Panel Pushes For FEMA to Be Independent Agency: CQ Homeland Security More than six years after Congress put the Federal Emergency Management Agency under the Homeland Security Department, a House panel approved a bill to make it an independent agency again. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee backed legislation (HR 1174) by voice vote Thursday […]
Defense: Open source software is more secure, yes more, than commercial code – Nextgov Open source software, freely available program code that the public can download and modify, which many agencies avoid because they view it as a security risk, is often more secure than the alternatives that are commercially developed, a top Defense Department […]
Federal Protective Service moves out of immigration bureau (10/29/09) — GovExec.com The embattled Federal Protective Service, which is responsible for guarding government buildings, has been transferred from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement bureau to the National Protection and Programs Directorate. It is still part of the Homeland Security Department.
12 Dead, 31 Wounded in Base Shootings – NYTimes.com At least one gunman killed 11 soldiers and wounded 31 others on Thursday afternoon at Fort Hood in Texas. Authorities then killed the gunman, who was identified as Malik Nadal Hasan, an Army major who was about to be deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan.
The Red Cross has a “Safe & Well” site. If you are at Ft Hood, this site allows you to let folks know you are safe. If you have a loved one at Ft Hood, you can search the site.
DoD has recently launched a new website — Defense.gov — that integrates all of the latest social media tools into DoD’s website and communications strategies. DoD is perhaps the most traditional and operational-security-conscious department in the federal government; nonetheless, it is moving aggressively to join the online debate already taking place — and inadvertently highlighting just how far behind the Department of Homeland Security is when it comes to engaging the public via the crucial social media environment.
By Rich Cooper and David Olive
After a long, protracted confirmation process, Dr. Tara O’Toole was confirmed by voice vote in the U.S. Senate last night to be the new DHS Under Secretary for Science & Technology. She begins the task of leading the Research & Development agenda at the only DHS cross-functional component.
DEA veteran to lead DHS drug enforcement (11/4/09) — GovExec.com President Obama intends to nominate a Drug Enforcement Administration veteran, Grayling Williams, to lead the Homeland Security Department’s Office of Counternarcotics Enforcement, the White House announced on Tuesday.
O’Toole Confirmed for DHS S&T — CQ Homeland Security The Senate confirmed the nomination of Tara O’Toole by voice vote Wednesday night to lead the Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate, after Democratic leaders were able to bypass an attempt to block the nomination.
WMD Commission Head: Biological Agents Remain Greatest Risk — CQ Homeland Security In its 2008 report “World at Risk,” the congressionally appointed National Commission on the Prevention of WMD Proliferation and Terrorism predicted that a terrorist attack using weapons of mass destruction was “more likely than not” before 2013 and would probably involve a biological […]
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