Color-coded terror threats to be phased out

WASHINGTON - By the end of April, terror threats to the United States will no longer be described in shades of green, blue, yellow, orange and red.

The color-coded terror warning system will be phased out beginning this week, according to government officials familiar with the plan. They requested anonymity to speak ahead of an announcement scheduled today by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.

The Homeland Security Department and other government agencies have been reviewing the Homeland Security Advisory System's usefulness for more than a year. One of the most notable changes to come: The public will no longer hear automated recordings at U.S. airports stating that the threat level is orange.

The Obama administration will take the next three months to roll out a replacement, to be called the National Terrorism Advisory System. The plan calls for notifying specific audiences about specific threats. In some cases, it might be a one-page threat description sent to law enforcement officials describing the threat, what law enforcement needs to do about it and what the federal government is doing, one of the officials said.

When officials think there is a threat the public should know about, they will issue an announcement and rely on news organizations and social media outlets to get the word out.

Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford), the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said the old system served a valuable purpose in the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, but that a more targeted system was needed.

"It sounds to me like the changes they are proposing make sense," King said. "I expect the biggest challenge for DHS will be balancing the need to provide useful and timely information with the need to protect sensitive information."