating facilities,refineries,and universities.
The National Security Network (NSN) was a non-profit foreign policy organization headquartered in Washington,D.C.,United States,that focused on international relations,global affairs and national security. Characterizing itself as "progressive," the NSN's mission statement asserts the group aimed to "build a strong progressive national security and counter conservative spin."
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The Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is a high level civilian official in the United States Department of Homeland Security. The Director,as head of Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency at DHS,is the principal staff assistant and adviser to both the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security for all DHS programs designed to reduce the nation's risk to terrorism and natural disasters. The Director is appointed from civilian life by the President with the consent of the Senate to serve at the pleasure of the President.
The Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Intelligence and Analysis is a high-level civilian official in the United States Department of Homeland Security. The Under Secretary,as head of the Office of Intelligence and Analysis at DHS,is the principal staff assistant and adviser to the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security for fusing law enforcement and intelligence information relating to terrorism and other critical threats.
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Phyllis Schneck is an American executive and cybersecurity professional. As of May 2017,she became the managing director at Promontory Financial Group. Schneck served in the Obama administration as Deputy Under Secretary for Cybersecurity and Communications for the National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD),at the Department of Homeland Security.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is a component of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) responsible for cybersecurity and infrastructure protection across all levels of government,coordinating cybersecurity programs with U.S. states,and improving the government's cybersecurity protections against private and nation-state hackers.
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Christine Elizabeth Wormuth is an American defense official and career civil servant who serves as the United States Secretary of the Army since 2021. She is the first female United States Secretary of the Army.
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