Preparing for The Bio-terrror Threat – National Terror Alert
The threat of a bio-terror attack on the U.S remains high and may be more likely than you think. That’s because another al-Qaida attack on the U.S. could be much worse than 9/11. The CIA figures it will more likely involve a biological weapon than a nuke, and says it could happen in the next few years.
New bridge opens between New Brunswick, U.S. – CBC News
A new border bridge opened between St. Stephen, N.B., and Calais, Maine, on Monday, with assurances from border officials that it will end long lineups. There are three lanes to process commercial trucks with drive-through cargo-scanning technology, as well as six bays, allowing cargo to be unloaded, examined and reloaded quickly.
On November 17, the Senate Judiciary Committee took up the subject of cyber security. An FBI witness said his organization considers “the cyber threat to our nation to be one of the greatest concerns of the twenty-first century.” He later said that cyber-based attacks and high tech crime were the FBI’s highest criminal priority.
Recently, the House Homeland Security Committee held a hearing on the issue of aircraft foreign repair station security. And while the Committee’s oversight on this issue is commendable, the hearing lacked one important item: an updated risk assessment. This omission, along with the testimony of three union representatives, suggests that security at foreign repair stations continues to be a Trojan horse for some.
On Tuesday night, I had a drink with more than a hundred friends and what I call my extended family. Many of them I knew; others I didn’t but they were still family. We gathered in a bar in Georgetown to celebrate a unique bond we all share – securing our homeland. We were Republicans, Democrats and Independents. We were creatures of the inner Beltway and from every other corner of the United States.
Cyber security continues to be a hot topic. October was Cyber Security Month, and it was filled with conferences, academic discussions, and bold pronouncements by industry groups and individual firms. In my mind, we are forgetting a key element, and the one attempt to address it was lost in the noise. A consumer security software company named AVG released a white paper that focused not on their products, but rather, on personal responsibility. Perhaps the public was tired of cyber security by then, perhaps it was just not “cool” enough; I just know it was completely overlooked.
Federal Oversight of Subways Proposed – Washington Post
The Obama administration will propose that the federal government take over safety regulation of the nation’s subway and light-rail systems, responding to what it says is haphazard and ineffective oversight by state agencies.
TSA To Inspect Jet Repair Shops Under New Proposal – USA Today
Thousands of airplane maintenance shops in the U.S. and abroad would get increased scrutiny to make sure they are not easy prey for terrorists looking to sabotage U.S. jets during routine repairs, a government proposal says.
As the anniversary of another terrorist attack approaches, the questions remain: Are we safer than we were before the attacks, and are we doing the right things to prevent another attack? Those were the questions on the minds of participants this past week in Mumbai, India, at the second Security and Resiliency Summit co-sponsored by London First and Bombay First – held on the cusp of the first anniversary of the Mumbai attacks of November 26, 2008.
This week, Congressional Quarterly ran a chemical security-related article that highlighted how a process known as on-site generation can be used to augment a reliance on chlorine for water purification. As chemical security legislation (H.R. 2868) moves from the House to the Senate, it’s my hope that legislators will stay focused on the issue of security, rather than getting lost on the issue of process.
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