Proposed Cargo-Screening Cuts a Concern to Lawmakers – CQ HS
The Obama administration’s proposal to cut millions of dollars from programs that scan U.S.-bound freight in foreign ports had House appropriators worried Wednesday over Customs and Border Protection’s plans for the future of cargo screening.
Spill of National Significance SONS 2010 Exercise Begins Today – iCommandant
Today, the Coast Guard-sponsored DHS Tier II Spill of National Significance (SONS) 2010 exercise begins. The exercise is based upon a scenario in New England involving a collision between an oil tanker and a car carrier causing a catastrophic oil spill. It is an operations-based, full-scale exercise intended to stress all levels of the response organization.
High-Tech Tools Detect Weapons of Mass Destruction at L.A. Port Complex On paper, it reads like a prop list for a high-budget futuristic action thriller: a $3 million high-tech screening ship, a radiation-detecting helicopter and a badge-carrying black Labrador retriever, who can sniff out chemical and biological weapons. But this is no movie. At the […]
Napolitano Takes Bipartisan Hits on Border Budget Proposals – CQ Homeland Security
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano defended the border security aspects of President Obama’s fiscal 2011 budget request against criticism from the right and left Thursday. Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., raised concerns about the inability of the department to implement provisions of the Sept. 11 commission recommendations (PL 110-53) that mandated the screening of all maritime cargo entering the country.
Sen. Schumer calls out Napolitano over elimination of anti-terrorist Coast Guard unit – NY Daily News
Sen. Chuck Schumer called out Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on Sunday, protesting an Obama Administration plan to eliminate an anti-terrorist Coast Guard unit that keeps watch over the city’s harbor.
By Justin Hienz
Perhaps America’s most critical infrastructure is its national electrical grid. It has served us well to this point, supporting all our grandiose and astounding technological innovations. But the grid is getting old, and it doesn’t keep up with our innovations (and electronic appetites) as well as it should. So, we’re upgrading – to a Smart Grid. It is clear the Smart Grid touches on every aspect of homeland security, and the time to improve Smart Grid security is now, while we are developing it.
With all of the attention on global warming coming out of Copenhagen, we thought it worth reposting Security Debrief contributor Scott Borgerson’s article in Foreign Affairs journal, arguing that, thanks to global warming, the Arctic icecap is rapidly melting, opening up access to massive natural resources and creating shipping shortcuts that could save billions of dollars a year. But there are currently no clear rules governing this economically and strategically vital region. Unless Washington leads the way toward a multilateral diplomatic solution, the Arctic could descend into armed conflict.
By Jena Baker McNeill
Homeland Security Policy Analyst at The Heritage Foundation
Today, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano testified before the Senate Commerce Committee on the topic of transportation security. What she said about cargo security was something lots of folks in the homeland security community have been saying for the past two years. There are a number of serious challenges that stand in the way of the 100 percent scanning mandate.
The Coast Guard adopts new policies after scare on the Potomac. Don’t expect the same from CNN.
In truth the Fiasco on the Potomac was the sloppy result of various parties, all of whom deny having engaged in any sloppiness whatsoever except for the Coast Guard. So kudos to them.
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