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November 2004                                                                            Volume 7 - Number 2

Business Update...

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Business Members for National Security (BENS)
<>by Valerie Seefried

Business Members for National Security (BENS) is a nation wide, non-partisan member driven organization who’s primary objective is to make America safe and secure. The organization provides one of the few effective conduits through which the business world can successfully enhance the nation’s security. BENS members have been working together over the past 22 years to combine their invaluable business experience into delivering carefully crafted messages to decision makers and ensuring that the proposed changes are implemented.

In 1982, business executive and entrepreneur Stanley A. Weiss acted on the pressing need for a forward thinking, non-partisan organization in the US that could cut through ideological debates and focus on the real security and defense issues at hand. He founded BENS and developed its identity as an engine for applying successful cross-sector business practices to restructure the US military for higher levels of efficacy and action. Over time, the organization also recognized the importance of building an effective bridge over the business-government gap when addressing the challenges of unconventional weapons and asymmetric warfare. As a result, BENS is dedicated to helping the Pentagon, Whitehouse and Congress develop unique, real world solutions to strengthening national security.

BENS’ goals and achievements have become virtually indistinguishable over the past 2 decades, as the organization has kept steady pace with developing security problems. Its two driving goals are ‘developing new tools to combat new security threats that cannot be deterred or negotiated away’ and ‘finding resources to reshape and rebuild the US military forces for the 21^st century’. The organization strives to enhance business-government cooperation in order to prepare US communities for bioterrorism; increase intelligence capabilities; strengthen defense against cyber attacks; prevent terrorist access to weapons of mass destruction and the financial tracking of terrorist assets. BENS also ardently maintains that the Pentagon can save tens of billions of dollars by adopting best business practices when transforming the US military.

BENS displays an extensive and impressive list of achievements since the 80’s. The organization assisted in creating US-Soviet Nuclear Risk Reduction Centers; played a major role in closing down obsolete military bases to free up billions of dollars; garnered strong support for the Nuclear Threat Reduction Program and played an essential role in the successful ratification of the Chemical Weapons Convention. Over the last three years BENS has brought together the federal government and the financial sector to devise better ways to track terrorist financial assets and helped to restore congressional funding in 2001 for the destruction of tons of chemical weapons in Russia. As a result of their Tail-to-Tooth Commission, BENS began working with the Defense Department to shift the bulk of defense spending away from the bureaucratic component and towards the actual combat forces. The organization is also currently assisting NSA managers ensure that they recruit and retain the best and brightest professionals. Conducting an independent assessment of the CIA’s compensation reform proposal and building business forces to strengthen the business community against terrorist attack are just a few of the critical initiatives undertaken by BENS since 9/11.

www.bens.org

http://www.defenselink.mil/speeches/2001/r20010503-depsecdef.html

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