Jeh Johnson, formerly the Department of Defense’s top lawyer, accepted President Obama’s nomination to head the Department of Homeland Security last Friday.
In an address made at Oxford last November, Johnson looked to a future end to the 12-year long war on terror. Despite remaining vague, his tone instilled a sense of hope that the country will be able to move past the conflict that has burdened foreign and domestic policy for over a decade. However, his defense of the military’s use of drones in the past and his continued support of torturing terror suspects are worrying indicators of the policies he will implement in his new role.
In spite of civilian casualties and sharp international criticism, Johnson staunchly defended the United States’ authority to use armed drones to target and kill suspected al-Qaeda leaders. “The U.S. government is in an armed conflict against al-Qaeda and associated forces to which the laws of armed conflict apply,” he said. He also supported brutal anti-terror policies such as indefinite detention without charges and extrajudicial killing, by insisting capture, detention, and lethal force are tenements of war and must be seen in the context of a war, not our criminal justice system.
Despite his continued support for inhumane tactics and human right violations, Johnson’s explicit goal of ending the war on terror gives hope for his legacy as the Head of Homeland Security. Johnson is the first Head of Homeland Security since its creation following 9/11 to publicly question the idea of an indefinite war against terrorism. In his address to the Oxford Union Society, he said, “In its 12th year, we must not accept the current conflict, and all that it entails, as the ‘new normal’.”
President Barack Obama remains confident in Johnson’s ability to bring positive change to the Department of Homeland Security. When announcing Johnson’s nomination, he said he nominated him for his “deep understanding of the threats and challenges facing the U.S.” Obama also credits Johnson with the design and implementation of policies that dismantled “the core of al-Qaeda” overseas.
Johnson’s specific policy goals still remain vague. Up to this point, he has merely referenced a “tipping point” when the majority of al-Qaeda leadership will be rendered ineffective and the organization will no longer be able to carry out strategic operations. The Voice awaits this tipping point with anticipation but urges Johnson to abandon his support of coercive anti-terror tactics and blatant violations of human rights to take the country there.
