America the Vulnerable: How Our Government Is Failing to Protect Us from Terrorism

Rating:
Summary: "The" Book on Domestic Security
Review:

Some will say this book aids the enemy, pointing out with shocking clarity the extreme vulnerabilities of our transportation, communications, and other core systems. I happen to agree with the author's core point, as Thomas Jefferson would agree: politicians will continue to ignore these vulnerabilities and lie to the public until the public achieves its own appreciation of the threat.

This is a double-spaced book, an easy read from Tampa to Dulles (2.5 hours), and well-worth any thinking person's attention. For those who disparage this book as "gloom and doom": go back to your vodka martinis.

THE fundamental point of this book, and one that I happily endorse on the basis of my other 493 reviews of national security non-fiction, is that how we spend the federal tax dollar is completely out of balance. We are spending $500 billion on a "hard power" military that can barely contain terrorism, crime, genocide, revolution, and war between states, while we are letting our states and cities go begging, and refuse to fund just 16,000 Customs inspectors, among other vital initiatives.

This is the single best book I have found that points out that in the era of asymmetric warfare, where non-state actors have both explosive and nuclear-biological-chemical power at their disposal, it is the "soft targets", the non-military infrastructure targets, which will be most attractive to the "sleeper" agents of Al Qaeda and others. Washington continues to deceive America about its vulnerability, and about Washington's feckless irresponsibility in failing to redirect funds from hard power only relevant to fighting major states, to a combination of homeland defense of soft targets, which is this book's focus, and soft power projection such as Joe Nye recommends in his various books, but especially "The Paradox of American Power."

The author's first line is a block-buster: "If September 11, 2001 was a wake-up call, clearly America has fallen back asleep." He is right. I deal with those responsible for the "Global War on Terror" and most of them are working 9-5, spending half their day gossiping or browsing the Web.

In my view, the author, a former Coast Guard commander and also a National Security Council staff member, is right on target when he says that the Pentagon is guilty of an "escapist" perspective in thinking they can defeat terrorism "over there." It was this point that caused me to both buy this book in an airport, and to review it concurrently with General Tommy Franks' book "American Soldier." General Franks is both a superb officer, and a naive escapist, and reading this book drives that point home in a way that would make any intelligent person pleased to have spent time with the author.

There is a "seam" between our homeland security and our overseas capabilities, and there is no one in charge of any coherent program to decide how best to protect BOTH our neighborhoods AND our overseas investments.

This is a nuanced book, one that makes the point that security must become as embedded as safety has been, and the further point that security properly embedded is actually PROFITABLE! He's right. Green lanes for containers that have proper GPS and content authentications will SAVE dollars by saving time. Bio-chemical detection across all herds and food supplies will detect "natural" threats such as we have seen with SARS, monkey pox, bird flu, West Nile virus, etc.

Finally, security and openness can help reduce fraud, especially import/expert tax fraud, where containers loaded with priceless equipment are mis-labeled as low-cost machinery, or vice versa, an advanced form of money laundering that is costing the U.S. taxpayer over $50 billion a year in lost tax revenues.

Of the 495 books or so that I have reviewed here at Amazon, this book easily makes it into my top ten list of books relevant to getting national security right in the near term. Beyond five stars.

Rating:
Summary: Not much here the astute reader isn't aware of
Review: Author Stephen Flynn does a credible job of enumerating some --- and only some --- of the security threats facing the United States. There is nothing here, however, that the astute news reader doesn't already know.

While Flynn attempts to somewhat sensationalize his exposition, he doesn't go overboard and is not too baldly partisan. The partisanship he exhibits, however, detracts from his message.

In the hands of an abler, less ideological writer, the material could sound a call for national awareness. Flynn, however, is not up to the task.

On the whole, the already well-informed reader will find nothing worthwhile here, while the person who doesn't yet understand the problems facing us would be better served by other resources.

Jerry



Rating:
Summary: The `MUST' read for maritime intel...
Review: Dr. Flynn provides meaning to the issues of national security, which is the essence of intelligence. By `adding value' to the sea of raw data, telltale signs, and signals America the Vulnerable becomes the indispensable volume for everyone interested in maritime intelligence matters.

The current series of terrorist atrocities, along with the plague of transnational threats including, drug trafficking, illegal immigration, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction gives concern for reading information correctly. Beyond that there is a call for action. The oceans are no longer our primary mechanism for defense. These issues and more are brilliantly discussed in America the Vulnerable.

Because Dr. Flynn possesses that rare combination of experience at sea as a United States Coast Guard Officer and academician there is no better authority on the subject of maritime intelligence, national and homeland security/defense, and the best means for expending precious U.S. resources. Not one to define a problem without a solution, Dr. Flynn provides insight, candor, and imagination to solving U.S. security issues. I recommend this work as the keystone to a Maritime Intelligence course.


Rating:
Summary: No wonder Americans feel isolated - too much doom and gloom
Review: Feeling paranoid? Then do NOT read this book. I picked it up in a book store to take a peek because the author certainly has credibilty but there are so many "what ifs" and potentially disasterous scenarios in this book you'll never step off your front porch again! Can't always live in fear. Can't always be afraid someone is out to get you either. This book is another one of those books on why Americans should feel paranoid. We get it already. This book often reads like a resource book for anyone who wants to hide explosives in a container that goes through a US port.

Yes Flynn's a credible author. He is a former Coast Guard commander, currently a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He wrote "America: Still Unprepared, Still in Danger," the Hart-Rudman commission report cited in the recent 9/11 congressional hearings. Yes, he writes very persuasively and it is a very well-written book but I am so tired of all this talk of conflict, how easy it is to "get us", American resentment by those want to "get us" and hatred in general. I would love to read a book on the positive bonds that tie us together instead of all this incessant chatter about why we should be wearing hard hats to the grocery store. Enough already!

We are at war with fanatics in two different countries that is tearing us up because we hate war (who doesn't?). We are strip searched at the airport whenever we want to attend a family reunion in Poughkeepsie and we are still mourning those lost in the World Trade Center, Pentagon and a PA field. There's more to be done but I don't think constantly scaring the bageeeeeeezuz out of people is a great way to handle national relations. If people stop traveling it will damage our economy further - so then what happens? They win. Terrorists want us to be afraid.

Quite honestly I wish I'd never picked it up and read it. I'm systematically avoiding all books with red, white and blue jacket covers until AFTER November.

Rating:
Summary: Lean, but packed with information and solutions...
Review: Flynn first defines the vulnerabilities in international freight shipping with about 15 million 40x8x8 (feet) containers and only so many inspectors. His solutions with already existing technology and a more efficiently organized search pattern seems plausable. In other chapters he defines the difficulties and gives possible solutions for terrorist disruption in the sectors of finance, infomation processing, transportation, energy, and disease control. His chapter on reorganizing the Department of Home Security based on the structure of the Federal Reserve System (not his original idea, he points out) is worth the price of the book alone. As I finished the book, I couldn't help thinking that this retired Coast Guard officer (where he had executive experience) and now Fellow at the Council of Foreign Relations would himself make a very effective Secretary of Home Security in the near future.

Rating:
Summary: A beginners book to AT/FP for national policies
Review: The book by Dr. Flynn is interesting and thought provoking, but I think he is too preoccupied in this book with the terrorists looking to hit a proverbial homerun on causing disruptions to our society and civilization - financially, politically, and socially. Then again, the attacks on 11 September 2001 were homeruns in every sense of the word.

The book I believe is nonpartisan, but it levels its arguments against the legislative branch of our government, though the executive branch and military are not immune to the criticisms. Dr. Flynn provides several examples of what some weak points are in our infrastructure system, and since the publishing of the book, Congress has already debated two issues dealing with our nation's anti-terrorism/force protection: a $100M spending package to upgrade our ports and additional restrictions on the chemical industry. Both of the items were turned down. I came to the sad realization after I had read the book of two items: the way our leaders brush aside constructive criticism in favor for the might of the dollar, and the infamous "blame-game" and "what-is-your-spin" that will soon follow should a successful terrorist attack happen our soil. Dr. Flynn does not advocate the government to restrict either civil liberties or company profiteering with the implementation of additional security measures, just a wiser way to limit the ability of a terrorist attack. There is no ironclad system to limit the terrorists, even if there were an unlimited amount of money available.

Finally, Dr. Flynn does a pretty good job to provide some illustrations of the infrastructure vulnerable to possible attacks. Those infrastructures could be anywhere in the states.

Rating:
Summary: Our vulnerability is real but can be managed
Review: There are three reasons to pay attention to what Stephen Flynn says about our country's vulnerability to attack. First, he is one of the intellectual fathers of the very concept of homeland defense (having written about our infrastructure vulnerability long before 9/11). Second, his book presents a sobering but eminently readable case for plugging the gaps in our national security--he argues convincingly that the current distinction held by the U.S. government between "homeland security" and "national security" means that homeland security inevitably suffers. Third, his message is both disconcerting and important to hear; I saw a room full of government officials collectively wince at a presentation he recently gave. Their discomfort was the combined realization that Flynn is dead right about crucial infrastructure vulnerabilities any potential adversary would be foolish not to exploit, and that little has been done to address the problems Flynn identifies.

The book is compelling but not perfect. Flynn's voice is not entirely consistent. At one point, succumbing to the liberal tendency to view the public as dolts, he says the American people have to "grow up"; then, a few pages later, he castigates the U.S. government for treating Americans "as though they are children." More than once Flynn refers to Americans as "they" rather than "we." His argument largely rests on the assumption that the U.S. public in its ignorance will demand that a President, the day after the next attack, take actions that will cripple the global economy. I'm not so sure, and an examination of how Israel, for example, manages both risk and actual terrorist acts would have been helpful. But these are small points of dissonance in an otherwise coherent symphony of warning.

My fear is that, like the Old Testament prophets, Flynn will be ignored or criticized (actually, the OT prophets mostly were killed for being a nuisance). If there is any justice, Stephen Flynn's jeremiad will be listened to and will lead to his taking a senior position in the Homeland Security department, no matter who wins the presidential election, so he can begin to do something about the parlous situation he so eloquently describes.


Rating:
Summary: Pay attention....you SHOULD be scared!
Review: We cannot continue running on the status quo. We live in a different world. Things went shockingly back to normal 6 months after 9/11 and it really hasn't changed. I'm all for bringing more troops home and protecting our own shores. I want my son to have a life, and his sons, and so on. But it won't happen the way things are going now. If every person in this country committed to the idea of a safer nation, if government and the private sector, together, would pony up the money and the resources, we could at least have a fighting chance. But as the author says, every day that we don't have a terrorist attack, complacency grows. This book is a good slap upside the head, too bad it will get passed off by a lot of folks as pre-election hype.

Rating:
Summary: A Must Buy for those serious about National Security
Review: Written in a straightforward, accessible manner, Flynn is able to clearly articulate the dangers we face here in the homeland while offering some constructive suggestions to get our leaders moving in the right direction. Thankfully, the latter sections on the things we can do to mitigate the dangers somewhat offsets the scariness of the current situation.

Overall, his background and credentials lend credence to the frightening vulnerabilites he postulates about. I just hope someone in a position to do something about it takes the time to take his critiques seriously -- perhaps even inviting him into the discussions that will lead to some positive changes in our heretofore limited work towards true preparedness.

After you finish reading this book, pass it along to your Congressional Representative!