US Secretary of Homeland Security briefs EU Officials

May 24, 2005 - Michael Chertoff, recently appointed as US Secretary of Homeland Security briefed EU officials on a number of issues including biometrics and passport deadlines on his first trip to Europe as Secretary this week.

The subject of the briefing was "Transatlantic Security Challenges & Possibilities for Cooperation". Chertoff was sworn in as Secretary in February 2005. He was formerly Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division at the Department of Justice.

Speaking at the briefing, Secretary Chertoff said, "I want to advance our (US-EU) cooperation to the next level and it is critical that we examine the vulnerabilities of today's networks and systems. We need to work together on an international footing - seamlessly. We need to look at biometrics, network security and our cargo and container systems, for example, and build on our current good relations and have a focused mission going forward."

Secretary Chertoff said "We need to create technologically based systems - security envelopes that will allow people, travelers and shippers to move freely and securely around the globe."

He went on to say that his dialogue with the EU would raise three clear issues:

1) Screening - "Biometrics can help us enormously - fingerprint, iris scans and other biometrics can help us reduce fraud and reduce the ability to impersonate others. We need to develop a systematic approach to screening that is privacy enhancing and that uses the latest technology."

2) Technology - "It is crucial that we support a global structure. We need to harness all the talent from across the globe and we need to have technology that is compatible and interoperable internationally. We need common platforms and common technology."

3) Law Enforcement - "We must connect a network between our law enforcement agencies worldwide. We need to be able to exchange biometric data to ensure terrorists do not fall between the seams."

Secretary Chertoff went on to say that the Department of Homeland Security will work on advancing a Trusted Traveler program where there are jointly developed standards that encompass both privacy and security. He further said that he did not view security as a trade off with privacy.

He said that one of the key issues was that of interoperability. "We need systems that can talk to one another. This may mean platforms that are uniform from the very start or if these are not available then we need to get there quickly."

Secretary Chertoff said on the subject of biometrics, "We need to make sure the software for biometrics is also interoperable. It is critical that we have operational interoperability. The true value lies in operational cooperation and this is a key area we need to work on together."

In response to a question from the floor as to whether US DHS funding would only be given to US companies, he said "We need to make sure our procurement processes are designed to get the maximum value and most significant results. The issues we are talking about are too important to be hijacked for any purposes."

In response to a further question from the floor on the visa waiver program and the extension of the deadline on biometric passports the Secretary said "DHS is working with Congress and the Visa Waiver countries to develop a way forward which will not comprise on our goals and give effect to our objectives and achieve effective biometric travel documents." He went on to say "I don't want us to compromise on our goals of an architecture for our Homeland Security which is sustainable."

Source: www.eubiometricsforum.com