DHS Sec. Johnson Fires All Public Affairs? Rand Paul Bans Kites? CBP has a Used Car Salesman? Really?!
In Security Debrief’s fifth annual April Fools coverage, we’ve collected some stories the rest of the media somehow missed.
What Works, What Doesn’t – Improving Aviation Security
Ronald Reagan once said that there are plenty of simple solutions, they are just not easy. There are often problems that really vex us. In such situations, we tend to overthink, ignoring solutions that are right in front of us. Another way to put it is this: how do we best use and apply common sense? Here are two ideas for strengthening aviation security.
Welcome to the (Internet) Balkans
“Balkanization” is a splitting into many opposed factions closely located in one area. It ain’t good to be Balkanized, but that is what is happening to the Internet, and there is nothing Washington can do about it. The Obama Administration’s move to let go of U.S. government control over the naming rights of Internet sites is being viewed as the latest in a long line of U.S. withdrawals from control of the Internet.
Security Debrief to the Rescue – Advice for DHS in the Years Ahead
As a new DHS Secretary takes the helm, Security Debrief contributors came together for the First Chris Battle Homeland Security Colloquium. In the spirit of the late Chris Battle’s vision for debate and discussion on pressing homeland security matters, contributors weighed a series of important questions about DHS’ future.
DHS Secretary Johnson’s First Time Before House Homeland Security Committee
The House Homeland Security Committee did something yesterday it has not done in the past several years, for anyone: it came out in full force for DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson’s maiden appearance before the committee. It was a positive performance by the Secretary, who showed himself adept at answering questions, even as his lawyer’s instincts kept him from falling into political traps.
Announcing the First Chris Battle Homeland Security Colloquium
On Thursday, February 27, 2014, Security Debrief and Catalyst Partners will host the First Annual Chris Battle Homeland Security Colloquium. Security Debrief’s expert contributors will come together to discuss and debate the current state of U.S. homeland security, DHS, and the threats and priorities the country will face in the year ahead.
Big Retail – The Next Critical Infrastructure?
By Gary Warner
This week, President Obama unveiled a set of guidelines issued by the National Institutes of Standards and Technology and a new public-private partnership program. While I join with others in applauding Mr. Obama’s creativity in making progress in protecting our nation’s cyber infrastructure, it is important to note what is and what is not being addressed by these guidelines. Where, for example, does the Target Breach fall?
At Sports Events, Some Security Tactics Drive Cynicism, Risk
Security is high for the Sochi Olympics, but the TSA’s ban on toothpaste and other gels on flights to Russia is not so much a deterrent as it is an insurance policy against blame should something happen. Meanwhile, metal detectors will be in use at Major League Baseball stadiums come 2015. For both Sochi and U.S. baseball, I am worried we are creating bigger problems down the road in terms of public cynicism and policies that actually increase risk.
Border Surveillance is Necessary But at What Price?
There are a host of questions Congress ought to be asking about DHS’ use of Predator unmanned aerial vehicles to provide border surveillance. Congressional staff should know how the Predator’s cost stacks up against other alternative means of surveillance. Perhaps the problem is that decisions on what platform to use for border surveillance are not being made on the basis of risk-reward or cost-benefit.
Executing Tsarnaev is a Wasted Opportunity
The Justice Department announced this week that it will seek the death penalty in the trial against Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. It seems clear the verdict will be guilty and the punishment will be death. For some, this may seem appropriate, but in executing Tsarnaev, we will lose a big opportunity to better understand radicalization and terrorism.
- Trump Aides Push to Move Sessions from Attorney General to Homeland Security
- Meet the Woman Set to Lead Homeland Security
- Congress Must Re-Set Department of Homeland Security Priorities
- New DHS Sec. Should Focus on Improving Employee Morale
- Trump Picks Thomas Bossert as Homeland Security Advisor
- Monaco on Counterterrorism, Cyber at CFR
- Intelligence, Foreign Policy Experts Support Commission To Probe Foreign Interference In Election
- Names Floated For Homeland Security Chief
- Facing Terror Recruitment: Somali-American Community Balancing Hope And Despair In Minneapolis
- No Better Alternative: The U.S.-Saudi Counterterrorism Relationship
- Read All
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