Testimony of The Honorable William H. Pickle Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper Before the Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee Committee on Appropriations United States Senate
March 31, 2004
Introduction
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee, thank you for inviting me to testify before the Committee on Appropriations. I am pleased to come before you today to report on the progress the Office of the Sergeant at Arms (SAA) has made over the past year and our plans to enhance the capabilities of the Senate in the coming year.
The SAA respectfully requests for Fiscal Year (FY) 2005 a total budget of $186,701,000, which is an increase of $5,669,000 or 3.1% over the FY 2004 budget. This increase will enable the office to maintain the significant improvements and level of service we provided the Senate community over the past year.
This FY 2005 budget request will fund the completion and support of several initiatives that are already in progress, including security upgrades for Members’ state offices, the Alternate Computing Facility (ACF), enhanced communication services, secure mail and package processing protocols, and computer network security.
Last year I testified before this Committee and identified two priorities: (1) ensuring the United States Senate is as secure as possible and prepared for any emergency; and (2) accomplishing this goal through outstanding service and support, including the enhanced use of technology. The work of this office over the past year has been guided by these priorities. In addition to the projects the SAA had planned to undertake and invest in this past year, we faced unique challenges requiring that resources be used to meet immediate, unanticipated needs. The ricin incident and the Judiciary Committee’s request to conduct an internal investigation are two examples of such challenges. This testimony will detail later the work of the SAA staff in responding to the ricin incident.
The Committee on the Judiciary’s request for the Sergeant at Arms to conduct an internal investigation into whether there was unauthorized access to the Committee’s computer system was unprecedented. We were able to respond quickly to this request and to assemble an investigative team that included trained investigators detailed from the U.S. Secret Service and outside forensic experts. The sensitive nature of this matter required almost full-time involvement of several of our senior managers. The investigation and forensic analysis took almost four months and required a significant amount of personnel and financial resources.
In our response to the ricin incident and the investigation for the Judiciary Committee, we met the needs of the Senate and accomplished the tasks set before us. In the past year we have also moved forward in a number of crucial areas. An outstanding senior management team led the efforts of the SAA’s dedicated staff over the past year. This team consists of Deputy Sergeant at Arms J. Keith Kennedy, Assistant Sergeant at Arms for Security and Emergency Preparedness Chuck Kaylor, Assistant Sergeant at Arms for Police Operations Al Concordia, Assistant Sergeant at Arms for Operations and Administrative Assistant Rick Edwards, General Counsel Lynne Halbrooks, and Assistant Sergeant at Arms and Chief Information Officer J. Greg Hanson. This team has worked to develop and implement a comprehensive approach to Senate projects. The many accomplishments set forth in this testimony would not have been possible without their leadership and commitment.
This testimony highlights some of our achievements over the past year, and demonstrates how we plan to build on our accomplishments and to protect the Senate’s interests. Specifically, this testimony identifies (1) the security measures we have implemented and are working toward; (2) initiatives designed to keep the Senate at the leading edge of technology; and, (3) highlights of the critical operational support we offer the Senate.
A Comprehensive Approach to Security and Preparedness
I am pleased to report that in the areas of security and emergency preparedness we expanded on the significant accomplishments of my predecessors, and particularly on the strong foundation that Sergeant at Arms Alfonso E. Lenhardt implemented to protect the Capitol and Senate Office Buildings after the anthrax attack in 2001.
The Senate now has in place an overall security strategy that establishes a layered defense based upon our understanding of threats to the Capitol and its vulnerabilities. Over the past year, this strategy led to updated security plans, created prevention and protection programs, and created life-safety, emergency preparedness, and information security programs.
The strategy also led to training to educate staff and exercises to rehearse and evaluate our plans.
The SAA has relied on the strong support of the Secretary of the Senate, this Committee, the Committee on Rules and Administration, and other Committees and Members to advance the Senate’s security and emergency preparedness. A comprehensive approach to these critical subjects has required the partnership and cooperation of Senate offices, the U.S. Capitol Police,the Attending Physician, other legislative branch offices, as well as federal and state agencies.
Together, we have made significant progress on our security and emergency preparedness. Despite the substantial advances in security and emergency preparedness since September 2001, and particularly this past year, we cannot become complacent. The Capitol and Congress remain targets to those wishing to cause our country harm, and the means to cause that harm are available, varied, and growing in sophistication. We need to be vigilant, and we need to continue our comprehensive, forward-looking security and emergency preparedness programs.
This testimony outlines the SAA’s security, emergency preparedness, and continuity of operations and government efforts. In addition to the initiatives set forth below, there are othersteps being taken to secure Congress and the Senate community that are not appropriate to address in an open forum.
Vulnerabilities and Threat Assessments
Understanding the threats the Senate faces is essential to establishing appropriate and cost-effective security programs. We work with the U.S. Capitol Police on an aggressive approach to security that recommends and supports ongoing security projects. We are participating in several studies that address vulnerabilities around the Capitol relating to land-based and airborne threats, as well as chemical, biological, and radiological threats. The SAA also works with the U.S. Capitol Police to provide analysis of emerging global threats, current intelligence information, analysis of vulnerabilities, and available countermeasures.
As a result of this work, policies are being developed in conjunction with the U.S. Capitol Police that provide high levels of protection on Capitol Hill for Members, staff, and visitors. These coordinated efforts with respect to vulnerability and threat assessment include:
Vulnerability Assessments. Since 1998, the U.S. Capitol Police Board has conducted seven formal vulnerability assessments of the Capitol complex. These assessments serve as the basis for many of our protective measures. The assessments complement our work with the National Capital Region intelligence sharing initiatives for a complete view of the threats to the Capitol.
Command Center. Over the past year, the U.S. Capitol Police have established a state-of-the- art command center and campus-wide security network that significantly improve their situational awareness. This provides information in a number of areas, which enables the police to better understand an event and better manage the necessary response. SAA staff work closely with the Capitol Police at the Command Center during emergencies.
Threat Intelligence Sharing. The U.S. Capitol Police Board has approved the U.S. Capitol Police participation in the Targeted Violence Information Sharing System (TAVISS), a pilot program for sharing threat intelligence information. Created by the U.S. Secret Service to facilitate the sharing of threat information with twenty-seven agencies, this program will provide timely information about threats against Members of Congress and U.S. Government officials. Research has shown that people who attack public officials often switch targets, so subjects who come to the attention of one agency may be known to other agencies.
To provide more intelligence information, the U.S. Capitol Police have officers assigned to critical National Capital Region intelligence collection and analysis and command centers. The U.S. Capitol Police also have a small but highly professional intelligence staff that collaborate with their counterparts, and participate in the national forums that provide the situational awareness we need.
Air Security. The U.S. Capitol Police are integrated fully in interagency air security coordination planning for the National Capital Region and the National Capital Region Coordination Center. This planning integrates multi-agency assets into a protective air security system that encompasses the Capitol. The National Capital Region Air Security Plan focuses on countering terrorist threats from the air. The coordination uses multi-agency capabilities that involve intelligence, law enforcement, and Department of Defense assets. Early warning and situational awareness has:
• Enhanced detection of potential air threats.
• Improved dissemination of inter-agency intelligence information.
• Streamlined coordination of multi-agency assets to achieve command and control.
• Differentiated navigational errors and civil violations from hostile intent.
The threat environment is always changing, but we have the people and organizations in place that understand the needs of the Senate and can provide the information necessary to ensure the continued security of Members, staff, and visitors.
Protecting the Senate’s Physical Assets
The first priority of the SAA’s security strategy is to deter or prevent an incident. Our expanding protective measures program includes physical security measures, electronic systems, and law enforcement activities. It continues to improve the Senate’s ability to prevent incidents. Many of the details of this program are confidential and sensitive. However, several of the significant protective measures that have been implemented are set forth below.
Enhanced Perimeter Security Plan. The first phase of the perimeter security plan, proposed in 1998, was completed in 2002. The Enhanced Perimeter Security Plan, developed after September 2001, is now being implemented. The Enhanced Perimeter Security Plan features pop-up barriers and bollards, hardened police kiosks, improved security at vehicle access checkpoints, increased U.S. Capitol Police roving patrols, and other enhancements. It also includes improved screening procedures for visitors entering the Senate Office Buildings and the Capitol. The Capitol Police Board is working to establish more comprehensive and visible identification protocols to manage visitors better, particularly in the Capitol.
Capitol Visitor Center. The Capitol Visitor Center remains an important focus of our security program. In 2000, almost three million people visited the Capitol and during peak season over 18,000 people visited the Capitol each day. In addition, delivery vehicles move tons of equipment, food, and other material into and out of the Capitol every day. These deliveries are essential to Congressional operations, but they also create risks to the Capitol complex. The Capitol Visitor Center will improve our ability to screen everything and everyone coming into the Capitol, and will enhance the public’s access and experience while visiting the Capitol. The Visitor Center will include a remote delivery-vehicle screening facility for all deliveries to the Capitol. The facility will make it easier to deliver goods to the Capitol and safer to accept those goods. The design incorporates blast-resistant features and systems that will minimize the risk of airborne hazards within the Capitol Visitor Center and the Capitol.
Once the Visitor Center is completed, the public will have just as much access to the Capitol, only through fewer access points. There will be enhanced screening and control of everyone and everything that enters the building. Screening will take place in the Visitor Center instead of near the Capitol doors, and, because of the design of the access points, the screening will make it easier to isolate and remove individuals who pose a security threat.
Parking and Traffic Management. Construction of the Capitol Visitor Center, the implementation of the Perimeter Security Plan, and other construction activities have created parking and traffic management challenges. To address the parking challenges, we made use of our existing resources and created 359 parking spaces proximate to the Capitol and Senate Office Buildings. This saved lease expenses of $1 million annually, or approximately $2 million to date. The parking is secure, near the Capitol, and convenient for Senators and staff.
Because the traffic that flows past the Senate Office Buildings and the Capitol directly affects the security of the Senate, the SAA staff worked with the Architect of the Capitol, the U.S. Capitol Police, and the District of Columbia’s Department of Transportation to ensure the safety of Members, staff and visitors to the Senate and simultaneously minimize the traffic impact of construction projects. Much of the construction is limited to nights, weekends, and off-peak hours to reduce the impact on traffic. The direction of one-way traffic is shifted to accommodate commuting in the morning and evenings. U.S. Capitol Police officers are stationed at major intersections to maintain traffic control and pedestrian safety. State Office Security. While many of the recent security efforts focus on Capitol Hill, Members’ state offices continue to be a focus for the SAA. During the past year and a half, SAA staff have conducted comprehensive, on-site security assessments of the 430 state offices. Besides completing assessments of existing offices, a system has been implemented to assess each newly-established office.
The assessments provide the SAA an understanding of each state office’s security needs and enable us to make recommendations, help the state office prioritize its needs and, ultimately, improve security. Each Member’s Washington, D.C., office has the results of their state office assessments and the SAA’s recommendations. We are working with each office to determine how to proceed to implement appropriate physical security upgrades.
This state office security project involves physical modifications to offices, installation of physical security systems in offices, and staff training. It is ongoing and multi-year, and the initial focus has been on state offices in commercial spaces. The Federal Protective Service and the Federal Marshals have been consulted regarding Members’ offices in federal and court buildings.
Emergency Preparedness
To enhance the Senate’s emergency preparedness, the SAA is addressing all aspects of preparing for, learning about, and responding to emergencies. Over the past year, the SAA has established notification systems, conducted training, and provided emergency response equipment and resources. SAA staff has also worked closely with the Architect of the Capitol and the U.S. Capitol Police to test and, where necessary, upgrade the alarms, emergency equipment, and notification systems in every Senate Office Building.
The Senate continues to improve evacuation and assembly area accountability procedures by regularly conducting evacuation drills. The SAA has also worked with Senate offices to update the procedures for evacuating mobility-impaired staff and visitors. This outreach to our special needs community will continue next year. To maintain the focus on life-safety and emergency procedures, the SAA meets weekly with the U.S. Capitol Police, the Superintendent of the Senate, and the Capitol Fire Marshal to review life-safety programs and issues. This has resulted in better emergency equipment access to the Capitol Plaza and closer involvement by the Washington, D.C., Fire Department during evacuation drills. The SAA also is engaged with the National Capital Region’s emergency management experts through a number of high-level interagency and intergovernmental committees and work groups that expand the National Capital Region’s preparedness.
Highlights of the SAA’s efforts to better prepare the Senate community for an emergency include:
Alert and Notification Systems. In the past two years, the Senate provided BlackBerry devices and updated electronic pagers to Senators and key staff. The number of BlackBerry devices in use at the Senate continues to expand. Every office has a Senate “Group Alert” telephone system and approximately 1,000 telephones throughout the Senate are connected to the System.
Last year, wireless annunciators were added as a component of the emergency notification system. These wireless devices have been placed in every office. The U.S. Capitol Police use the annunciators to provide audible alerts of an incident, instructions on appropriate action, and additional information as an event unfolds. Annunciators supplement the Group Alert telephone system, the building fire alarms, the public address system, and other emergency notification devices.
The SAA is in the process of testing a newly installed, more capable automatic voice and text notification system that supplements the existing U.S. Capitol Police Dialogic system. Once this system is fully operational, it will be able to automatically call and send text alerts to predesignated individuals more quickly than in the past.
Training. Over the past year, the SAA created and delivered training courses that cover a wide range of emergency preparedness issues. There have been 172 training sessions providing life-safety information to over 5,700 individuals. This training included: in-office sessions tailored to the emergency preparedness needs of each office, new staff and intern orientations that review emergency systems and procedures for all new staff, monthly emergency preparedness updates, and off-site training on the use of fire extinguishers.
Special topic seminars were conducted by SAA staff on evacuating Washington, D.C., evacuating people with disabilities, and sheltering in place. Training was also conducted for U.S. Capitol Police officers and Senate office personnel regarding evacuation procedures for mobility-impaired staff members. And, in coordination with the U.S. Capitol Police, the SAA helped train 6,770 individuals about the proper use of escape hoods. This training gives every participant the chance to don a training hood. Emergency Equipment. Almost 19,000 escape hoods, which provide protection against airborne hazards, are deployed in Senate offices and at cache sites throughout the Capitol and in Senate Office Buildings. Last year, hoods were distributed to every office. This year, escape hood cache locations were established in restaurants, hallways, near elevators, in the Capitol, and other public areas. These cache locations are quickly accessible to staff and visitors. This past year the SAA conducted the first full inventory of all the escape hoods issued to offices. Over the next year, options will be evaluated for replacing the escape hoods in anticipation of replacing the current hoods at the end of their shelf life in FY 2006. Last fall, in consultation with Senate offices, the SAA developed an emergency supplies kit that will be useful to offices in any emergency. The SAA plans to issue the kits and provide training to the Office Emergency Coordinators this spring.
Continuity of Operations and Government
This past year the SAA and the Secretary of the Senate developed and published the Senate Continuity of Operations and Continuity of Government Planning Guide that provides strategic guidance and a framework for developing comprehensive, integrated Senate Continuity of Operations and Continuity of Government plans. The SAA and Secretary of the Senate worked closely with all affected legislative branch agencies to ensure the plans, which are part of each office’s emergency plan, are supportable and coordinated. Other initiatives the SAA has been, and will continue to be, involved in that are designed to meet the need for strong continuity of operations and continuity of government planning include:
Senate Office Planning. The SAA participates in the review and update of the Senate’s Continuity of Operations plans each Congress. Most Member and Committee offices now have their own Continuity of Operations plans in place. They have established alternate operating sites, have laptops and other equipment for these sites, and have backed up their essential data and other records so the sites are ready to use. Many offices activated their plans during the ricin incident and are now improving those plans. The SAA will continue to help offices prepare, review, and update their internal plans and procedures.
The SAA’s Continuity of Operations planning support was extended to state offices this past year through a Web-based planning software application. The application helps Members’ state offices create their plans, and enables Members’ Administrative Managers to oversee those plans to ensure they fit within the office’s overall office Continuity of Operations plan. Briefing Centers and Alternate Chamber. The Senate has established Briefing Centers and Alternate Chamber locations for use in emergency circumstances. Over the past year, the SAA continued to enhance its ability to support these locations, as well as Member office and Committee operations. During this time, two Briefing Centers were completed. The Centers provide temporary, protected locations where the Senate can account for membership; where Leadership, Senate Officers, and the U.S. Capitol Police can communicate with Senators; and where communications capabilities are available to Senators. A third Briefing Center is nearing completion.
Two years ago, a primary Alternate Chamber was established on Capitol Hill. Final modifications to that facility were made this past year and it is fully operational. A secondary Alternate Chamber location has also been selected off Capitol Hill. This facility is available now and final modifications are being made. Work to establish a second Alternate Chamber site off Capitol Hill will continue this upcoming year. Exercise of Emergency Plans. This past year was the second full year of an active program that ensures that we regularly rehearse and evaluate all aspects of our emergency plans.
The SAA’s exercise program focuses on evaluating new facilities and capabilities as they become available. In the first year, the ability to activate, relocate to, and operate out of our primary Briefing Center and the Capitol Hill Alternate Chamber location was tested. This past year, exercises were conducted for using a second Briefing Center location and the off-site Alternate Chamber. These exercises included tabletop reviews of all aspects of the plans and procedures, and full exercises of the facilities. They included the U.S. Capitol Police Command Center and the Sergeant at Arms and Secretary of the Senate’s Emergency Operation Center. The exercises also tested the transportation to each facility, support of each facility, and communications between the facility and the Command and Operation Centers. The program exercises life-safety responses as well as emergency operations. A similar protective measures exercise of the Senate Chamber was also conducted recently.
This upcoming year, the operations of the Emergency Operations Center will be exercised and a tabletop exercise of the Alternate Computing Facility will be conducted. In addition, quarterly evacuation drills and monthly tests of the emergency communications systems will continue.
The Ricin Incident
The discovery of ricin in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on February 2, 2004, brought to test the emergency planning work done by the Senate in the last two years. The response was a collaborative effort. SAA staff worked with the U.S. Capitol Police, the Committee on Rules and Administration, the Office of the Secretary, the Office of the Attending Physician, and numerous other agencies and organizations, to support Senate operations even though all three Senate Office Buildings were closed.
The closure of the Senate Office Buildings required the activation of the SAA Continuity of Operations plan to support Senate, Member, and Committee operations. In cooperation with the Secretary of the Senate and Committee for Rules and Administration, the SAA established limited alternate space and services for Member and Committee operations. By the morning of February 4, 2004, space and operating capabilities were available for all Member and Committee offices that needed it. Offices were able to borrow equipment they needed from the SAA. Information hotlines and backup systems worked well under the circumstances. Assistance was also provided to Member offices to transfer their telephones to other offices to ensure constituents’ calls were answered.
The support of the Committee on Appropriations was instrumental in implementing the systems and processes that helped the Senate respond successfully to this ricin event. Because redundant technology was available, the Senate offices were able to continue to conduct business even when they were unable to access their offices.
The feedback we received during and after the response to the incident will help improve our response to future incidents. Of primary concern is the need to improve notification processes and procedures. This incident demonstrated that a solid technical infrastructure is in place to ensure timely notifications, but the processes and procedures need improvement. We will continue to work with the U.S. Capitol Police and the Senate community to ensure effective notification in the event of an emergency.
Following the ricin incident, it was necessary to implement new mail processing procedures. Over two years ago, the Legislative Branch Mail Task Force (consisting of representatives from the scientific and medical communities, the United States Postal Service, security experts, and agencies within the legislative branch) established a mail processing system to treat and test all mail coming into the Congress. The discovery of ricin in the Majority Leader’s office in February mandated the need for additional protective measures in our mail processing. Science advisors and the Legislative Branch Mail Task Force recommended that envelopes and packages be opened, examined, and tested for contaminants at an off-site location. With the approval of the Senate Leadership, these new mail processing protocols were quickly implemented.
Overall, the response to the ricin incident is encouraging. The Senate Office Buildings were reopened within 5 days. The response truly was a team effort and demonstrated the importance of preparing for emergencies to ensure continuity of operations.
Information Technology
This past year has seen significant advances in the area of information technology in the Senate. The addition of a Chief Information Officer to the SAA management team has facilitated the development and delivery of a technology vision, a strategy, and solutions to support the Senate and enhance its security.
The Senate’s information technology infrastructure is used to complement other security efforts. Information technology is crucial to security in the Senate and to the Senate’s ability to accomplish its day-to-day activities. With a strong emphasis on providing advanced technology capabilities and outstanding customer support to the Senate, the SAA is adopting a comprehensive approach to delivering technology solutions and services. This approach focuses on evaluating and implementing effective technology to help the Senate conduct its business.
The SAA is developing an information technology strategy that will be implemented in the coming year. The strategy will address the Senate’s need for mobility, flexibility, and redundancy in information and telecommunications systems and will specifically address the requirements that:
• Members and staffs need to be informed and have the ability to track current events in near real-time.
• Members and staffs need to be secure to carry out their duties under any circumstances.
• Members and staffs need to be able to communicate among themselves and with constituents and the public.
• Members and staffs need to be able to operate and maintain Washington, D.C., and state offices.
• Members and staffs must be able to collect, analyze, manipulate, and present information.
The strategy will include a plan and a technology roadmap for the next two years. The plan and roadmap will provide guidance to the Senate on its technology decisions, and a framework for making those decisions. In conjunction with this strategy, significant work will continue this coming year on information technology initiatives relating to security, emerging technology, and customer service. Several of these critical initiatives are set forth below.
Security Initiatives
The Alternate Computing Facility (ACF). This year, the Alternate Computing Facility was added as a major addition to the Senate’s operational capability. Much of the alternate computing facility infrastructure is complete, including facility fit-out, network infrastructure, network operating center, and central computing room facilities. The facility will soon be ready to house backup servers for interested Members and Committees. A fiber optic ring is now complete in both directions providing fully redundant connectivity between the ACF and Capitol Hill. A state-of-the-art storage area network at the ACF receives up to 15 terabytes of data daily from the Capitol Hill central computing facilities. The mainframe and server hardware, telephone equipment, enterprise fax server equipment, and all associated networks are in place and are being tested. Currently, installation of a fully redundant set of primary domain controllers to support the Senate e-mail system is almost complete. The next step is to complete installation and testing of all the software and applications running on the hardware infrastructure, upgrade the power infrastructure, and complete plans to purchase the facility. Contingency Communications. The SAA’s contingency communications program involves a number of major multi-year projects. Last year the Senate’s mobile recording studio became operational. Other mobile communications assets will be delivered over the next few months. We are working to complete communication systems that integrate communications across our emergency facilities. Combined, these projects provide a significant increase in the Senate’s ability to continue to operate under any circumstance.
Telecommunications Improvement and In-building Wireless Infrastructure. To enhance security, emergency preparedness, and customer service, a comprehensive telecommunications improvement plan is being implemented. Wireless devices, including cellular telephones and personal digital assistants (such as BlackBerry devices), have become critical telecommunication infrastructure components supporting daily Senate operations and emergency notification activities. The in-building wireless initiative will provide a Senate-owned wireless infrastructure integrating services from all cellular telephone carriers, BlackBerry devices, and wireless local area networks (LANs). Due to this innovative approach, which will lease infrastructure bandwidth back to the cellular telecommunications carriers, this program will pay for itself in less than five years while providing full cellular, BlackBerry, and wireless LAN connectivity across the entire Senate campus. In addition to the in-building wireless initiative, an analysis of telecommunications requirements is being conducted that will lead to a complete overhaul of our voice and data networks and services over the next several years. The first task in the analysis phase of this large project is already underway. Deployable Communications Assets. Mobility and flexibility are fundamental to successful continuity of operations and continuity of government planning and execution. The goal of this office is to make it possible for Members and their staffs to communicate and process data from almost anywhere at any time if they have to relocate. A variety of technologies and capabilities is being developed to provide mobility and flexibility options. Two state-of-the-art communications vehicles are being deployed that will allow us to establish the Senate’s information infrastructure almost anywhere. Satellite, radio, and local area network and wide area network facilities currently are being integrated in each of these communications vehicles with full operational capability planned for later this year. Next year’s Continuity of Operations and Continuity of Government exercises will incorporate these vehicles.
Emergency Operations Coordination Prototype. To support security and emergency operations, we are working with the U.S. Capitol Police to develop a prototype emergency operations coordination system that will enable officers to update and track individuals electronically during a Capitol Hill evacuation operation. This system, which features tablet PC technology and back-end databases with full reporting capability, is currently in prototype, and will be fully operational later this year.
Information Technology Security: Defense-in-Depth. During this past year, there has been a steep increase in cyber threats, as hostile entities attempt to attack our systems with viruses, worms, and denial-of-service attacks. The Senate’s infrastructure and data are protected by continuously upgrading our defense-in-depth capability. The defense-in-depth approach includes multiple layers of defense that protect the Senate’s information infrastructure at all levels, from the inside out. It includes an enterprise anti-virus program.
We expect to extend the enterprise anti-virus program to all 12,000 Senate desktop and laptop computers by the end of next year. To date, this software has been installed on 5,000 Senate computers, protecting them from viruses, worms, and denial-of-service attacks.
These security efforts have paid off; the Senate has not been successfully intruded upon from the outside and we have seen only minimal effects from the most aggressive virus and worm attacks. We are now working with office system administrators, who are responsible for the security of their office local area networks, to improve the Senate’s overall security posture and enhance our ability to defend against intrusions.
Next year, as part of a comprehensive network infrastructure upgrade, it will be necessary to evaluate and upgrade the information security infrastructure in the Senate switched network by upgrading routers and firewalls. Increased intrusion detection systems, software tools, and services will complete the defense-in-depth approach to information infrastructure. Information Technology Security: Policies, Practices, Training, and Tools. An effective approach to information security goes beyond upgrading the information security infrastructure to include evaluating and applying best practices and information security and assurance hardware and software tools, and providing information security training for employees. Through the Information Security Policies and Practices Working Group, we are working with Members’ technology staffs and the Committee on Rules and Administration to examine and improve information security practices across the Senate. Because of the increasing number of attacks the Senate faces, the SAA is also evaluating and upgrading the skills of our own information security staff.
Emerging Technologies Initiatives
One major theme that has been embraced in the Senate’s information technology strategy is to identify ways that new and emerging technologies can support the Senate’s priorities. We are already moving forward on this effort by analyzing trends to discern which emerging technologies will be most applicable in the Senate environment. Once promising technologies are identified, the SAA will work with interested Senate offices to pilot or prototype the technologies and prove the concepts. Following successful pilots, the technologies can be rolled-out Senate wide.
New Technology and Innovation. To elevate technology awareness, expose the Senate to the future of technology, and spur innovation, the SAA is sponsoring emerging technology events. The first Senate Emerging Technologies Conference, held in February 2004, brought experts from industry to the Senate to discuss emerging wireless technologies, telecommunications trends, knowledge management, and collaboration tools. The conference was followed by a technology fair highlighting low-cost applications that we could implement at the Senate in the near future. More emerging technology events are being planned for FY 2005.
Process Improvement. The Sergeant at Arms is creating an organization to focus on process improvement and innovation from the perspective of customer service and security. This year, the organization will perform top-down and bottom-up analyses of technology-related business processes. It will look for opportunities to innovate and will implement ways to make the Senate’s technology and business processes more efficient and effective. The group will document, analyze, and improve processes such as technology project management, requests for assistance, and the Senate’s systems development life-cycle.
Technology Infusion. To move emerging technologies into the Senate environment quickly, the Office of the Sergeant at Arms is collaborating with Senate offices to develop prototype applications, consisting of subsets of target functionality. Two such prototypes currently under development are the Office Emergency Coordinator tracking system and a knowledge management prototype. The approach is to think big, start small, and scale quickly.
Customer Service Initiatives
This office is paying special attention to how well it meets the Senate’s technology needs. This effort requires the evaluation and analysis of all aspects of our information technology solutions and technology infusion and delivery programs. A survey was conducted last year that measured customers’ satisfaction with technology. The survey revealed that Members and their staffs want more and better information about technology programs, a faster process for infusing new technologies, and an emphasis on looking “over the bow” toward emerging technologies and how the Senate can take advantage of these technologies in the next three years.
Customer Service, Satisfaction, and Communications. The first step taken by the SAA to improve customer service, satisfaction, and communications was to implement an extensive customer outreach program that enables us to understand the Senate’s requirements better. This program features communications through monthly information technology newsletters, quarterly project status reporting to Senate offices, participation in the Majority Leader’s Information Technology Working Group, joint monthly project and policy meetings with the Committee on Rules and Administration and the Senate System Administrators Association leadership, and participation in a Hill-Wide Information Technology Group. We are also emphasizing customer service by enforcing stringent service-level agreements with our technology Help Desk contractor. This program has been extremely successful with sustained performance levels meeting or exceeding the service-level agreement (greater than 95% based on customer satisfaction surveys) for the past eight months.
Business Applications. Based on input and feedback from users, it was determined that many of the business software applications supporting Members and their staffs needed to be updated. The Senate Information Services program will be modernized to provide more information from various news sources in near real-time and more comprehensive analysis of that information. The financial management systems that support the Secretary of the Senate’s Disbursing Office are also being modernized and made Web-capable. We are also exploring new correspondence tracking and management systems and have added to the list of available application offerings.
Intelligence over the Net–Web Services. One major technology focus is to move applications and processing capability to the Senate’s Intranet. Flexible Web services technologies will allow the placement of many service-delivery applications to Webster so users can access them with a Web browser. The goal is for the Senate Intranet to evolve into a full capability portal providing Senate staff “one-stop shopping” for common business application functionality.
Secure Remote Access Options. In addition to moving applications to the Web, this office is aggressively exploring alternate ways for Senate users to gain secure remote access to Senate information resources. In particular, biometric capabilities are being explored to add to the secure networking options already provided. Network Upgrades and Video Teleconferencing. To support flexibility, mobility, and improved customer service, we are expanding and upgrading the Senate’s information networks.
Over the next year, the Capitol Hill network infrastructure upgrade will be complete, delivering increased communications bandwidth to the desktop to support the applications of the future. This upgrade, already underway, will provide 100 megabits per second (Mbps) to the desktop and one gigabit per second (Gbps) between servers in the network. To improve communications for Members’ state offices, we continuously analyze and adjust their wide area network connections and increase bandwidth as required. This flexibility allows us to support sophisticated Web services over the Internet, as well as the video teleconferencing program that is currently underway. Under the video teleconferencing program, a state-of-the-art video teleconferencing terminal will be installed at each Member’s Capitol Hill office and a similar terminal at the state office of their choice. Electronic Mail and Office Automation Applications. The Senate Messaging Infrastructure is almost complete, with 98% of all offices migrated to Microsoft Exchange and Outlook. The Active Directory Messaging Architecture program, the successor to the Senate Messaging Infrastructure program, is currently in the design phase. It will allow Member and Committee offices to have choices between central and distributed management of their Exchange servers, a Senate global address list, and office servers updated from Microsoft NT4 to Microsoft Windows 2003 technology. In addition, we will continue to expand and upgrade our BlackBerry system to supplement both the Senate e-mail system and the emergency notification systems. Moving into the next year, continued convergence of devices and the widespread use of combination cell phone and BlackBerry devices are anticipated. This office is committed to deploying systems that will allow Members more flexibility in choosing which wireless device to use for receiving emergency notifications and legislative alerts.
Operational Support
While security and information technology initiatives are necessarily at the forefront of the SAA’s efforts to serve the Senate community at this particular time in history, the core value required to execute these initiatives successfully - a commitment to exceptional customer service – has always been a cornerstone of the SAA’s operational support. Over the past year, we have seen significant improvements in the operational aspects of the SAA’s support to the Senate.
Some of the achievements and projects outlined below are the result of better integrating technology into business practices; others originated from the need to find innovative solutions to challenges presented by the ricin incident. Regardless of the impetus for these accomplishments, they all demonstrate the hard work and dedication of the SAA operational staffs.
Senate Post Office. The Senate Post Office delivered nearly 19 million safe articles of mail to the Senate community during FY 2003. It is our understanding that this was accomplished for approximately $3 million less than the House of Representatives, which uses an outside contractor to handle similar volume. One of the security improvements implemented this past year was a new package and envelope-testing site for couriers, allowing for same-day delivery of time-sensitive items.
Additionally, as set forth previously in this testimony, the ricin incident in February led to the adoption of new mail protocols. This was accomplished by leveraging existing personnel and assets while improving the safety, security, and cost effectiveness of mail delivery.
Warehouse. The need for a modern, efficiently designed warehouse facility and mail processing facility continues and, following the ricin incident, has become more critical. All mail, packages, and deliveries to the Senate must be inspected to ensure the safety of the institution. We believe that locating a new warehouse adjacent to the U.S. Capitol Police off-site inspection facility will yield considerable security and operating benefits. The warehouse and mail processing facilities, together with planned U.S. Capitol Police initiatives, will ensure the safety and security of Senate assets and staff. The financial benefits include eliminating an estimated $800,000 in annual recurring costs, including the outsourcing expenses for package processing that are currently being performed by a contractor.
Current warehouse facilities are geographically dispersed, environmentally inadequate for document and furniture storage and do not meet the minimum requirements of the General Services Administration. A new facility will correct these problems and enable volume discounts for Secretary of the Senate and SAA purchases. It will give a longer useful life to furniture and fixtures warehoused and provide specialized storage to meet the needs of the Senate Curator and Librarian. A new warehouse facility will ultimately benefit the whole Senate community through increased efficiency, enhanced security, and improved organization.
Capitol Facilities. The Capitol Facilities staff continues to work around the clock to ensure that the environment within the Capitol is clean and professional. With a new management team and a fresh look at key processes, the appearance of the Capitol has significantly improved. Among the staff’s many accomplishments this past year is its successful relocation of the Secretary of the Senate’s Capitol staff from basement offices, which were disrupted by Capitol Visitor Center construction, to newly developed fourth-floor office space.
This move was done without interrupting the Secretary of the Senate’s ability to support the legislative process.
Printing, Graphics, and Direct Mail. The innovations in this operational area resulted in substantial cost savings to its customers. Specifically, over $1.8 million was saved through the staff’s work with Member offices on ways to address letters to ensure discounted postage rates are received as often as possible. The amount of processed mail that qualified for discounted postage this past year was 23 percent higher than in FY 2002.
The use of technology in this area has enhanced customer service. Over 2.2 million documents were produced through the SAA’s online ordering service, a 427 percent increase over FY 2002, when the service was first implemented. Online ordering reduces errors and provides convenience and labor savings by enabling Senate offices to order printing services from their desktops.
This past year, automation also resulted in a significant increase in the Senate’s ability to archive documents. By fully automating the process, the SAA was able to archive over two million documents for the Senate. This represents a 218 percent increase over the previous year with no additional staff.
Photo Studio. The Senate Photo Studio completed its transition from film to high-resolution digital photography and its conversion to digital photo printing processes this past year. Photography and photo printing services are now being performed digitally, eliminating some chemical processes and bringing significant improvements in quality and delivery of products to our customers.
The shift to a digital operation allows staff to view photographs taken by the Senate Photo Studio immediately, on site. It also enables the Studio to e-mail high-resolution images to Senate offices, and allows offices to view images and download them. These enhancements have been received well by customers.
Senate Recording Studio. The Senate Recording Studio remains a leader in the use of technology. Last year, the Recording Studio initiated a project to upgrade and install multimedia equipment in Committee hearing rooms, including digital signal processing, audio systems, and broadcast quality robotic camera systems. This project will continue this year. The audio upgrades will improve speech intelligibility and provide software-based systems that can be reconfigured based on an individual Committee’s needs. The upgrades also include diagnostic monitoring, which enables staff to detect and resolve problems before the problems become disruptive. For instance, if a Member is speaking at a relatively low volume, the system can more effectively raise the volume of that microphone. If a Member who is about to speak does not turn on the microphone, the Committee clerk can remotely turn it on from a computer. Even if the main electronics fail, a backup system will take over within minutes. Additionally, the system provides networking that allows the audio to be automatically routed from one hearing room to other hearing rooms for overflow purposes.
The video upgrades will include the addition of broadcast-quality television cameras. These cameras will be installed on robotic systems and can be controlled remotely from the Recording Studio. The upgrades also include cabinetry so the cameras can be concealed when not in use. Once this project is completed, the Recording Studio will be able to meet the demand for the broadcast of Committee hearings and simultaneously maintain production capabilities in the television studios.
The Senate has had the ability to search Chamber proceedings by text and listen to audio playback from desktop computers for years. In fact, the Senate was a pioneer in this area, and accomplished it in the early years of computer browsers. The next major advance will be the replacement of the audio and text browsing systems this summer with a state-of-the-art audio/text/video browsing system. This will enable Senate staff to search and play back Chamber proceedings and news programming from any computer on the Senate LAN.
This system is the result of a modernization of the Senate Recording Studio’s technical plant that incorporates technology so new that it is operational in only a handful of facilities in the country. This new technology will enable the Recording Studio to record, edit, and play media without ever using tape machines, while simultaneously making the media available for online searching and streaming. In the near future, the Recording Studio plans to add Senate hearings and other media to the system.
Education and Training. In 2003, the Senate’s Joint Office of Education and Training offered 694 classes, with 6,916 Senate employees participating. Of the total number of classes offered, 309 were technical training, with 1,730 students participating. The registration desk handled 15,390 requests for training and documentation. An additional 1,126 staff received coaching on various software packages and other computer-related issues. Training was provided to almost the entire Senate community as the new Senate Messaging Infrastructure was implemented.
Over 350 professional development classes were offered last year with a total attendance of 5,117 students. Managers and supervisors are encouraged to request customized training for their offices. As a result, the staff of the Joint Office of Education and Training worked on more than 40 occasions with teams on issues related to team performance, communication, and conflict resolution. Over 1,300 Senate staff also took advantage of the 18 health events sponsored by this office.
A “State Training Fair,” which was first available in March 2000, was offered three times this past year to 134 state staff members. Forty-two senior leaders in state offices also participated in the first State Directors Forum. In addition, state offices continue to be offered “Virtual Classrooms,” an Internet-based training library of over 300 courses. To date, 164 state office staff, representing 59 Senators, have used the virtual classrooms.
The Joint Office of Education and Training ensures that the training designed for Senate staff meets their needs. This upcoming year particular attention will be paid to providing training to increase the Senate’s awareness of information technology security. Specifically, an IT Security Awareness program for Senate staff is being developed and a course on reviewing and configuring security settings on Windows servers is ready for delivery. Existing computer security classes and documentation are being revamped, and IT security issues will be included as an integral part of our system administration classes and other classes. System Administrators will be able to receive training to maintain and enhance their skills, including new, self-paced training with mentoring for those who would benefit from more instruction and personal guidance.
Support to Other Organizations. In addition to the support the SAA provides the Senate, we also provide significant support to organizations outside the Senate. In FY 2003, the SAA performed services for other organizations costing over $3 million without reimbursement. Most of these services support the U.S. Capitol Police and the Architect of the Capitol. However, support is also provided on occasion to the House of Representatives, and to liaison offices and other organizations located in the Senate Office Buildings. These services include printing and graphics products, maintenance of radio and network systems, telephone services (some of which are reimbursed), and computer repair and installation.
Conclusion
The staff of the SAA has done tremendous work to keep the Senate safe, secure, and operating efficiently. The accomplishments and vision of this office would not be possible without the active, ongoing support of this Committee and the Committee on Rules and Administration. We thank you for your support and for the opportunity to present this testimony and answer questions.
