Security Debrief

The Real New Middle East Order – Part I – "The Twin-Pillar Strategy"

October 19, 2010

The Middle East has undergone a sea change at the geostrategic level, presenting U.S. policymakers with a new set of serious challenges. To design a new approach to the region that would have resonance with the key players and be ultimately successful in preserving its vital interests, the United States needs to fully understand and assimilate “why and how” this shift has taken place in the region. In this four-part series, I will attempt to shed some light at the root developments that have caused the demise of the old Mideast order, the birth of the new order and its significant impact on U.S. strategic interests, and the viable policy options at the disposal of the United States, given the new realities of the region.

The U.K. Bribery Act 2010, Cheers!

Security Debrief |

October 13, 2010

Billions of dollars are spent worldwide each year on homeland security and counterterrorism-related products and services. A good deal of that business is transacted in the United States and the United Kingdom. This rapidly developing marketplace is highly competitive – not everyone plays by the rules, and the rules are getting tougher. On April 8, 2010, the U.K. Parliament passed the Bribery Act 2010. The U.K. Ministry of Justice recently released draft guidance for the Act, and there are some major distinctions between it and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

Private Sector Preparedness Certification Can Impact the Bottom Line

Security Debrief |

October 6, 2010

My colleague Stewart Baker has written about Stuxnet, an impending cyber-threat to U.S. infrastructure. Some companies are starting to ask how they can prepare for this and related threats. That raises a broader question: what are the practical measures companies can take to prepare for emergencies? Surprisingly little attention has been given to DHS’s pragmatic private sector preparedness program (PS-Prep). Here are two ways PS-Prep can affect your bottom line.

Thad Allen Leaves Gulf, Heads for RAND

Security Debrief |

October 5, 2010

Having recently completed the president’s request to oversee the response and clean up for BP’s oil spill, former U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Thad Allen has joined the RAND Corporation as a senior fellow.

Videoconferencing for Visa Interviews is Smarter Security

Security Debrief |

October 5, 2010

Since 9/11, the U.S. government has struggled with the twin goals of reviewing visa applicants for security risks while maintaining the attractiveness of the United States as a premiere destination for business and leisure travel. As the President’s outgoing National Economic Adviser Larry Summers recently commented, improving the climate for travel to the United States may represent the most effective way to grow U.S. exports and create export-related jobs. The reasons for the relative decline in the U.S. travel market are complex, but clearly new security dictates are part of the explanation. We need to recognize the economic impact of this security, and we need to be more creative in securing the international travel system that is so valuable to our economy and foreign policy.

State Department Issues Terrorism Alert for Travel to Europe

Security Debrief |

October 4, 2010

Under Secretary for Management, Patrick Kennedy, gave a teleconference briefing Sunday afternoon on the Department of State travel alert issued this weekend, indicating a heightened threat level in Europe. While slim on specifics and details (to be expected), the briefing did underscore that this alert was the result of high-level discussions between European and American government leaders.

Pennsylvania's ITRR Controversy – The Challenge of Managing Multiple Threats Cleanly

Security Debrief |

September 28, 2010

The ITRR controversy in Pennsylvania raises important questions about protesters, free speech, free assembly, the relationship between protesters and threats to critical infrastructure, and the quality of contractor support to government entities. An argument can certainly be made in this instance that the Governor threw out the baby with the bathwater. The provision of intelligence services to protect critical infrastructure and key resources is essential, but so is a fundamental understanding of the types of threats and the risks that they pose, including being able to distinguish threats from opportunities.

International Programs Needed for Continuing Terrorist Threat to Global Aviation

Security Debrief |

September 24, 2010

Secretary Napolitano’s recent Senate testimony focused on the myriad threats to the homeland and the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) efforts to address them. She emphasized that the terrorist threat to global aviation continues to be significant. The ultimate goal of both DHS and the international community should be an aviation security regime based on an individualized, threat-based approach using advance information, enhanced targeting, and an interactive system to prohibit boarding or to designate individuals for additional screening measures prior to boarding.

Do more layers of security make us any safer? Food Safety offers a few clues

Security Debrief |

September 23, 2010

By Doug Doan
Yesterday’s hearing on the salmonella outbreak that resulted in a huge recall of eggs offers important and disturbing insight into the government’s expanding role in food safety. If you ever thought that these hearings were called in an honest attempt to find out what happened, what went wrong, and what actions could be taken to prevent a similar problem and actually improve the safety of our food supply, think again. That is not how these hearings work. In fact, the hearing was really a prop for the FDA to push a favorite hobby horse of ever-expanding control, budgets, regulations and authorities.

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