Jay Cohen
Under Secretary, Science & Technology Directorate, Dept. of Homeland Security
His retirement lasted just 10 days. After a 42-year career in the Navy, where he began as a submariner and worked his way up the ranks to rear admiral, fate had plans other than retirement for the former Chief of Naval Research. On August 10, 2006, 24 suspects were arrested in the United Kingdom for allegedly plotting to blow up 10 U.S.-bound airlines with liquid explosives. On that day, retired Rear Adm. Jay M. Cohen became Under Secretary for Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate. Turns out, it's a position he's been training for his entire life.
Cohen has dedicated his career to public service. In 1968, upon graduation from the United States Naval Academy, he was commissioned as an ensign. He went on to obtain a joint ocean engineering degree from MIT and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and a master of science in marine engineering and naval architecture, again from MIT.
His early Navy assignments included service on both conventional and nuclear submarines. He's commanded two U.S. submarines and in 1997, he was promoted to Rear Admiral responsible for strategic weapons release authority. In 2000, he became the 20th Chief of Naval Research and spent six years overseeing a group he affectionately called "the country's premier mad scientists."
"Once you have a taste of public service, it's hard to walk away from it," he says. Cohen clearly means what he says because taking over as Under Secretary was not going to be easy. At the time of his appointment, the Science and Technology Directorate was a fractured, disenfranchised and, according to Congressional reports, unaccountable organization. A Senate appropriations report described it as a "ruddlerless ship." Cohen knew that that faith needed to be restored — immediately.
He set to work reorganizing the Directorate into six divisions which included the creation of the human factors division. "The Brits got it right," he says of the aforementioned August 10th arrests. "They got the bomber. You get the bomber, and you don't have to worry about the bomb." He intends for the Directorate to evolve quickly from a disorganized startup to a mature organization, one that is "customer-focused, output oriented, cost-efficient, effective, responsive, agile and flexible."
Somewhat surprisingly, Cohen also maintains an entrepreneurial spirit. He simply doesn't accommodate "business as usual" tactics. During his first few days of office, he publicly solicited ideas for liquid explosives testing methods and attracted 60 submissions from "individual inventors, mom and pop companies, and labs." None were typical agency contractors.
Noting that terrorists take our technology and use it against us, Cohen says we must not only understand technology but also anticipate how it might be abused. The structure he has put into place allows for a healthy balance between research and applications — between the mature or maturing technologies of today with potential breakthroughs of tomorrow. "Too often those in science and technology fields say 'we know what you need.' They do research because it is interesting and holds potential for future capabilities not because it meets a specific goal or objective. The Directorate must focus and prioritize its resources to be output oriented and customer driven."
At the same time — and this is where his ability to balance both people and resources is significant — Cohen also admits that unfettered scientific research is important. "Discovery and invention are characterized by the fact that we don't know what we don't know," he says. "You must go up many alleys before you know which ones are blind."
He points to a $100,000 investment the Navy made 25 years ago to develop a more accurate determination of time. "We didn't know a quarter of a century ago that that small investment and a breakthrough in time measurement would result in the global positioning system (GPS) and the revolutionary developments in navigation and warfare associated with that system," he says.
Cohen's grasp of the issues and his straight-forward manner have earned him high marks. With a dogged determination to ensure that Americans do not suffer any surprises that could have been averted "if we only knew," Cohen is the ultimate risk management innovator. Whether natural or man-made, ultimately, his responsibility is to stop destruction. "Those worries are what keep me awake at night," he says. "But the world is a dynamic place and if we remain flexible and responsive we can meet head on those threats and opportunities as they evolve."