Nabors to lead EDS homeland security

Electronic Data Systems Corp. named retired Army Maj. Gen. Robert Nabors as head of its rapidly growing homeland security program, the company announced Jan. 29. Nabors will oversee integration and coordination of homeland security-related offerings to federal, state and local governments. Nabors had joined Plano, Texas-based EDS as vice president of the enterprise solutions unit in the government solutions business. He will continue to report to Al Edmonds, president of the government solutions group.Before coming to EDS, Nabors served as commanding general and headed contracting activity for the Army's Communications Electronics Command, which generates annually $4.5 billion in goods and services business. He held several positions in Germany, including commanding general of the 5th Signal Command and deputy chief of staff for information management.Nabors also served as chief information officer at the Pentagon and deputy commander of the White House Communications Agency. He was a senior fellow at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, National Security Affairs program.Nabors said the first goal of any homeland security plan should be to ensure secure communication and interoperability on many levels "to deliver the right information to the right people at the right time." "As a nation, we already possess the technology and much of the infrastructure to solve or significantly reduce the vulnerabilities exposed by Sept. 11," he said.While technical solutions are readily available, Nabors said the most daunting challenge for government will be to ensure monies are made available at the appropriate levels. "A true homeland security initiative will require long-term capitalization" and a shift of priorities in the federal budget, he said, adding the nation's security no longer rests at the federal level alone."On 9-11, cities were attacked, and it was the local beat cop, the local firefighter and the local emergency medical personnel who provided the first response and maintained the front line until the federal agencies could respond," he said.