Security Debrief

What comes around goes around – DHS is getting it right, again

June 9, 2010

I was delighted to read in last week’s Homeland Security Newswire report on Secretary Napolitano’s consideration of “re-merging” the Infrastructure Protection and Cyber Security units. When we stood up DHS in 2003, Secretary Ridge charged the Office of Infrastructure Protection with the responsibility for both physical and cyber infrastructure protection. It made sense then as it does now. Securing a physical structure while leaving it vulnerable to a cyber attack can have the same catastrophic result as could a car bomb.

The Mavi Marmara and the Exodus 1947: A Historical Parallel?

Security Debrief |

June 7, 2010

On July 11, 1947, a ship carrying more than 4,000 Jews sailed from the south of France and headed to Palestine. The Zionist movement endeavoring to create the State of Israel as a home for the Jews sought to “break the embargo imposed by Great Britain on immigration to Palestine.” On May 30, 2010, more than 500 Palestinian activists and sympathizers sailed from Turkey aboard the Mavi Marmara ship as part of the “Free Gaza Flotilla” in an effort to “break the siege imposed by Israel on Gaza.” Will the Mavi Marmara end up having the same historical significance to Palestinians as did the Exodus 1947 for Jews? Only time will tell.

The Air Cargo Screening Mandate for Inbound Cargo

Security Debrief |

May 26, 2010

Beginning this August, 100 percent of cargo bound for passenger planes must be screened before it is loaded. While this looming security deadline is reasonably well known to domestic air cargo companies (and somewhat less well known by thousands of shippers who may be affected), it is hardly known at all outside the United States. That is a problem, because the air cargo screening mandate applies not only to passenger flights within and from the United States, but also to foreign-originating flights to the United States.

Napolitano Eliminates Paper Arrival-Departure form

Security Debrief |

May 21, 2010

Last week I pointed out both that the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) does not contribute to illegal immigration and that DHS has a functioning biographic air exit system. This week Secretary Napolitano announced the elimination of the paper I-94W form (the green arrival/departure form long used by VWP travelers.)

International Passenger Name Record Agreements Critical to Stopping Terrorists

Security Debrief |

May 20, 2010

On May 5, 2010, the newly empowered European Parliament issued its guidelines for beginning new negotiations on Passenger Name Record (PNR) agreements with the United States, Australia and Canada. This resolution received minimal coverage in the U.S. media, though its consequences for international travel security are potentially significant. Criminals and terrorists know no borders, as recent arrests and uncovered plots prove. We have no choice but to cooperate with international partners and to deepen that cooperation wherever possible. The collection and analysis of PNR data – along with its counterpart Advance Passenger Information (API) – is a critical tool to identify and disrupt the travel of terrorists and other international criminals.

Thailand Shows the Incredible Cost of Inadequate Crowd Management Tactics

Security Debrief |

May 17, 2010

The endgame appears to have begun for the protests in Bangkok, as security forces take an increasingly hard line and casualties are mounting. There is no doubt that the government had to take action, as the impact of the protests has started to cause real damage to the Thai economy. But the appropriate use of vehicles, faster, more dynamic tactics, and better use of their water cannon could have prevented most of the injuries and deaths we have seen and many of those that are still to occur. The lessons here are that the training and tactics for dealing with disorder must be designed to suit the type of threat you face in your country or city.

Sharing Technology, Limiting Liability

Security Debrief |

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.

National Level Exercises Crucial for Government Leaders' Preparedness

Security Debrief |

May 13, 2010

Several weeks ago, a number of my colleagues posted about DHS/Administration plans to discontinue National Level Exercises (NLEs) to cut costs. NLEs are designed to show each top leader across the government how the government works as a whole and what each agency is responsible for during an emergency or event that impacts the lives of Americans. I recall then-Arizona Governor (now DHS Secretary) Janet Napolitano expressing concern to Secretary Chertoff that the NLEs were all prescripted and a waste of time to professionals in the response and law enforcement business. I am a big proponent of exercises as a proactive means of ensuring readiness.

Visa Waiver Program Not a Primary Contributor to Illegal Immigrant Population

Security Debrief |

May 12, 2010

Reporting from ground zero in the immigration debate, the Arizona Republic recently wrote that a large number of illegal immigrants entered the United States legally with visas but never left. DHS’s picture of overstay rates has come into greater focus over the past several years. As a result, we can say with much more certainty that the vast majority of these “overstayers” did not enter the United States under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP).

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