NASA Deputy Administrator Shana Dale’s Blog: Office of Security and Program Protection

I asked Jack Forsythe, the Assistant Administrator for the Office of Security and Program Protection (OSPP), to be my guest blogger for the week. Jack came on board just a few months ago and is already moving out with a plan. Mike and I support his efforts and look forward to his leadership of this critically important NASA organization.

Jack’s Plan

As AA OSPP, my vision is to move OSPP forward in the best interest of the Agency. To do so, OSPP must balance its responsibility to provide effective protective services and enable the Mission Directorates to safely and securely accomplish their missions, with minimum impact to performance and cost. In this regard, I am committed to identifying, fostering, and nurturing partnerships to strengthen the foundation and facilitate the resolution of issues in collaboration with NASA senior management, respecting both Agency and Center perspectives.

I intend to lead an organization that is diverse, responsive, efficient, and accountable, with a distinct knowledge of responsibility, while fostering communication, collaboration, and teamwork to ensure the exchange of ideas and information that further enable us to accomplish our mission in support of the Agency. My long-term focus will be toward redefining the organizational structure of OSPP, maximizing resources, standardizing Center protective service organizations and enhancing the credibility, professionalism, and trust of OSPP.

In the near term, we will continue to work issues associated with the implementation of HSPD-12, particularly as it relates to Personal Identify Verification (PIV) cards and access control, and manage the Agency’s emergency and disaster preparedness program. As part of this initiative, the Emergency Operations Center at Headquarters was recently activated so adequate and timely support could be provided to Stennis Space Center and the Michoud Assembly Facility during Hurricane Gustav.

Lastly, a considerable amount of time and resources will be devoted to working with the Centers as we transition to the consolidated NASA Protective Services Contract, which was awarded May 2008. The single contract combines the requirements from 18 separate contracts into one single vehicle with the goal of consolidation, standardization, and efficiencies for all protective services. Over the next few months, I will work closely with the implementation team to address and resolve any issues identified that are either Center-specific or have Agency-wide implications. Full implementation has been delayed, but is currently scheduled for the first four locations (Independent Verification and Validation Facility in West Virginia, White Sands Test Facility, Johnson Space Center, and Kennedy Space Center) on January 1, 2009.

I look forward to working with NASA senior leadership, the Center Directors, Mission Directorates and Mission Support Offices to help meet the challenges faced by the Agency, address and mitigate all potential threats to our Agency, and develop and promote relationships that are in the best interest of the Agency.