The following is excerpted from the speech, delivered April 23 at Washington's Grand Hyatt Hotel:
"One of my tasks is to make everybody understand, in both the public and the private sector, that homeland security doesn't just revolve around Washington, D.C. -- that literally we have to engage the federal agencies, clearly; the governors and mayors and county commissioners.
"We need to engage all levels of government. Simultaneously we need to engage the private sector and the academic community, the nonprofits and other organizations in your hometowns, as well. We will secure the homeland when your hometown is secure.
"I don't know if any of you have seen this week's Newsweek. The cover story is on companies of the future -- companies that are 'using technology to push ahead in business, transform their industries and change our lives.' The article featured, among others, a mechanical wine press maker and a lobster trap maker, but nothing about homeland security.
"I am hopeful -- actually, I am quite confident -- that future lists will include companies interested in homeland security technology. What could be more relevant to our future than deciding if we will have a future? Why stop at changing lives when you could be in the business of saving lives?
"If I were writing that story, I might include a few other products: biometric systems that help keep the Winter Olympics terror free and can do the same for airports and subway systems -- and not only public, but private places, as well; next-generation detection, which can sniff out chemical and biological weapons from the air; dashboard electronics that can help trucks and their cargo reduce their border crossing from two or three hours to matters of seconds; simulation software that enables cities to test their responses to any attack scenario one can imagine; an advanced encryption standard codes that have as many possible keys as there are atoms in the universe.
"Exciting, cutting-edge products and more proof that the market doesn't need government's permission to meet the needs of America. When it comes to homeland security, you and your industry are not waiting to act.
"Homeland security gives you the opportunity to be aggressive, the protect Americans and develop new markets and products in the process. It gives you the opportunity to do well by doing good. This entrepreneurial spirit is a potent weapon against terrorism. And it is, in my judgment, what gives America one of our greatest competitive advantages."
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This month in Access Control
- Opening Up About Door Closers
- An Enterprise Approach
- The Framework For Open Systems
- On A Higher Plane
- More from April's issue
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