Security Debrief

Cybersecurity Incentives – What Do We have, What Do We Need?

June 11, 2013

The implementation of President Obama’s executive order on cybersecurity is appropriately turning to incentives. These ideas makes sense; for the framework under the EO to decrease our nation’s risk from cyber threats, however, the incentives will actually have to realize meaningful adoption of standards among critical infrastructure owners and operators. As they say, the Devil’s in the details, and the details are where this laudable focus on incentives will need to motivate companies to adopt the EO framework.

VA and DOD Have Taken Too Long to Reach Out to Private Sector

Steven Bucci |

May 28, 2013

The Defense Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs have announced they will seek help from the private sector on finding a way to share personnel files between the two huge organizations. This follows a disastrously unsuccessful attempt to resolve the issue themselves, costing more than $1 billion. The system has been choking for far too long. Why has this happened?

On The Knife’s Edge – Obama’s Counterterrorism Speech

Security Debrief |

May 23, 2013

President Obama delivered a major counterterrorism speech this afternoon laying out America’s modified approach to this ever-dangerous issue. In it, Obama has once again made a run at closing most of Gitmo. He also is beginning to move the use of drones away from CIA and back to the Defense Department.

Hope For The Best, Plan For The Worst – Lessons From The Tornadoes in Oklahoma

Rich Cooper |

May 22, 2013

This week, a category 5 tornado ripped through Moore, Oklahoma, leveling the suburban area with winds up to 200 mph. The ability to bounce back and re-establish normalcy as quickly as possible is critical after any disaster. For businesses, resilience is essential because of the important role the private sector plays in community recovery. Yet, not all businesses are aware of what it takes to build resilience into their operations or why it is so important.

Not In My Graveyard – The Problem With Dead Terrorists

Justin Hienz |

May 21, 2013

With Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev buried in a Virginia cemetery, the question of what to do with his body is answered. Yet, for more than a week, it was the subject of heated public debate. The case of Tsarnaev raises intriguing questions. What should be done with the bodies of mass murderers? Why are they such a point of contentious debate? Would there have been a similar outcry if Tsarnaev self-identified as Sovereign Citizen or Neo-Nazi?

A Catch-22 For The Join Detention Group At Guantanamo

Security Debrief |

May 17, 2013

There are 166 detainees at the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center, and more than half are on a hunger strike to protest their imprisonment. The Joint Detention Group at Guantanamo is in an impossible situation. On the one hand, they are obligated to look after the detainees and keep them alive. On the other hand, their efforts to do so are criticized, with some seeming to suggest forced feeding rivals the water-boarding controversy of years past.

Homeland Security is a Team Effort – A Tip to the FBI

Justin Hienz |

May 13, 2013

As editor of Security Debrief, I get a lot of interesting e-mails. Yet, a lot of what hits my inbox is just noise. Yesterday, however, I received an e-mail that was unlike any other. The first line of the e-mail read: “I have information which can help to prevent a terrorist attack from happening.”

Congress Heal Thyself – An In-Depth Analysis Of Dysfunctionality

David Olive |

May 10, 2013

Yesterday, the House Homeland Security Committee held the first in what will likely be a series of hearings on the Boston Marathon bombing. Other congressional committees will want to hold separate (and probably duplicative) hearings on the tragic event as well. As I (and others) have written before, in an era when all federal agencies are being forced to cut programs and spending, it would behoove Congress to lead by example and consolidate its oversight, per the 9/11 Commission’s advice offered nearly a decade ago.

After Boston, Is Peter King Vindicated For His ‘Fear Mongering’ Ways?

Jeffrey Sural |

May 10, 2013

This week, the House Homeland Security Committee held its hearing examining the Boston Marathon bombing. Parts of the testimony at the hearing focused on the motives of the bombers and the current belief that the brothers Tsarnaev were radicalized Islamists. Congressman Peter King has focus on this issue, for which he has been regularly criticized. Has he been vindicated?

Contributor Southers Speaks At House Hearings on Boston Bombings

Security Debrief |

May 9, 2013

The House Homeland Security Committee held a hearing today to discuss the Boston Marathon bombings. Among the witnesses was Security Debrief contributor Erroll Southers. His testimony presents critical insight into homegrown violent extremism and the steps counterterrorism and law enforcement can and should take to better address the ever-present threat of terrorism.