A lack of strategic policies, poor management and inadequate spending have left the federal government's homeland security capabilities far behind where they ought to be, some experts say in response to a final report on the 9/11 Commission's recommendations.

President Bush and Congress received Ds and Fs on a report card for their progress in enacting the recommendations the commission made in its initial July 2004 report, according to members of the 9/11 Public Discourse Project.

Both the executive and legislative branches have let bureaucratic conflicts, turf wars and recalcitrant agency cultures stymie progress in critical areas such as information sharing and interoperable communications for first responders, according to the group that succeeded the commission.

Most of the worst grades, and two of the best, were in areas where information technology is crucial to implementation. "There's no question that technology is part of the problem," said Al Felzenberg, the group's spokesman. But "in some cases, they may have relied too much on technology and not on old-fashioned shoe leather the way they used to do."

The government probably is spending enough money on homeland security technology, but the real question is whether it is addressing the right management and policy issues to use it effectively, said Bruce McConnell, president of McConnell International.

Many core information-sharing problems are rooted in people problems, not technology, McConnell said. "We're throwing money at technology without addressing the underlying issues that cause problems in the first place," he said.

A good strategy is essential for success, said Norman Rabkin, managing director of homeland security and justice issues at the Government Accountability Office. GAO has talked a good deal about the need for an effective national transportation security strategy and has published criteria for such a strategy.

Rabkin warned, however, that most Homeland Security Department strategies don't come close to achieving the specificity that would enable congressional leaders to hold the department accountable for completing tasks by a certain time.

In its defense, DHS officials said the 9/11 group's report card doesn't reflect the progress that the department has made in many critical areas, including information sharing. Valerie Smith, a DHS spokeswoman, said a central mission of DHS is to share information with federal, state and local jurisdictions. DHS has instituted many new policies and programs to do that, she added.