Justin Hienz

The End of Richard Clarke – A Response

August 17, 2011

Fellow Security Debrief contributor Rich Cooper recently posted a piece about comments Richard Clarke made in an upcoming documentary, in which he suggests former CIA Director George Tenet and others led a cover-up to keep from the White House and FBI intelligence that could have stopped the 9/11 attacks. Not having heard Clarke’s statements on the forthcoming documentary, I cannot speak to the validity or falsehood of his claims. But I respectfully disagree with Cooper that such unproven statements constitute the end of a distinguished career, or at least, the end of the days of informed statements.

TSA Denies Private Screeners – What’s Wrong with Some Healthy Competition?

Justin Hienz |

February 4, 2011

The Transportation Security Administration now holds a monopoly on airport security screening. If you want to fly, you must pass through TSA. Thing is, not many people were aware there was an alternative. There was, but no longer. A program that replaced government security screeners at airports with private screeners has been stopped. Decisions like these had better be made on the basis of safety and security, but something stinks of non-security related influence.

TSA Says Inbound Cargo Screening 100 Percent by 2012 – Did I Miss Something?

Justin Hienz |

January 19, 2011

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is informing industry that the requirement to screen 100 percent of cargo on passenger planes inbound to the United States will be met by December 31, 2011. Did I miss something? What has happened over the last six months that makes TSA think inbound cargo will be 100 percent screened by the end of the year? There’s aggressive action and then there’s unrealistic optimism.

Rep. Giffords Shooting in Tucson: How the Media Failed America

Justin Hienz |

January 9, 2011

The shooting of Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and many others on Saturday during a special event in Tucson is a tragedy. Yet, this tragedy was made worse by the irresponsible, faulty and unprofessional manner in which the media reported breaking information to the world. As of Saturday at 2:28 PM, Rep. Giffords was dead. By 4:16, doctors were optimistic about her survival. The Washington Post, NPR and BBC are to blame.

The Threat from Yemen: The Mystery of Jabir al Fayfi

Justin Hienz |

November 4, 2010

In the wake of last month’s near miss with terrorist catastrophe – the successful shipping but failed detonation of PETN bombs – much focus has fallen on improving our cargo security posture, strengthening international scanning techniques and determining just how heavy a hand should fall on Yemen. There are lingering questions, however, about how the initial intelligence was uncovered. The story of Jabir al Fayfi may not be as simple as it seems.

TSA Found a Sense of Humor

Justin Hienz |

October 15, 2010

Security Debrief founder/editor Chris Battle and I took to the skies today in search of homeland security adventure – well, actually just a 6:00 AM flight to Dallas/Fort Worth on business. While the terrorist threat is lethal, the day-to-day impact of the War on Terror most felt by Americans is our airport experience. When I compare my checkpoint experience from this morning with some I’ve had over the last decade, I’ve got to hand it to TSA. A sense of humor can make all the difference.

The Threat from Yemen: Top Administrators Tell Senate al Qaeda-inspired Terrorism Threat Rising in U.S.

Justin Hienz |

September 23, 2010

Before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, DHS Secretary Napolitano, FBI Director Mueller and NCTC Director Leiter each underscored the growing threat of homegrown terrorism and warned that there are increasing numbers of Americans inspired by al Qaeda. This summer, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) released an English-language magazine, appropriately titled Inspire. This is a dangerous tool, in part because it isn’t masses of jihad-waging Americans that we foresee threatening homeland security – it’s the lone wolf radicalized in secret, which is exactly for whom Inspire was written.

The Threat from Yemen – Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula

Justin Hienz |

September 9, 2010

While Dutch authorities have released the two Yemeni men arrested in Amsterdam on suspicion of preparing for a terrorist attack, the wider issue of the growing terrorist threat in Yemen remains an important topic. The Washington Post recently reported that the CIA views al Qaeda in Yemen as “the most urgent threat to U.S. security.” But why is the al Qaeda presence there so threatening? A synthesis of some of the available information begins to show just how pressing the threat from Yemen has become.

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