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Section 501 of the U.S. Information and Educational Exchange Act of1948 (Smith-Mundt Act) prohibits domestic dissemination ofinformation designed for foreign consumption, ostensibly to ban"domestic propaganda." In the war on terrorism, this amounts toself-sabotage. Until Congress relegates this piece of legislationto the dustbin of history, the U.S. cannot expect to conduct publicdiplomacy effectively.

In Iraq and Afghanistan, the United States has relearned painful lessons on how to win the peace.

Creating a vision of counterterrorism technologies that arepractical and affordable and overmatch the threat of 21st centuryterrorism, implementing initiatives that broaden the market andmake it more predictable and dependable, and developing policiesthat will help to overcome the barriers to innovation are essentialsteps to harnessing technology to the future needs of lawenforcement.

Simply strengthening the current "layered systems" approach to U.S.border security will not secure the border. Congress and theAdministration need to make key investments in infrastructure,organization, technology, and resources and then support theseefforts with appropriate legislation and policy reform.

To prosecute the global war on terrorism effectively, the UnitedStates will need unprecedented integration of its military,intelligence, law enforcement, diplomatic, and other nationalsecurity instruments. The Pentagon's worldwide command networkshould be replaced by a combination of military and interagencycommands designed for the challenges of the future, not theproblems of the past.