Security Debrief

TSA's Security Breach – The Posting of the Classified Standard Operating Procedures

December 15, 2009

As the House Homeland Security Committee prepares to hear testimony from Acting TSA Administrator Gale Rossides tomorrow, it should be reiterated that there is absolutely no acceptable excuse for TSA’s recent blunder in posting classified Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for passenger and baggage screening on the Internet. While the agency’s response that the inadvertently posted SOPs are out of date is an accurate statement, it’s a disingenuous explanation that attempts to mask the nature of the breach.

Do we really love Rihanna more than air security?

Security Debrief |

December 14, 2009

Rep. Peter King, the ranking member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, and other Republican members have sent a letter to Secretary Napolitano expressing concern about the “repeated reposting” of the unredacted TSA security manual on multiple Web sites and asking her to say whether the sites can be compelled to take it down. They’re right to worry. There’s much handwringing about this issue and much breast-beating about the first amendment. It seems like an unanswerable conundrum. But there is an answer.

Who’s Walking Your Hallways – Protecting Private Sector Infrastructure

Security Debrief |

December 10, 2009

Recent comments by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano highlight the growing threat of homegrown radicalization. What then, can corporate America do to protect itself, the country at large and prevent attacks from taking place? Companies must be aware of who they are letting into their offices, plants and warehouses. Access to private sector infrastructure and technology can have devastating effects in the hands of al Qaeda operatives or sympathizers.

Interview with Chertoff in 2009 Year in Homeland Security

Security Debrief |

December 10, 2009

Rich Cooper, Security Debrief contributor and Principal with Catalyst Partners, recently published an interview with former DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff in the 2009 Year in Homeland Security. Here are some highlights from the interview.

PATTY COGSWELL TAKES OVER THE SCO AT DHS

Security Debrief |

December 8, 2009

If you follow aspects of homeland security that involve the screening of individuals for potential risk, you better be familiar with the Screening Coordination Office (SCO) at DHS. Under its recently-departed director, Deputy Assistant Secretary Kathleen Kraninger, the SCO has been a shining example of the promise that DHS was meant to deliver.

Dr. Dave McWhorter on Catalyst Partners' Homeland Security Technologies Assessment Practice

Security Debrief |

December 3, 2009

Security Debrief spoke with Dr. Dave McWhorter, principal of Catalyst Partners, to learn more about the new Catalyst Homeland Security Technologies Assessment practice.

The Elephant in the Room: Scrapping 100 Percent Scanning

Security Debrief |

December 2, 2009

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.

Allies Matter in War on Terrorism

Security Debrief |

December 1, 2009

By Jena Baker McNeill
Homeland Security Policy Analyst at The Heritage Foundation
America’s allies matter when it comes to keeping our homeland safe. But working with our allies on the security front is more than just a matter of safety for U.S. soil. It is about the security of these countries as well. Their security ensures that the bad guys don’t get the upper hand in terms of global terrorism, while forming bonds between the U.S. and other countries that sustains information sharing, military cooperation, and overall goodwill. It also helps keep the global marketplace up and running—making everyone better off.

In India, as Anywhere Else, Information Technology is not a Panacea

Security Debrief |

November 30, 2009

The Hindustan Times recently published an article arguing that if India had only invested in IT systems with a common information pool, the Mumbai attacks could have been prevented because information had been received elsewhere that Mumbai was a target. It’s interesting to see IT portrayed as the panacea solution to countering the threat of terrorism. As with countering any human-based threat, a capability must be created. But buying the IT isn’t enough.

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