Secret Service needs $34 million to protect Obama
May 29, 2009 by Valerie HelmbreckPosted in: Budgets and spending, Communication, Compliance, Hardware, In this week's e-newsletter, Information security, Latest News & Views, Uncategorized, cybercrime
The latest terror warning comes not from the Middle East or Southeast Asian archipelago but from one of our domestic government agencies: The much venerated U.S. Secret Service.
What’s their warning? The agency needs $34 million or the president could be in danger.
Yes, that’s right. Only $34 million is needed to make 100% sure the country’s chief exec is 100% safe. Sound like a bargain?
According to recent reports, the agency says its communication system is incompatible with the White House communication system, resulting in a “dangerous gap” that could “prevent the attainment of the performance target of 100 percent protection.”
Didn’t anybody notice this, say, eight years ago? Did this incompatibility just crop up or did it just show up on the agency’s radar screen?
President Obama has talked of using aggressive tactics to combat cybercrime and has proposed billions of dollars to upgrade the country’s IT infrastructure. But $34 million seems a bit steep to coordinate the Secret Service and the White House. Haven’t these two agencies been working together pretty routinely for a long time? How is it that someone just noticed the two outfits can’t communicate?
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Tags: communiations, President Obama, Secret Service, White House
June 2nd, 2009 at 10:37 am
sounds a little fishy if you ask me. looks like another bailout is in order.
June 2nd, 2009 at 11:42 am
The secret service just wants in on the handwagon — the “handout bandwagon”
June 2nd, 2009 at 12:04 pm
for $34 million shouldn’t there be some DETAILED breakdown of where the funds are going. i.e. additonal personnel, new equipment, new training methods, etc. Is this for Obama only, what about VP? Maybe they need just $17 million!
If he keeps telling the Muslim world he is sorry for the way USA is behaving perhaps security (oops i can’t cont’d)
July 6th, 2009 at 2:40 pm
Is this because Obama got to keep his Blackberry ? Seems like there should be a less expensive alternative. Also, it does seem like the Secret Service should have known about any gaps woth White House communication before now.