The recent pirate attack on the MAERSK ALABAMA generated a great deal of reporting and discussion on how to respond to the future pirate threat. The officials responsible for the security of the U.S. often find themselves in this dilemma; too many threats and not enough resources to counter all of them.
Yesterday, the administration announced a new “border czar” and a raft of new and ongoing border security initiatives to battle the smuggling cartels. It still not clear what the scope of the czar’s authority will be and how he will interface with all the folks working on the border.
Every now and then a “no-win situation” can be made worse by what a person says, how they say it, or what they do not say at all. This is the situation facing DHS following a recently issued report, “Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment.”
News reports indicate that DHS Secretary Napolitano will announce Alan Bersin as a Counselor to the Secretary today with the informal title of “Border Czar” focusing on the Southwest border and the escalating violence in the region. So who’s now responsible for particular operations in the Southwest region at DHS HQ? And isn’t this similar to the original structure of DHS — the “Border Czar” then was Asa Hutchinson, Under Secretary for Border and Transportation Security.
The risk of electromagnetic pulse devastation is greater than ever. Why does Washington dismiss it? That’s the question asked and answered in recent article in the American Legion magazine that highlights the findings of the National Commission chartered by Congress to assess the EMP threat. A nuclear weapon detonated in space could wreck havoc on the electronic components of our national infrastructure.
The United States continues to have much to learn from our allies across the Pond. While Quick was photographed holding sensitive security documents, the British media did not publish the photos until after the operation was completed. A joint government-media body warned news organizations that publication of the photo would “seriously damage national security.” And the media listened.
Wikipedia for Spies: The CIA Discovers Web 2.0 – TIME There’s a quiet revolution underway at the CIA and its sister agencies. A new generation of analysts, determined to drag their Cold War–era colleagues into the world of Web 2.0 information-sharing, have created Intellipedia, a classified version of Wikipedia they say is transforming the way […]
Those working and living along the US-Mexican border are hopeful that the new attention of the Administration will finally solve the long simmering problems, improve security and eliminate any trade frictions. Secretary Napolitano is to be commended for making a new effort, outlining some innovative solutions, and going to Mexico to talk directly with her counterparts in the effort to coordinate a bilateral approach to this problem.
Today’s USA Today features a compelling video on the Port of Savannah. This port, like many ports in America is suffering tremendously from the economic slump. Given these challenges to America’s ports, it seems illogical to implement the 100 percent scanning mandate.
As a people, Americans have long harbored suspicions with any one holding too much power. We believe in and hold fast to a checks and balance system, but in a world whose operations function faster than the speed of light 24-7, 365 days a year, finding those safeguards to absolute power will be a tremendous challenge especially when it comes to creating the White House cyber czar.
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