Security Debrief is a homeland security blog comprised of a broad and diverse range of contributors, all of whom bring years of experience in the security environment.
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Counterterrorism Blog: Can Hezbollah Launch Long-Range Terror Attacks...
Registered Traveler: Data privacy, security prompts chairman’s inquiry - Federal Computer Week The Obama administration is developing plans to seek up to 1,500 National Guard volunteers to step up the military’s counter-drug efforts along the Mexican border, senior administration officials said...
The Obama administration is developing plans to seek up to 1,500 National Guard volunteers to step up the military's counter-drug efforts along the Mexican border, senior administration officials said Monday.
Beginning on July 29, commercial airline traffic to the US from Shannon airport in Ireland will have the advantage of full preclearance. This is a win-win-win for everyone...
During a five minute speech on the House floor June 19, Rep. John Duncan, Jr. (R-Tenn.) declared that the Federal Air Marshals Service (FAMS) is “probably the most needless, useless agency in the entire federal government
Earlier this week, Defense Secretary Robert Gates ordered the military to start setting up a new “U.S. Cyber Command.” It’s a move that’s been discussed in defense circles for more than a year...
Information sharing is critical to properly addressing cyber security. Particularly if one subscribes to the public health model versus a military security type model.
By Jena Baker McNeill Yesterday, the Obama Administration hosted a closed-door conference on immigration reform. All too often "comprehensive immigration reform" has been another name for amnesty...
Federal News Radio 1500 AM: Emergency Response and Social Networking Social networking is permeating the Federal government, and according to Eric Holdeman, it’s “changing everything” in emergency response...
Recently, I spoke with Francis Rose on Federal News Radio's In Depth With Francis Rose, to discuss TSA's new use of millimeter wave technology for the American rail system. Millimeter wave technology is a creative solution to keeping people safe with little to no distruption to travelers.
The Blog @ Homeland Security: Fugate Roundtable Video For those who missed it, check out the video from earlier this week of FEMA Adminstrator Fugate’s roundtable discussion on community service and preparednes
It’s official – the National Applications Office (NAO) is DOA. Yesterday’s official announcement by DHS put the period on the end of a sentence that a lot of us have seen written for some time. The disappointing part of this entire affair is that Sec...
TSA initially supported Registered Traveler during the Tom Ridge era at DHS, as a method to target security resources on less-known travelers and to enable low-risk frequent travelers a consistent and fast security review...
Military strives to understand social media By now, social media and networking are old hat to America’s youth. But to those in charge of keeping America safe, social media is just starting to be something more important than an obscure diversion for teenagers...
In retirement, I can still refer to "The War on Drugs" as "The War on Drugs", a phrase not popular with the current administration...
The Jawa Report: Smoking Dope Causes Cancer Based upon a review of more than 30 scientific papers, the state Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment announced yesterday that smoking marijuana causes cancer, making it the same as smoking tobacco with regard to health effects.
U.S. to Let Immigration Agents Make Drug Arrests - washingtonpost.com The Obama administration is preparing to give more U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents authority to make drug arrests to assist Mexico’s bloody battle with drug cartels, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr...
Disaster Zone: Emergency Management in the Blogosphere: DHS Webinar on Hurricane Preparedness DHS is hosting a webinar on hurricane preparedness go to this link to register. Their announcement is below: 2009 Hurricane Season: A ReadinessGuide for Critical Infrastructure PartnersJune 23, 2009 2 p.m...
In Homeland Security: American al Qaeda Operative Adam Gadahn Alive; Releases New Video Speculation of his death in a January, 2008 Predator strike in Waziristan has now been inarguably refuted: Adam Gadahn is alive and talking in his new 40 minute video entitled “Let’s Continue our Jihad and...
Hathaway confirms she’s a candidate for cyber chief — Federal Computer Week Melissa Hathaway, the official that led the Obama administration’s 60-day review of cybersecurity policy, confirmed Friday that she is a candidate for the White House cybersecurity coordinator pos
DHS infrastructure unit hiring 621 more workers — Federal Computer Week The Homeland Security Department’s infrastructure protection division has hired 300 people in the last year and is looking for 621 new employees in the next 18 months as it seeks to “right-size” its federal and...
Let’s return to Sunday school and recall that long ago, all problems were thought to originate from one of the seven deadly sins. Using that theme, I have looked at particular problem areas within DHS...
Border Lines: The Criminal Alien Problem of Secure Communities The Secure Communities program represents furthering linking of the criminal justice and immigration systems...
Like thousands of commuters, I pass the Holocaust Museum twice a day coming into and out of DC. At any hour of the day it is not unusual to see a number of security guards outside, as well as inside the building doing their jobs...
TSA clarifies fingerprinting requirements – Homeland Security News Wire TSA makes clear that only non-U.S...
Nextgov - Latest delay to E-Verify prompts doubts about program’s future “It is inexcusable that … the administration has delayed the requirement for federal contractors to use E-Verify,” said Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky., in a statement issued Wednesday...
Airport Check-in: More e-board; carousel ads make the rounds - USATODAY.com The use of electronic boarding passes, embraced only by a few tech-savvy travelers a year ago, is spreading rapidly...
While the American public’s attention has moved on to focus on the opening days of summer and vacation planning, researchers have begun to assess the lessons learned from the recent H1N1 Flu outbrea
Security Debrief awarded a "Communicator Award" from the International Academy of the Visual Arts for excellence in blog content and design.
The TSA Blog: Secure Flight Q & A TSA answers questions about implementation of Secure Fight.
200906065043 | Mexico’s Narco-Insurgency and U.S. Counterdrug Policy and the Merida Initiative | / | Border & Sovereignty The alarming rise in drug-related violence in Mexico is discussed and the prospects of U.S. counterdrug policies in that country is assessed...
First started in Fiscal Year 2005 when Congress appropriated $25 million to DHS to award to non-profits in 18 high-risk jurisdictions, the federal homeland security grant program for non-profits organizations serves little purpose and wastes finite resources without any evidence of terrorist...
Pittsburgh will host the G20 Summit in September; only by realizing that policing, reporting and protesting itself is not a zero-sum game can the City of Pittsburgh realise the opportunities the G20 presents...
The long awaited release of the President’s Cyber Policy Review on 29 May has been and will continue to be studies by all who are concerned with the issue of Cyber Securit
Yesterday the House passed HR 2200, the Transportation Security Administration Reauthorization Act. Several floor amendments were offered with one particularly troubling amendment noticeable above all the others. The amendment targets Whole Body Imagers (WBI) and sets restrictions on their use.
CQ Politics | SpyTalk - Exclusive: Mudd Withdraws as DHS Intelligence Chief (Updated) The White House confirmed this afternoon it was withdrawing Phil Mudd from Senate consideration to be the Department of Homeland Security’s intelligence chief...
There are three major areas of challenge for the Government and the Nation as we confront cyber security. All three of these challenges are acknowledged the 29 May report, and the President’s remarks. They constitute the crux of the cyber policy debate today...
Are we more secure with Secure Flight? - USATODAY.com Secure Flight doesn’t make the bad guy list any better. It just makes everyone spend more money, and creates more inconvenience...
CQ Homeland Security: Reid Says He’s Committed to Immigration Overhaul Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid reiterated his support today for a comprehensive overhaul of immigration law this year in a brief speech to the Asian American and Pacific Islander Summit on Capitol Hill...
VOA News - New Bin Laden Tape Criticizes Obama A new audio tape attributed to al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden is criticizing U.S. President Barack Obama’s policies toward Muslim countries. Bin Laden said Mr. Obama is “following in the footsteps” of his predecessor, George W...
Despite President Obama's call for the government to embrace social media tools to create greater transparency and interaction with the public, he is finding that turning the vast federal bureaucracy around is a lot harder than getting a campaign team to follow his direction...
Nextgov - State Department promotes Internet diplomacy For the first time in its history, the State Department is conducting international relations by encouraging online interaction between individual Americans and foreigners...
Poll: Most oppose closing Gitmo - USATODAY.com Americans are overwhelmingly opposed to closing the detention center for suspected terrorists at Guantanamo Bay and moving some of the detainees to prisons on U.S. soil, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds...
Homeland Security Today - preparedness and security news - Hurricane, Disaster Preparedness Complacency Continues to Grow Prior to last year’s hurricane season, state, federal and other emergency preparedness authorities warned that residents of hurricane prone regions had become far too...
Kundra: Government must tap into Web 2.0’s potential — Federal Computer Week The federal government must tap the dynamic functionality of Web 2.0 technology if it is to capture the potential savings from a growing list of low-cost software applications and processing capabilities, federal Chief...
DHS: Secretary Napolitano Announces Key Cybersecurity Personnel U.S...
On 29 May 2009, President Obama released the results of his initial 60 Day review of Cyber Security policies. This long awaited release was accompanied by a Presidential address and a great deal of anticipation...
Obama’s Cybersecurity Speech: Why Bother? - Swampland – TIME.com It was a case of cyber-hooey and cyber… who...
covertress: The Practical Implications of the WHTI By Scott Stewart and Fred Burton, Stratfor On June 1, 2009, the land and sea portion of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) will go into effect...
Home Station: — Emergency Response Training: ‘Disaster City’ In the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing of 1995, demand increased among early responders for training in realistic scenarios...
Immigration Checks on Criminals Could Increase Deportations - US News and World Report The Obama administration is expanding an effort to check the populations of local jails for illegal immigrants, a move that could significantly expand the number facing deportation hearings...
For the first time DOJ has announced a policy of non enforcement when federal drug policy conflicts with state drug policy. The DEA continues to operate without even having a nominee named to lead the agency on a permanent basis, more than 100 days into the new Administration...
Tickle The Wire » Fed Witness in Baltimore Put in Cell With Defendants Accused of Murdering a Witness A fight broke out (last week) in Baltimore’s federal courthouse after U.S...
Senator begins groundwork for sweeping immigration bill (5/20/09) — www.GovernmentExecutive.com Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee Chairman Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., launched an aggressive effort Wednesday to press for passage this year of comprehensive immigration legislation, saying...
Obama merges homeland, national security staff (5/26/09) — www.GovernmentExecutive.com President Obama on Tuesday announced the creation of an integrated White House national security staff that will work as one team to tackle homeland security and counterterrorism issues...
Deepwater in trouble, watchdog says — Washington Technology The Coast Guard made a final acceptance of its first National Security Cutter this month without completing tests for key communications equipment on the boat, according to an investigation by a watchdog group ...
Residents and businesses shouldn't be nervous as the June 1 Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative implementation nears. The changes will ease border crossings while also securing our borders.
Last week the American National Standards Institute’s Homeland Security Standards Panel (ANSI-HSSP) released a sobering, frustrating and frankly embarrassing report that should give pause to emergency managers, public safety personnel and for that matter all Americans...
Last month’s annual U.S. State Department Country Reports on Terrorism 2008 made not one single mention of Nigeria’s Niger Delta conflict...
Security Debrief Contributor and former Chief of Operations at the DEA, Michael Braun, recently took part in the New York Time's online "Freakonomics Blog" where he was asked, "What Would Happen if Marijuana Were Decriminalized?"
A controversial new letter surfaces from Osama bin Laden suggesting that since President Obama must shut down Gitmo but no one will take the terrorists, he will do so. "You have a need and I have a need...
Newsmax.com - Study Claims Cops Can’t Police Illegals and Citizens A U.S. government program empowering local police officers to enforce immigration laws undermines their efforts to maintain public safety, according to a report released on Wednesday...
Homeland Security Today - preparedness and security news - Homegrown Terror Plot New York was shellshocked this week after three homegrown terror suspects from Newburgh, NY, joined a fourth in a plot to blow up a Bronx synagogue and shoot down US military planes.
While the Administration has been rich in its rhetoric in heralding the forthcoming closure of the facility and trying to restore America’s human rights credibility, it is in outright poor shape in articulating the reality and tough answers to the “Now what?” ques
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