Former DHS chiefs: New public safety agency needed
Former Department of Homeland Security secretaries Michael Chertoff and Jeh Johnson urged the creation of a new public safety agency on the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. In a joint interview with NBC News on Thursday, the two former DHS chiefs discussed the department’s current direction.
Why It Matters
The recommendation comes from two former DHS leaders whose experience shapes debates about homeland security structure and priorities, and it was made on a milestone anniversary of the attacks that prompted DHS’s formation. Their call signals a renewed public discussion about how the nation organizes and manages domestic safety responsibilities.
Key Facts
- Who: Michael Chertoff and Jeh Johnson
- Titles: Former U.S. Department of Homeland Security secretaries
- What they proposed: Establishment of a public safety agency
- Timing: On the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks
- Forum: Joint interview with NBC News on Thursday
Two former leaders of the Department of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff and Jeh Johnson, called for the creation of a public safety agency on the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Both men served as DHS secretaries and used the anniversary as a platform to urge organizational change.
In a joint interview with NBC News on Thursday, Chertoff and Johnson spoke about the current direction of the Department of Homeland Security. The interview brought together two former DHS chiefs to address how the nation approaches domestic safety and security in the years since DHS was created.
Their public plea for a new public safety agency reflects their continued engagement in policymaking debates around homeland security structures. As former heads of the department, their perspectives carry the weight of direct experience managing federal efforts to protect the homeland.
The excerpt provided does not include further specifics of their proposed agency, detailed recommendations, or responses from current DHS officials. For a complete account of their remarks and any policy proposals they outlined, the full NBC News interview is the primary source cited in the report.
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