Adfero Group HSPI

Recent developments in terror threats against the United States are at odds with the latest counterterrorism line coming out of the White House. We need some new thinking.

Despite near-continuous pronouncements on the topic of resilience, the Administration decided not to define resilience in its latest Presidential Policy Directive/PPD-8: National Preparedness. It is precisely the difficulty of nationally defining resilience that should compel the government to do so. Deciding not to define resilience and its application to the Nation’s infrastructure condemns America to continuous validation of Einstein’s definition of insanity: “Doing the same thing over and over again while expecting a different result.”

By Michael Hendrix
Critical infrastructures are the veins and arteries carrying the lifeblood of America’s economy and society. In a recent National Chamber Foundation event, Admiral Thad Allen described critical infrastructure as especially susceptible to “Black Swans.” To minimize the unexpected risk to critical infrastructure, we need a set of best practices, a sort “Black Swan toolkit.”

I love to be connected everywhere, and I use public WiFi a lot. But I have to be very careful when I use it. Why is that? Simply because there are lots of ways the bad guys can hurt you if you are not. Here are some of the tactics they use to steal your information and hack your computer.

I published a piece in Foreign Affairs about the terrorist organization, Hezbollah, and their new role in the Lebanese government. With Iran’s economy weakening, and Syria in political turmoil, Hezbollah has launched a crime wave to gather funds, something Western countries should leverage to hurt the organization’s legitimacy and support.

I recently published a piece on the terrorist attacks in Oslo, Norway, which killed 76 people. Similar to the Alfred P. Murrah Federal building bombing in Oklahoma in 1995, after the attacks in Oslo, many believed it was the work of Islamist terrorists. As we are finding out, however, that was not the case.

The tragic bombing and shooting in Oslo on the same day will be used as a case study for many reasons, not least our exposure to the random element, the individual acting alone and off the grid. His intentions and background notwithstanding, one of the significant lessons for government, corporations and others is that of the effect of simultaneity – the conduct of a series of operations or activities simultaneously.

Social media posts are becoming the new digital fingerprints for law enforcement, providing critical tips and leads on criminal activity. Yet most law enforcement agencies aren’t monitoring or using social media sites to gather intelligence. If an individual in your business district began shouting threats at the crowds, how long would it take for police to be notified and respond? How quickly would your agency respond to the same threats voiced over Twitter, Facebook or the other social media channels?

Eyewitness video taken after the bombing in Oslo.

It is all but impossible for DHS to fulfill its mission of protecting the homeland when the bureaucratic processes they must work with fail to recognize that sometimes a partial solution is better than a delayed solution. Last week the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Investigations, Oversight and Management held a hearing on technology acquisition. I have little hope that GAO will ever understand the real-world environment in which homeland security acquisition ought to occur. The GAO report released to coincide with the hearing shows me that they just don’t “get it.”

There was a time when the United States’ transportation infrastructure was the envy of the world. Times are changing and U.S. infrastructure isn’t. This poses a significant threat to America’s profitability, economic recovery and international competitiveness. Recognizing this, the National Chamber Foundation – the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s think tank – put on a program in conjunction with the Chamber’s Let’s Rebuild America initiative, “Infrastructure: What We Want, What We Need.” Here’s a breakdown.

Among the suspects indicted last month by the UN Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) – the body charged with investigating the assassination of former prime minister Rafiq Hariri – is Mustafa Badreddine, a senior figure in Hizballah’s international terrorist operations branch. Public exposure of his activities, including Hizballah’s reported role in the Hariri murder, would deal a severe blow to group.

“Wheels stop.” With those two words, the era of the Space Shuttle officially closed. Those two words are traditionally spoken by the Shuttle Commander as the orbiter comes to a complete stop. Today’s space shuttle landing means 6,300 people will be laid off and the Johnson Space Center’s Mission Control will fall silent. For now, we will have to wait until we see what the private sector can provide for a new era in human spaceflight.

The new DoD Cyber Policy, “DoD Strategy for Operating in Cyberspace,” released on July 14, turned out to be quite a good document in my opinion. It is not without fault, but in Washington, D.C., what is? The document outlines five Strategic Initiatives, all of which touch on where the Defense Cyber folks want to go in the future. The direction is correct and speaks well of the practicality of the Department on an issue that is fraught with way to little of anything grounded in reality. Let’s look at the five initiatives.

OK, I admit to being a Star Wars fan. One of the films’ story lines is the Empire’s attempt to strike back against the rebel forces and crush them. As in time honored tradition back here on Earth, the strategy never works. Watching the not-so-swift vengeance of governments against the Lulzs of the world after the recent spate of internet attacks – well, here we go again.

Yesterday, TSA Administrator John Pistole announced the first step in what is hopefully a lengthy process to reorient TSA’s airport checkpoint screening in a more risk-based manner. He announced a limited partnership with two airlines and four airports where travelers selected by the airlines will be asked to opt-in to a new screening program. This “proof of concept” is mainly designed to ascertain the changes that need to be made at airports to provide a more risk-based approach to aviation security.

By Frank Cilluffo and Clinton Watts
Last week, Gregory Johnsen of the blog Waq-al-Waq crafted a thoughtful response to our article “Yemen & Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula: Exploiting a Window of Counterterrorism Opportunity.” Below is our response to further what we believe to be a particularly important debate. We begin by addressing Johnsen’s conclusion and then discuss each of his points individually.

No part of the federal government is more at risk in Washington’s mindless approach to budget cutting than the U.S. Coast Guard. By every responsible measure, the service is blinking red when it comes to the challenge of matching vital missions to capability. Yet, Congress appears ready to gut the service to preserve funding for “pork barrel” grants. No wonder the Coast Guard is singing the blues.

America’s infrastructure could use a makeover. Many of the things that help this country “GO” – roads, bridges, utilities and more – are in poor shape and in many places, crumbling before our eyes. Yet, the country has seen little in the way of real change when it comes to building a stronger, more resilient America. Not enough of us are talking and thinking strategically about infrastructure investment priorities, how risk and resilience are considered, and how we are going to pay for these much-needed updates. Enter Adm. Thad Allen, former commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard.

Local TV in Arizona has reported that on Thursday, July 7, 2011, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, with Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Alan Bersin and Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske, will be announcing the 2011 Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy in Nogales, Ariz. Unless the Attorney General is a surprise guest, I doubt this press conference will be more than the rhetoric the secretary herself complains about incessantly.