DHSDepartures, vacancies continue to hobble DHS

The rate of senior level departures at DHS has increased in recent years, and some say that as a result, the department is unable to stay ahead of emerging threats, including potential terrorist and cyber incidents. According to the FedScope database of federal employees administered by the Office of Personnel Management, between 2010 and 2013, departures of permanent DHS employees increased by 31 percent, compared to a 17 percent increase for the entire federal workforce. In 2013, departures of DHS Senior Executive Service members, the top officials serving under presidential appointees, were up 56 percent from the previous year. By contrast, the same rate for the entire federal workforce was virtually unchanged, the Washington Post notes.

The departures are partly due to what some DHS employees consider to be a dysfunctional work environment, in which twenty-two autonomous government agencies make up one department. Work and employee cultures among several agencies are often at odds. Moreover, the demands from congressional oversight committees have been burdensome for many agency officials. More than ninety committees and subcommittees have jurisdiction over DHS, creating a situation in which some officials must spend more time preparing for hearings and briefings instead of performing their appointed DHS functions. “My cyber folks were spending more time on human resource issues and acquisition than they were analyzing technical data to defend and protect networks,” a former senior DHS official said.

Former DHS employees complain that several agency director positions often remain unconfirmed by the Senate, leaving agencies without a clear sense of leadership. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) operated without a confirmed commissioner for five years until R. Gil Kerlikowske received Senate approval in March. During the same time, multiple offices under CBP were officially vacant and held by staff in an acting capacity. “As an ‘acting,’ you’re a caretaker, not a change agent,’’ said Steve Atkiss, chief of staff for CBP in the George W. Bush administration, and now a founding partner of D.C.-based Command Consulting Group. The leadership vacuum made it difficult to find solutions to urgent issues. “When you have a proliferation of ‘actings,’ a lot of hard decisions don’t get made with the same level of regularity,’’ said a former senior Obama administration DHS official.

A poor working environment and the potential for higher pay in the private sector often lure DHS officials to leave the federal workforce. Many top-level DHS officials are leaving the department to work for private security and consulting firms as they tend to offer more lucrative careers. The Chertoff Group, a security consultancy led by former DHS secretary Michael Chertoff, employs so many former DHS officials, it is known among DHS employees as a “shadow DHS.’’

“DHS can’t keep anyone in cyber. They just can’t do it,’’ said a former DHS official. “You can make $150,000 protecting the nation or you can make $650,000. Which one are you going to do?’’

Between June 2011 and March 2012, five senior DHS cybersecurity officials left the agency for the private sector. The departures came as the department fought the Pentagon and the National Security Agency over who should assume responsibility for protecting critical private-sector networks. “It became so hard to advocate for DHS to be placed in charge and given more responsibility because people were constantly leaving,’’ recalled Jacob Olcott, a former House Homeland Security Committee aide.

“It’s a very dysfunctional environment, the hardest I’ve ever worked in,’’ said another former senior Obama administration DHS official. “There were certainly times where you would say, ‘I just got the crap kicked out of me, and I’m making way less than I can make in the private sector.’ ’’

Since his December 2013 confirmation, DHS chief Jeh Johnson has taken steps to improve morale and retain employees. The Senate has confirmed ten top DHS officials in recent months. “Morale has been low in the department for quite a number of years, and it is our responsibility to address it, and we are in fact addressing it,’’ said Alejandro Mayorkas, the department’s deputy secretary. DHS has also hired consulting firm, Deloitte, to develop recommendations to improve employee morale.