A new congressional report has found that the government's much ridiculed color-coded terrorist alert system is so vague in detailing threats that the public "may begin to question the authenticity" of the threats and take no action when the alert level is raised.
The review by the Congressional Research Service, a nonpartisan branch of the Library of Congress, offered lawmakers options for replacing or overhauling the system, including a proposal that the five-color palette of alert levels be replaced with "general warnings concerning the threat of terrorist attacks."
The Aug. 6 report has not been made public, although it has been circulated to members of Congress involved in oversight of the Department of Homeland Security, which administers the color-coded alerts.
While the report does not recommend that the alert system, called the Homeland Security Advisory System, or HSAS, be scrapped or suggest any other specific action, its catalog of existing criticism will probably be seized on by lawmakers who argue that the system needlessly confuses and alarms the public.
"This report seriously calls into question the value of the Homeland Security color-code system. ... The system may be doing more harm than good. If the Department of Homeland Security doesn't revamp this system, Congress may have to do it for them," said Senator Frank R. Lautenberg, who is a leading critic of the system.
The report's authors cited, but did not necessarily endorse, criticism that "when federal officials announce a new warning about terrorist attacks, the threats are too vague."
"The vagueness that characterized the four increases in the threat condition in the past two years has raised concerns that the public may begin to question the authenticity of the HSAS threat level," the report said.
"Questions about the credibility of the threat, say other observers, might cause the public to wonder how to act or whether to take any special action at all," it said.
The Homeland Security Department has acknowledged that the system, which went into operation in March last year, needs adjustment.
In June, Tom Ridge, the department secretary, who is responsible for setting the alert level, said the agency would try to create a procedure allowing for alert levels to be raised or lowered for specific regions or industries, rather than for the whole country.
Brian Roehrkasse, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, said that agency officials had not seen the Congressional report but that they continued to believe the color-coded alerts were valuable.
"The color-coded system indicates the US intelligence community's best assessment of the collective threat against this nation," Roehrkasse said, adding that the department was trying to provide more detailed threat information to the public and had begun "a process of working with our state partners, mayors and private sector partners, inviting them to provide feedback on how the system is working for them."
The nation's current alert level is set at yellow, representing an "elevated" level of terrorist threat. The level has been raised to orange ("high") four times, most recently in May, after terrorist bombings in Saudi Arabia and Morocco. It has never fallen below yellow to blue ("guarded") or green ("low"), nor has it ever been raised to red ("severe"), the highest level of alert.
The color-coded system has been a constant target of criticism from state and local government leaders, who say their law enforcement budgets are strained whenever the national threat level is raised, and a target of ridicule from late-night television comedians and much of the public.
The system has created particular confusion in rural, sparsely populated parts of the country that appear to face no obvious terrorist threat but have been expected to step up security nonetheless when the national alert is raised. Ridge has acknowledged the confusion, noting that the intelligence reports that lead to raising the alert level are usually vague about times, places and methods of attack.
In weighing whether to replace or overhaul the color-coded system, the report's authors said that Congress might want to leave the decision to the homeland security agency.
But the report said that "maintaining the status quo" means that the department will be forced to deal indefinitely with "complaints about the vagueness of HSAS warnings and the critiques of DHS's perceived inability to give adequate terrorist attack warnings."
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
Myanmar’s junta chief met Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) for the first time since seizing power, state media reported yesterday, the highest-level meeting with a key ally for the internationally sanctioned military leader. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing led a military coup in 2021, overthrowing Myanmar’s brief experiment with democracy and plunging the nation into civil war. In the four years since, his armed forces have battled dozens of ethnic armed groups and rebel militias — some with close links to China — opposed to its rule. The conflict has seen Min Aung Hlaing draw condemnation from rights groups and pursued by the
RSS