As part of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Unity of Effort initiative, DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson “directed an important new measure to unify the department’s research and development (R&D) activities,” he said.
“Specifically,” Johnson said, “I have directed the establishment of Integrated Product Teams (IPTs).”
These IPTs will be charged with coordinating and prioritizing research and development across the department in a number of areas, including aviation security, biological threats, counterterrorism, border security, cybersecurity and disaster resilience.
DHS’s Under Secretary for Science and Technology (S&T) will serve as the overall lead for this effort, with direct involvement of senior leadership of DHS’s operating components.
Johnson said, “These IPTs will help our department better achieve a comprehensive understanding of all our research and development activities, and continue our move away from decisions made in stove pipes. They will promote the department’s responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars, promoting efficiency while enhancing the effectiveness of our R&D enterprise.”
“The ever-evolving security needs of the Nation demand focused and prioritized research and development that informsDHS’s acquisition decisions,” Johnson concluded, noting that the Unity of Effort initiative “will ensure that the department’s R&D efforts, and those of our partners from across academia, national labs, the federal government and industry, are most effectively brought to bear on the nation’s most pressing homeland security needs.”
