Homeland Security Industry

Topic:

Sharing Technology, Limiting Liability

May 13, 2010

In a recent speech, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano extolled the virtues of sharing security technology with U.S. government partners. This is strategically sound, but at the operational level, there is work to be done. One important element of this work concerns legal liability, and to address this, Congress passed and the Department administers the SAFETY Act. To enhance technology sharing with foreign governments, the liability protections should follow the sharing and use of approved technologies overseas. The Department should seek agreements with foreign governments to extend liability protections to foreign legal systems.

Steven Bucci |

May 12, 2010

Last week we experienced a major “event” in the financial world. In a matter of minutes, the New York Stock Exchange lost nearly 1000 points or about $1 trillion. It caused panic and kicked off numerous investigations as to the catalyst of the dramatic and expensive incident. There are five possible reasons for the market fall, but despite lots of hand wringing and conspiracy theorizing, pretty much all the experts agreed that it was not a terrorist incident.

Steven Bucci |

May 6, 2010

At a Cloud Computing Summit this week, initial questions were simple and basic; later, the question grew almost hostile. I remain an advocate for Cloud Computing. I am convinced that its economic, ecological and efficiency pluses will out weigh its potential downsides in the end. The mostly government crowd was not so sure. They were asking tough questions and were more than a little skeptical.

Security Debrief |

May 5, 2010

The attempted car bombing in Times Square and the unfolding environmental disaster in the Gulf Coast remind us of the importance of preparing for emergencies. Particularly when companies face lawsuits alleging failure to safeguard employees, customers or the community – lawsuits that are common when the unexpected occurs – companies face the question: “Should more have been done?” Two private sector preparedness programs administered by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) can help a business’s employees, customers, and community and may even limit liability.

Security Debrief |

May 5, 2010

It’s unclear from news reports who precisely stopped Faisal Shahzad – the would-be Times Square bomber – from departing the United States. While his name appeared to have been added to the No-Fly list on Monday afternoon, he was still able to board an Emirates Airlines flight to Dubai. While we should be grateful for the successful conclusion of a 48-hour manhunt, the last-minute rush to prevent the plane from taking off underlines the need for close cooperation and timely communication between the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), particularly CBP, and the airlines.

Shippers Meet Goal for Passenger Flight Cargo Exams

Media Watch |

May 4, 2010

Shippers Meet Goal for Passenger Flight Cargo Exams – Business Week
U.S. shippers met a goal to inspect 75 percent of cargo such as fish and flowers traveling with checked bags on passenger flights after air-freight companies added gear to meet rules for examining all shipments.

U.S. hypersonic glider lost in space

Media Watch |

April 29, 2010

U.S. hypersonic glider lost in space – Homeland Security Newswire
U.S. military scientists lost contact with a hypersonic glider nine minutes into its inaugural test flight last week, a defense research agency said on Tuesday. The unmanned Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2 (HTV-2) is designed to fly through the upper reaches of Earth’s atmosphere at speeds of up to Mach 20, providing the U.S. military with a possible platform for striking targets anywhere on the planet with conventional weapons.

DOE removes from its Web site a guide on nuclear plant air attacks

Media Watch |

April 27, 2010

DOE removes from its Web site a guide on nuclear plant air attacks – Homeland Security Newswire
A document on federal Web sites since June 2008 that served as a virtual how-to manual for attacking a nuclear plant with an airplane has been removed from the sites at the request of Three Mile Island Alert, a mid-state watchdog group.

Chris Battle |

April 15, 2010

It is a curious thing that the mainstream media seems largely unaware of – or perhaps uninterested in – a major new benchmark in the air cargo security realm that is two weeks away. As of May 1, passenger airlines must screen 75 percent of all air cargo before it can be boarded. This benchmark is meant to wake the industry up to the approaching congressionally mandated requirement that 100 percent of all air cargo transported on passenger planes be screened. To ratchet up to 75 percent, airlines will have to start breaking down the large pallets of cargo and screen each piece individually. This is not an easy task, and it certainly is not a quick one.

Steven Bucci |

April 15, 2010

Cybersecurity remains a key issue in the nation’s security. Numerous stories in the news show that while big things are happening, we badly need them to move in a positive direction, and soon. We have passed this ball between the branches of our government for far too long. Decisions need to be made and action taken. As an optimist by nature, I believe that we are now more secure than we were a few years ago. Unfortunately, the threats are growing faster than we can react to them. All of the imagination and intellectual power of this great nation must be unleashed on this problem.

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