[Infowarrior] - Retired Army general to lead TSA

[Richard Forno]

Retired Army general to lead TSA
Updated 1:57 p.m. ET

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2010/03/retired_army_general_tapped_to.html


President Obama on Monday tapped retired Army Major Gen. Robert A.  
Harding to lead the Transportation Security Administration.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is scheduled to make the  
announcement during a noontime appearance with Harding at DHS  
headquarters.

“I am confident that Bob’s talent and expertise will make him a  
tremendous asset in our ongoing efforts to bolster security and  
screening measures at our airports," President Obama said in a  
statement. "I can think of no one more qualified than Bob to take on  
this important job, and I look forward to working with him in the  
months and years ahead.”

But Harding is Obama's second choice for the post after Erroll  
Southers withdrew from consideration in January following reports that  
he may have misled Congress about an incident in the late 1980s  
involving a background check of the boyfriend of his ex-wife.

Harding retired from the Army in 2001 after 33 years of military  
service, according to the White House. He served as deputy to the  
Army's chief of intelligence and, previously, served as director for  
operations in the Defense Intelligence Agency. In 2003, he founded a  
defense and intelligence contracting firm, Harding Security  
Associates, which employs more than 400 people, according to the White  
House. Harding currently serves on the boards of directors of the Wolf  
Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts and the Association of Former  
Intelligence Officers.

If confirmed, Harding will likely help settle the issue of whether TSA  
employees should earn collective bargaining rights, an issue that led  
Republican lawmakers to place a hold on Southers' nomination.

Federal union leaders said they knew little about Harding, but hoped  
to meet with him soon to discuss labor concerns.

“We haven’t had the opportunity to research this candidate as we have  
some of the other White House nominees,” said American Federation of  
Government Employees President John Gage “However, if the  
administration believes him to be the best person to lead TSA, we will  
trust that decision until given a reason not to.”

National Treasury Employee Union President Colleen M. Kelley also said  
she didn't know Harding, but "it appears his lengthy intelligence  
background would bring an important and useful perspective to the  
agency’s efforts." Both unions hope to win the right to represent TSA  
workers and said earning collective bargaining rights remained their  
top concern.

Harding would join TSA in the aftermath of the thwarted Christmas Day  
bombing attack and amid Congressional concerns with several recent  
reports of passenger mistreatment by TSA officers. The agency also  
continues to deploy 150 new body-scanning machines at major American  
airports.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) urged swift confirmation  
for Harding.

"This nomination should not be subject to partisan delay tactics,"  
Reid said in a statement. The leaders of the Senate Commerce and  
Homeland Security committees, which will hold hearings on the  
nomination, also pledged to move quickly on Harding.