Testimony of Mark R. Warner, Governor of Virginia, Before the House Committee on Government Reform

Chairman Davis, Mr. Waxman, and members of the Committee:

Thank you for the opportunity to join you today to provide an update of our efforts in the Commonwealth of Virginia and within the National Capital Region to increase security and respond to the new threat environment. I am pleased to report that we are working in close partnership with Governor Ehrlich, Mayor Williams, Mr. Byrne, and of course, with a range of local elected officials.

You have my written statement, but I would like to offer some brief comments.

I appear before you at a time when the men and women of our nation's military are at war in Iraq. We remain mindful of their sacrifices, and we pray for the families of those who have lost their lives.

We also remain committed to an equally important mission here at home. The mission is clear. We must ensure the preparedness of Virginia, the National Capital Region, and the nation for emergencies and disasters of all kinds, including terrorism.

The mission involves our citizens, the news media, the private sector, and state, local, and federal agencies. This mission demands our utmost attention. It calls us to put aside the old jurisdictional battles and remember that we can get more done when we don't worry about who gets the credit.

My comments today are built around two fundamental principles: if we're going to be fully prepared to address emergencies in the National Capital Region, we must cooperate at all levels - and we must have the resources to get the job done.

A Progress Report

I am pleased to report that we have established clear procedures and lines of communication between all of the jurisdictions in the region, at the federal, state, and local levels. This is critical for developing a clear vision of where we need to go as a region.

This level of cooperation is unprecedented, and it can serve as a model for the rest of the country. If neighboring jurisdictions can cooperate effectively in the National Capital Region, then they can do it anywhere.

In addition, it is clear that federal support remains a critical component of this region's preparedness efforts. On behalf of the three jurisdictions, I want to thank you and your colleagues for the recent funding for high-threat urban areas. This down payment is an important step in the right direction, but it is only a first step. We are also aware of your ongoing work on the supplemental appropriations bill for this year, and we are grateful for the additional sums it will contain for our homeland security efforts.

Today, we are better prepared for emergencies and disasters than we were on September 11. Today, we are giving greater attention to protecting our citizens. Much has been done, but more must be accomplished.

The responsibility does not rest with a single agency, level of government, corporate officer, or citizen. It is a shared responsibility between all segments of society. It depends heavily on coordinated intergovernmental actions.

Our work in Virginia and with our partners in the National Capital Region is designed to achieve innovative solutions to the unique challenges in the region. Like all state and local governments, we have had to set priorities within the context of a severe financial crisis. We have done so mindful of this region's unique needs and responsibilities to the nation.

My Secure Virginia Panel is providing important leadership in homeland security.

I selected Virginia's former Lieutenant Governor John Hager to head that Panel and to serve as my Assistant for Commonwealth Preparedness, a new Cabinet-level position that I created to coordinate Virginia's homeland security efforts.

Since their inception, both the office and the Secure Virginia Panel have been working to improve our preparedness. No issue has received any more attention than how to ensure the best level of interaction and coordination among government agencies, the private sector, our citizens and very importantly the media and press.

Cooperation is key to our ability to deter and prevent attacks, reduce vulnerability and, if necessary, to respond and recover. We must also continue to educate and inform. Nowhere in Virginia is cooperation more vital than right here in the National Capital Region.

I applaud this Committee and the Congress for the attention paid to the unique characteristics of the National Capital Region. It is the seat of our national government and home to many of our military assets. The interdependencies of the transportation, utility, and commercial sectors alone create common bonds that transcend jurisdictional lines.

This safety and preparedness of this region is critical to the national and economic security of America. Consequently, it is essential that we view our readiness not from the perspective of a single jurisdiction, but with the unified perspective of a region working in partnership.

Last August, I met with my counterparts from the District of Columbia and Maryland and Secretary Ridge. We recognized the need to closely coordinate preparedness efforts across the NCR.

The need for closer coordination is not to suggest that any single effort is not working. Each is doing well within its individual context. The Washington D.C. Metropolitan Council of Governments, Potomac Conference of the Greater Washington Board of Trade, and Northern Virginia Regional Commission are among the many organizations that are pursuing meaningful agendas.

Rather, we recognized that our ability to make effective improvements depended on cooperation and unifying these independent efforts. The reality is clear: we cannot afford any weak links if we are to ensure the safety and security of our citizens and communities.

Consequently, we remain steadfast in maintaining strategic focus across the NCR, and in moving forward on the eight areas of commitment that today's presentations will address.

The responsibility for achieving the needed coordination is a role for state and local elected leadership in partnership with federal officials. After the summit last August, we established the National Capital Region Senior Policy Group. This panel works on many fronts, with many groups, and with a sense of urgency to make sure we are meeting the basic obligation to our citizens to keep them safe and secure.

The Commonwealth applauds the selection of Mike Byrne to serve as the Director of the Office of National Capital Region Coordination. Mr. Byrne has already proven that he will be a strong asset in achieving solutions. He is personally leading a continuing effort to maintain our momentum.

Future Priorities

I would like to briefly address some priority areas resulting from the National Capital Region Leaders Summit. These are part of the effort to galvanize regional activities towards a united level of preparedness. While we are partnered with all the activities, our Senior Policy Group members have agreed to personally oversee those efforts. I would like to report on three of these.

First, terrorism prevention. While much of our focus continues to be on how best to respond when attacks occur, it is also clear that steps to deter and prevent attacks are equally important.

Consequently, we cannot overstate the importance of continuing to aggressively share information between the regional Joint Terrorism Task Forces and Anti-Terrorism Task Forces and their local, state and federal members.

Progress has been made in developing templates for regional law enforcement intelligence reports, establishing better reporting and communication, and integrating information technologies that support these efforts.

Again, as I said earlier, we cannot afford any weak links - and these information-sharing efforts are designed to guard against critical information slipping through the cracks. Anything Congress can do to encourage and promote better communication will be crucial to this effort.

Second, infrastructure protection. In the National Capital Region, we recognize that government alone cannot do it all.

That's why we are committed to work with the private sector to identify and set protection priorities for infrastructure assets and services, such as the computer systems or the communication networks that allow modern society to function.

Specifically, we have partnered with the Greater Washington Board of Trade to identify private sector core groups to help manage this complex but critical public-private effort.

The three jurisdictions have agreed to leverage the resources that Congress has provided in a joint cooperative effort working with each sector across the region.

In addition, I am pleased to report, Mr. Chairman, that the Virginia General Assembly has enacted legislation to promote information sharing relative to threats to critical infrastructure. This new law was modeled on legislation that you sponsored at the federal level.

Third, training and exercises. Our commitment in this area is to coordinate plans for terrorism and security-related training across the NCR. Clearly, the best way to do this is for first responders, managers, and leaders to train and conduct preparedness exercises together.

To that end, we have shared training courses being offered throughout the region, and we are encouraging cross-jurisdictional and private sector participation. Next month, we will participate in the TOPOFF II national exercise to test command and control, information sharing, and joint information dissemination capabilities.

This fall, we will conduct a joint regional full-scale field exercise with first responders. Again, this cooperation and sharing of information allows us to stretch our resources further and to achieve greater protection for our communities.

Concluding Points

In conclusion, let me mention three areas that need additional attention.

First, the National Capital Region's security depends on federal partnership and support. As a matter of philosophy, no federal responsibility is more fundamental than defense of the homeland. Nowhere is that more true than in the Capital Region.

And as a practical matter, state and local governments simply do not have the money to pay for it on our own.

Second, we would ask that you give existing homeland security funding procedures a chance to work. I understand the growing pressure for Congress to fund homeland security efforts directly to local governments, bypassing states.

Such efforts should be approached with caution. In some cases they could weaken efforts to promote cooperation between neighboring jurisdictions, and they would be the wrong way to go. As I said at the outset, if we can make cooperation work here - and we are - then communities can do it anywhere.

And finally, as you work to address the needs of an entire nation, I would ask that you always bear in mind the unique needs of the National Capital Region. Every part of America faces a greater security threat today than in times past.

But there is only one National Capital, and we have a special responsibility to protect this region. Moreover, we must recognize that any emergency here would affect not only the jurisdictions bordering the District of Columbia, but their neighbors further out as well.

Ladies and gentlemen, I appreciate the opportunity to join you this afternoon. I am proud of the work that we are doing in the National Capital Region. It should be clear that there is a significant level of participation and coordination - that fully integrates the policymaking and operational levels.

In Virginia, we are committed to continued cooperation with Governor Ehrlich, Mayor Williams, and Mr. Byrne to make the National Capital Region safer and more secure.

Governor of Virginia - Mark R. Warner
Copyright 2003