By Doug Doan
In a recent post, Frank Cilluffo warned about the potential harmful impact of all the loose talk about the intelligence received from the Bin Laden hit last week. However, the contrarian in me thinks there might be a different explanation for all the speculation and press reports of the huge intel bonanza. If the raid resulted in a bust for intel collection, what would that mean?
The cyber conference world continues to grow. There are several dozen cyber-specific events in the next few weeks. This is indicative of a couple things. First, it shows the entire cyber field is still growing unabated and that we are taking it seriously, and second, it shows that lots of conference builders are riding the train. For my part, I’ll be participating in some upcoming cyber events this month.
Aviation pre-screening (now Secure Flight) has made airports and airplanes more secure against terrorism. This is why Senator Chuck Schumer’s post-bin Laden proposal to create a “Do Not Ride” list for the Amtrak rail system had a very small glimmer of merit. On closer look, however, this is a really bad idea.
Though Osama bin Laden’s death brings discussion on the future of al Qaeda, but let us not forget that this terrorist organization is large and spread throughout the world. Their methods for attack are many, and al Qaeda had plans to use cargo as a method to smuggle plastic explosives into the United States and the UK concealed in shipments of women’s and children’s clothing. This threat remains real.
The death of Osama bin Laden, including the recovery of a large quantity of hard drives, thumb drives and other media, is an example of the ultimate success in counterterrorism. Kill the leader and recover all of his command and control data. After 9/11, we experienced significant improvements in forensic science capabilities, and I can only imagine that the yield of actionable intelligence from this information will be incredible.
Arizona to solicit donation to build border fence – Homeland Security Newswire
Arizona lawmakers, saying they have lost patience with what they regard as federal dithering over the issue of building a fence along the U.S.-Mexico border, announced plans to launch a Web site which will solicit private donations for the project.
In this final installment of my five-part interview with Virginia Task Force 1’s Capt. Joe Knerr and Lt. Rodney Vaughan, the two veteran rescuers reflect on the resiliency of the people of Japan, the lessons they’ve learned along the way and how their experiences in Japan compare with other disasters to which they have responded.
The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) accounts for about one-quarter of the staff of the Department of Homeland Security. Its role in protecting the homeland is vital. The White House is poised to make the bad state of the service’s aging fleet worse, cutting back even further on the anemic plans to refurbish and replace aging vessels. This disaster in the making will have consequences nowhere worse than in the Pacific, where the oceans are as big as U.S. interests.
Disaster victims expect more than Facebook can deliver, FEMA director says – NextGov
The ease with which disaster victims can pass along safety information and track down friends and family on social media sites has created expectations that emergency responders often can’t live up to, officials said Thursday.
Calls for rail security upgrades stop short of airport screening techniques – The Hill
The news that Osama bin Laden was considering attacking U.S. trains at the time of his death has caused renewed concern about rail security, but not many people have gotten on board with mimicking airport security techniques.
Sponsored by:
