The Fifth Risk

Lewis, Michael. The Fifth Risk. New York: Norton 2018. Print

First Sentences:

On the morning after the election, November 9, 2016, the people who ran the U.S. Department of Energy turned up in their offices and waited.

Description:

Out of at least 150 "risks" that potentially might affect the United States in the mind of John MacWilliams, the U.S. Department of Energy's "first-ever chief risk officer," five risks rise to the top. MacWilliams' job in the U.S. Department of Energy under President Barrack Obama was to identify and evaluate any dangers that might arise which potentially could derail a DOE program or the country itself. 

The top five risks, according to MacWilliams, were carefully cataloged for the incoming Donald Trump administration and are:

1. Nuclear weapons accident
2. North Korea
3. Iran
4. Safety of the electrical grid
5. Project management

So opens the latest Michael Lewis' investigative book, The Fifth Risk. In it, Lewis first describes the workings and important people behind three U.S. Departments: Agriculture, Commerce, and Energy. Each department and its functions is described through interviews with key members. They discuss in detail the extremely varied programs overseen by their organization. 

For me, I learned a lot. Who knew it is the Commerce Department that conducts the Census and oversees the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations (weather)? That the Department of Energy uses $3 billion per year (10% of its budget) to continue (probably forever) to clean up the tiny community of Hanford, Washington and the radiation mess created by a former government-run plutonium program there? Who would have guessed that the geese-loitering near LaGuardia Airport runways is handled by the Department of Agriculture?

It is a fascinating study of the far-reaching diversity of each Department as well as the highly intelligent and skilled people who manage each of these important, everyday programs.

But then there's that Fifth Risk: Project Management. 

After describing these government Departments, a similar story unfolds in every office. With the election of Donald Trump in November, 2016, each Department carefully planned to welcome the new administration's staff and offer a smooth transition after the January 2017 swearing in. Explanatory files were created. Organization charts for each program were developed. Time was set aside for orientation sessions with the newcomers. 

And the results? No one from the new administration showed up on the first day, the second day, the first week, etc. No-shows were duplicated in each Department. The new administration would be removing the knowledgeable people previously interviewed in the book and then replacing them with staff having no orientation or transition information about the programs, nor implications should existing programs be mis-managed or forgotten

The book jumps from a wonderfully detailed history and current events of a well-run country to a horrific scenario with immense problems looming, created by an administration who seemingly does not concern itself with understanding, much less maintaining or improving vital operations throughout the country. The book becomes a chilling forecast for the well-being of established programs that serve, protect, and make life possible for citizens of the United States and even the world.

The Fifth Risk. Tremendously researched, clearly written, and hauntingly worrisome in its implications. An important read. 

Happy reading. 

Fred

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If this book interests you, be sure to check out:

Chernow, Ron. Alexander Hamilton.   

Fascinating and detailed biography of one of the founding fathers of the United States who helped create the democratic government that has lasted over two hundred years.