Security Debrief

Tactical Realities Must Drive Law Enforcement Cross-Border Engagements

October 26, 2008

The pressures on the Southern Border continue to grow, with South Texas authorities announcing a willingness to permit cross border engagements by the members of local law enforcement. The Southern Border is rapidly becoming the Third Front for the United States, with officers regularly being challenged or engaged in cross-border exchanges of gunfire. There are a number of reasons why local law enforcement officers shouldn’t engage in this kind of activity; the two most compelling are the risk of escalating the situation and the need to respect international boundaries.

Making the Business Case for Risk Management

Security Debrief |

October 23, 2008

Last week in a speech to the Wharton School, Secretary Chertoff made the business case for the Department of Homeland Security’s approach to risk management that focuses on helping the private sector help itself. From my perspective, it is the only sustainable approach, and its success depends on the investment community’s appreciation of the value of security.

Raising the Stakes in Immigration Enforcement Poker

Security Debrief |

October 20, 2008

While much attention has been paid to the imploding U.S. economy, DHS’ Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) applied its own version of inflation to the ‘cost of the doing business’ by seeking for the first time the debarment of seven companies from federal contracting opportunities. The Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) provide that contractors may be considered for debarment if they have been found to have either knowingly hire an unauthorized worker or to continue to employ an alien who is or becomes unauthorized.

A Review of The Closing of the American Border, by Edward Alden

Security Debrief |

October 17, 2008

“The Closing of the American Border” is a superb text for policy makers who must wrestle with the challenges of border security and immigration policy.

Vulnerabilities Should Be Front and Center in Homeland Security Spending

Security Debrief |

October 14, 2008

I see a country suffering from homeland security spending fatigue. I see people who are wondering whether what we go through at airports is really doing anything and whether our efforts at border security will actually work. It’s time to change the paradigm. We’ve thought about the threat of Islamic terrorism and failed to prioritize the vulnerabilities that we have. Spending to reduce the identified vulnerabilities to our cyber system, our infrastructure, our borders and our national iconic emblems in the National Capital Region is more justified because it is quantifiable.

Providing Oversight to Blackwater Arms Exports

Security Debrief |

October 14, 2008

Security Debrief contributor Asa Hutchinson joins panel of security experts to provide oversight of Blackwater arms exports.

The Most Dangerous Place in the World: Pakistan

Security Debrief |

October 13, 2008

Anybody who wants to understand the dangers we face in the coming years (possibly months) with regard to militant Islamist threats should read this column by Sumit Ganguly.

Laptop Searches: Another National Security Tool Out of the Toolbox

Security Debrief |

October 11, 2008

Another national security tool appears on the verge of taking a hit this
week. A tool that has been effective despite its rare use.

Intellectual Property Act Not Enough

Security Debrief |

September 30, 2008

Despite the passage by Congress this weekend of the controversial Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property, or PRO-IP Act, there is still not enough being done to protect Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). The potential profit from trafficking in counterfeit goods continues to outweigh the penalties and enforcement resources presently in place that act as deterrence.

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