Jay Cohen, the retired rear admiral and former submarine commander who has taken the helm as undersecretary of the science and technology directorate at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), worked the crowd in the hallways of the Ronald Reagan building like a professional politician—with a smile, a firm handshake, and eye contact. The event was a four-day conference in mid-May on how defense contractors could better do business with the newly reorganized science and technology directorate.
The conference, sponsored by the National Defense Industrial Association, was a showcase of high-tech gear. Even the name badges worn by the participants were electronic, allowing the exchange of business-card information merely by beaming them at each other. Despite the flash of the technology on display, the message Cohen and other DHS officials delivered was blunt and cautionary.
“We don't buy no junk,” Cohen told the contractors in the auditorium. “My experience in...
