Federal Homeland Security
An Institutional Focus
Mar 1, 2008
Centers of Excellence, designated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), are designed to support, stimulate and sustain the nation's intellectual...
All Points Secure
BY ASHLEY ROE
Fort Stewart and the nearby Hunter Army Airfield (HAAF), both located near Savannah, Ga., serve as leading U.S. Army mobilization stations for Operation...
Report Finds Inconclusive Answers To Radiation Detector Test
Mar 1, 2008
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) tests of new radiation detection machines last year did not show whether the costly devices performed well enough...
The Power of Fusion
By Michael Fickes
More than a year before 9/11, intelligence collected by the National Security Agency (NSA) could have identified one of the hijackers, but NSA didn't...
Threat Condition ORANGE
By Roger L. Kemp
In order to improve coordination and communication among all levels of government and the public in the fight against terrorism, the President signed...
Deadline Looms
Jan 1, 2008
The final rule for REAL ID compliance provides the necessary guidance for states to begin building systems and linking networks to fulfill the mandates...
Triggering A Cyber War
By Kevin G. Coleman
Much attention is being given to the threat of a cyber war. Opinions about how close or how far away we are from such an event differ greatly among the...
Walk, Screen and Detect
By Stephanie Silk
In October 2007, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced that it would award $52.3 million in contracts to deploy security technology...
PROTECTING CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE: A Shared Responsibility
Dec 1, 2007
One of the key issues confronting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Defense (DoD), state, local and tribal governments and...
Alabama Gets Virtual
Dec 1, 2007
Alabama Gov. Bob Riley and the Alabama Department of Homeland Security have unveiled the Virtual Alabama software program, a limited-access Web site that...
A Canopy of Connectivity
By Ashley Roe
At the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), one of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DoE) 10 national laboratories, 4,200 staff members conduct...
Secret Service Agents Go Online To Fight Electronic Crime
By Jacqueline Emich
Among most of us, the U.S. Secret Service is closely associated with the physical protection of the President and other top government officials. Beyond...
MARITIME SECURITY: Protecting Naval Vessels
Oct 1, 2007
The U.S. Navy protects its ships using what looks like a series of tennis nets sitting on cylindrical-shaped floats that fasten together to form a floating...
Video In Flight
Aug 1, 2007
Today's more sophisticated security video surveillance systems must be reliable, and more complex video systems can be susceptible to signal and dependability...
Study Shows Fed Workers In Dark About Security
May 31, 2007
SecureInfo, McLean, Va., a security firm that specializes in federal government services, has published a study (available on request for download here.) showing that although more than 90 percent of agency workers have completed a security awareness training course in the last 12 months, some 65 percent of them say they have never heard of FISMA, the federal IT security standard.
The Federal Information Security Management Act defines the U.S. government's requirements for information security, both in IT and among workers and contractors, according to Forbes.
Under FISMA, agency employees are required to complete a "security awareness" course every year, and both the SecureInfo study and the FISMA report to Congress indicate that more than 90 percent of workers have completed that course....
Security Firms At Higher Risk For Attack In Iraq
May 31, 2007
Private security contractors became notorious for making money from the invasion of Iraq. But without them, the number of coalition troops in the country would have been significantly higher. And since the peak of the market in 2004, they have faced greater dangers than ever and reduced financial returns, according to the Financial Times.
"It's certainly more dangerous. The number and the sophistication of attacks have risen, as has the level of information the terrorists have regarding our activities," says Jonathan Garratt, managing director of Erinys, London, which has about 1,000 security personnel in Iraq mainly on U.S. government contracts....
Homeland Security Looks To Sci-fi Authors
May 31, 2007
Looking to prevent the next terrorist attack, the Homeland Security Department is tapping into the wild imaginations of a group of self-described "deviant" thinkers: science-fiction writers.
"We spend our entire careers living in the future," says author Arlan Andrews, one of a handful of writers the government brought to Washington to attend a Homeland Security conference on science and technology, according to USA Today.
Those responsible for keeping the nation safe from devastating attacks realize that in addition to border agents, police and airport screeners, they "need people to think of crazy ideas," Andrews says....
DHS Completes Plans For Critical Infrastructure Protection
May 31, 2007
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has announced the completion of 17 Sector-Specific Plans (SSPs) in support of the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP). The plan outlines a comprehensive risk management framework that defines critical infrastructure protection roles and responsibilities for all levels of government and private industry. Each SSP is tailored to the risk characteristics of that sector to promote greater consistency of protective programs and resources within the sectors.
"The consequences of an assault against America's vast network of critical infrastructure sites could be dire, both in loss of life and in economic impact," says Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. "At the same time, we must avoid imposing onerous security measures that would damage or make economically impractical the very systems that we're trying to protect. The security roadmap reflects unprecedented coordination among the public and private sectors. These plans are already significantly strengthening vital infrastructure and reducing vulnerability to all hazards -- terrorist attack and natural disaster alike."...
Trusted Traveler Programs Grow
May 17, 2007
The slow-developing program to give expedited passage at airport security to trusted travelers who pay a fee is finally gaining traction, reports USA Today.
More than five years after it was proposed following the 9/11 terrorism, trusted traveler programs are operating at six airports. Five more airports in recent weeks have signed with a private partner to operate the government's Registered Traveler program.
And at least four others -- Washington Dulles, Reagan Washington National, Denver and San Francisco -- say they are shopping for partners to run their Registered Traveler programs.
...
Rail Test Center To Evaluate Radiation Detection
May 17, 2007
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will soon begin conducting multiple projects in the Port of Tacoma, Wash., to evaluate technology and concepts of operations for radiation detection that will scan cargo at various points in transfer from ship to rail. By establishing a Rail Test Center (RTC) at the port, DHS will identify and evaluate radiological and nuclear detection solutions for intermodal rail port facilities that can be used across the country.
"The deployment of radiation portal monitors can be much more challenging at seaports where cargo containers depart the port by rail," says Vayl Oxford, director of the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO), Washington, D.C. ...
DHS Announces Millions Available to Nonprofit Organizations
May 17, 2007
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Washington, D.C., hsa announced that nonprofit organizations in 46 designated areas are eligible to apply for funds as part of the fiscal year (FY) 2007 Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP). This program will provide more than $24 million to eligible 501(c)(3) organizations that are deemed high-risk for a potential international terrorist attack.
Grants will be awarded to nonprofit organizations through their eligible State Administrative Agency (SAA)....
Industry-Cooperative Employee Screening Plan Announced
May 3, 2007
The Transportation Security Administration, Arlington, Va., American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), Alexandria, Va., Airports Council International -- North America (ACI-NA), Washington, DC, and National Air Transportation Association (NATA), Alexandria, Va., have announced plans to measurably maximize the effectiveness of screening employees at airports.
The six-point plan to harden and bolster employee screening uses a risk-based approach.
"Our strategy is to be nimble, flexible, mobile, and above all, dynamic," says TSA Administrator Kip Hawley. "Effective security requires partners working together within a network of overlapping measures around which terrorists cannot easily engineer. For that reason, we achieve a better overall security result by using our resources flexibly, not tied down at checkpoints checking and re-checking people that work at the airport every day."...
Smart Card Alliance Wary Of Enhanced Driver's Licenses
May 3, 2007
The privacy and security of U.S. citizens would take a back seat to convenience if border states follow the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recommendations to pilot long-range, vicinity-read RFID-based state driver's licenses that would double as border crossing cards, according to a statement released by the Smart Card Alliance.
The Alliance recommends that states working on enhanced driver's license pilot programs with DHS retain their right to contribute to the technology specification and consider using more secure contactless smart card technology. This is the same technology used in new, government issued e-passports. It would help states to achieve a fast and secure means for citizens to cross U.S. land and sea borders under the new Western Hemisphere Traveler Initiative (WHTI) guidelines....
Air Cargo Still Vulnerable, Says GAO Report
May 3, 2007
Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA), and Rep. Christopher Shays (R-CT) have released a report conducted by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), Washington, DC, on Federal efforts to secure U.S.-bound air cargo.
The GAO found that though there have been steps taken to improve security for domestic air cargo, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is still falling short. Three years ago, Congress mandated TSA to develop technology to better identify, track and screen air cargo and issue a final rule to enhance and improve the security of air cargo transported on all passenger and cargo aircraft.
TSA has yet to comply with this mandate. TSA has identified the primary threats but has failed to assess inbound air-cargo vulnerabilities....
Don't Miss The GovSec Conference And Exhibition
May 2, 2007
May 9 kicks off the 6th annual GovSec, U.S. Law and Ready! Conference and Exposition in Washington, DC. This years conference—running through May 10 at the Washington Convention Center—has major focus on how to prevent the next physical or cyber attack, the psychology of terrorism, advances in communications technology, as well as Al Qaeda operations and tactics across the globe. Each day will feature specialty sessions on Emergency Management Fire Services, Homeland Security-Counterterrorism Interoperability and Communications and IT and Physical Security.
The conference addresses the needs of federal, state, county and local Homeland security, while also highlighting the leading edge in security, and the newest ideas and issues. It also gives attendees a chance to network with 10,000 colleagues. ...
