Sept. 24, 2007 – 7:50 p.m.
The Department of Homeland Security’s second most senior official announced his resignation Monday, creating further concern about lack of continuity of leadership at the department.
Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security
“As we near a presidential transition, and with security threats looming around every corner, I’m scared to ask who Secretary [of Homeland Security Michael] Chertoff will turn to now,” Thompson said in a statement.
David Heyman, director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Homeland Security Program, said in an interview that the timing of Jackson’s departure “certainly won’t be positive as he would be the principle person involved” in the transition to a new administration, and the department’s transition “would probably be more important than any other department in the government since it’s a newly created department.” There’s “no question” that it would be best for the department if Jackson’s replacement comes from within DHS, Heyman said.
The Brookings Institution’s Michael O’Hanlon said in an interview “it’s still a crucial period for DHS and any time you lose somebody very valuable at the top it gets a little bit harder so it’s too bad to see him go.” Replacing Jackson creates an opportunity to create a precedent by appointing an official from the state level, such as the National Guard or a city police department, he added.
Possible replacements for Jackson mentioned by various homeland security experts and insiders were the head of the Coast Guard, Adm. Thad Allen, Customs and Border Protection Commissioner
Jackson said in his resignation letter that he is leaving for “financial reasons.”
George W. Foresman, the former undersecretary of the Preparedness Directorate at DHS, said in an interview that “Being in a senior management position at the department is tough because unlike many federal agencies that have a very mature organizational structure of budgeting, program management processes, and personnel processes, DHS is still very much a developing organization and as such . . . [requires] an extra level of effort into the routine day-to-day functioning of the department.”
Jackson’s two and a half years at DHS was “normal” for such a demanding job, and similar to turnover in senior leadership at the Department of Defense, said Foresman, who resigned in March from his position at DHS and is now president of the consulting firm Highland Risk and Crisis Solutions. The next administration and Congress might reconsider the current salary structure for leadership positions in the government to “attract and retain top quality folks that are needed in critical jobs,” he added.
Jackson brought innovative thinking and badly needed organizational discipline to the department and was exceptionally hard-working, Foresman said.
He could have “50 plates spinning while he was juggling about 30 balls” and could also navigate Washington politics, a combination that will be hard to find in his replacement, Foresman said.
Robert Bonner, DHS’ first commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, said in an interview that Jackson “brought fresh ideas into the new department” and “was one of the real thought leaders.” Bonner is now a partner at the law firm Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher.
Jackson also had his critics.
Former DHS Inspector General Clark Kent Ervin, now at the Aspen Institute, said in an interview he was disappointed Jackson had not improved contract oversight at the department, though he added Jackson is “very smart and very hard working.”
Other analysts considered Jackson to have delayed approving various important initiatives because of a tendency to micro-manage.
Heritage Foundation senior fellow James Carafano said Jackson did the best he could given that he had too many employees directly reporting to him.
Eleanor Stables can be reached at estables@cq.com.