13 August 2004
Over 28,500 signed-in subscribers
Serving the public since 03 July 2000
 

Dual-Benefit Solutions

DHS Announces Expanded Border Control Plans On Tuesday, Department of Homeland Security Under Secretary for Border and Transportation Security Asa Hutchinson announced plans to expand control of U.S. borders through increased use of immigration laws to combat illegal entry while facilitating travel for legitimate Mexican visitors. “We want to send a clear message that those individuals who follow legal immigration procedures will benefit while those who choose to break our nation’s immigration laws will be promptly removed from the U.S.,” said Hutchinson. [View press release]

Read more dual-benefit news

What’s New

FBI Presents Its 2004–2009 Strategic Plan The Federal Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday released its strategic plan for 2004–2009. The reorganization plan contained in this document is needed “in order to make significant contributions to the war on terrorism,” said FBI Director Robert Mueller. He also noted the FBI needs to strengthen its intelligence capabilities and strengthen its information technology infrastructure.[View Director’s message] [View strategic plan]

USDA Gives States and Tribes $12 Million for Animal ID System The Department of Agriculture on 05 August announced the selection of 29 state and tribal projects to receive $11.64 million to advance the national animal identification initiative. “This first phase of funding to states and tribes takes us closer to our goal of implementing a national animal identification system” for all U.S. livestock and poultry, said Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman. [View press release]

Customs Gives Its Officers DHS Badges The Department of Homeland Security on 6 August announced the successful unification of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection workforce by swearing in and presenting CBP Officers, Agriculture Specialists, and Border Patrol Agents with the first DHS law enforcement badges. “The Customs and Border Protection badges that you see today are the badges of honor in the war on terrorism,” stated Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge. “In the weeks to follow, each of our 30,000 CBP Officers, CBP Agriculture Specialists, and CBP Border Patrol Agents will be issued a new badge under which they will carry out their mission as one unified force protecting America’s borders.” [View press release]

TSA Tests Explosives Detection Portals at Tampa Airport The Transportation Security Administration has begun an operational test and evaluation of an explosives trace detection portal at a passenger security checkpoint at Tampa International Airport. The portal will analyze the air for traces of explosives, and a computerized voice will tell passengers when to exit. Passengers will then go to the walk-through metal detector and collect their carry-on baggage once it has been X-rayed. [View press release]

Organizations Launch National Preparedness Month The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the America Prepared Campaign, the American Red Cross, the National Association of Broadcasters, and the U.S. Department of Education on Tuesday announced that they have joined a coalition of more than 50 national organizations to engage Americans in emergency preparedness by launching National Preparedness Month on 09 September. “National Preparedness Month brings together an amazing coalition of partners to make citizen preparedness a priority for every city, every neighborhood and every home across America,” said Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge. [View press release]

International Atomic Energy Agency Issues 2003 Reports The United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency on Monday released its annual reports for 2003. The five reports--the agency’s annual report and reports on nuclear safety, technology, safeguards implementation, and technical cooperation--are available online. [View press release]

Partners Could Help Coast Guard With Vessel ID System The nationwide automatic identification system, which enables the Coast Guard to monitor ships traveling to and through U.S. waters, could be developed faster and cheaper if the Coast Guard sought local private and public organizations willing to develop shore facilities at their own expense, according to a July 2004 Government Accountability Office report to the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. Federal Communications Commission approval would be needed. [View report]

Deadline Extended for Biometric Passports President Bush on Monday signed H.R. 4417, extending by one year the deadline for Visa Waiver Program countries to include biometrics in passports. The mandate in the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2002 gave participating countries until 26 October 2004. [View press release]

Security Checkpoints at Eppley Airfield and Biloxi Airport Require Boarding Passes The Transportation Security Administration now requires passengers to have a boarding pass and government-issued identification at the screening checkpoint at Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport in Mississippi and will require them beginning 17 August at Eppley Airfield in Nebraska. E-ticket receipts, itineraries (such as travel agent or airline itineraries), and vouchers will no longer provide access through the checkpoints, and boarding passes will no longer be issued at the gate. [View Biloxi Airport press release] [View Eppley Airfield press release]

Return to the top

National News

Man Held, Police Seize Tapes of Buildings and Dam but Questions Remain about Motive (New York Times; News 14 Carolina) “The federal authorities, on heightened alert over the prospect of another Al Qaeda attack, are conducting a terrorism investigation into an illegal immigrant from Pakistan found with videotapes of downtown buildings and transit systems in four Southern states and of a dam in Texas, officials said on Tuesday,” reports the New York Times. “Officials acknowledged that they had no direct evidence linking the suspect, a former Queens [NY] resident named Kamran Shaikh, to terrorism. But they said they remained keenly interested in determining why he made the extensive videos, which included narratives in Arabic.” However, according to News 14 Carolina, Islamic leaders in Charlotte, NC, worried that tourism was confused with terrorism and that the backlash might turn into prejudice against Muslims. [View NY Times article] [View News 14 article]

Seized Computer Discs May Trigger New Security Alerts (Yahoo! News) “US officials may issue new public safety alerts based on information contained in more than 1,000 computer discs seized during the arrests of suspected Al-Qaeda operatives in Britain last week,” according to Agence France Presse. “US and British intelligence officials are analysing the content of the discs, which ‘appear to contain evidence of previously unknown terrorist planning activities in the United States,’ The New York Times said Monday, citing an unnamed senior US intelligence official.” [View article]

U.S. Leak ‘Harms al Qaeda Sting’ (CNN) “The effort by U.S. officials to justify raising the terror alert level last week may have shut down an important source of information that has already led to a series of al Qaeda arrests, Pakistani intelligence sources have said,” according to CNN. “Until U.S. officials leaked the arrest of Muhammad Naeem Noor Khan to reporters, Pakistan had been using him in a sting operation to track down al Qaeda operatives around the world, the sources said.” [View article]

Kids, Bosses Urged to Plan for Possible Terrorist Attack (Tucson [AZ] Citizen) “The Homeland Security Department is enlisting allies in its effort to prepare the nation for another terrorist attack: your kids and your boss,” reports USA Today. “Starting next month, children in grades 4 though 8 and employers nationwide will be asked to help get families and companies better prepared to respond to a crisis.” [View article]

Sensitive Info on Corporate Websites (SAP Info) “The widespread availability of sensitive information on corporate websites appears to have been largely overlooked by IT and security managers, reveals a survey by Computerworld,” according to SAP Info. “Freely available on the Web, for example, are 3-D models of the exterior and limited portions of the interior of the Citigroup headquarters building in Manhattan--one of the sites specifically named in the latest terror advisory issued by the Department of Homeland Security. Likewise, details of the Citigroup building’s history of structural design weaknesses, including its susceptibility to toppling … in high winds, the construction of its central support column and the fire rating of the materials used in the building, are readily available on the Web.” [View article]

Security Limits Info on Plan for Gas Terminal in Gulf of Mexico (Jackson, MS, Clarion-Ledger) Environmental “concerns about the safety of locating a liquefied natural gas tanker terminal 11 miles south of Dauphin Island off the Alabama coast may never be publicly addressed because of recent moves by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security,” reports the Associated Press. “Although U.S. Coast Guard meetings from Mobile to Pascagoula were held recently to hear public comments on ConocoPhillips’ proposal, what the Coast Guard ultimately shares about security issues, transportation questions and pipeline construction will be limited by recent secrecy measures.” [View article]

DHS Cancels IT Purchasing System (Federal Computer Week) “Homeland Security Department officials are retooling the way the agency buys information technology after canceling a proposed multibillion-dollar IT services contract,” according to Federal Computer Week. Instead of using the Security, Planning and Integrated Resources for Information Technology system, “they intend to focus instead on developing a procurement strategy that they say will be more in line with the agency’s mission.” [View article]

Suit Filed Against DHS and Justice Dept. on Behalf of 35 Immigrants (South Florida Sun-Sentinel) “The South Florida chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association has filed suit in federal district court in Miami against the Homeland Security and Justice departments on behalf of 35” immigrants who have permanent residency status but lack the documentation to travel, work legally, or get a driver’s license, reports the Sun-Sentinel. “Also this month, the Texas Lawyers’ Committee filed a national lawsuit in San Francisco. That group seeks class-action status for thousands facing the same challenge. Last year immigration judges granted about 12,000 immigrants lawful permanent residency.” [View article]

Short-Staffed Port Inspectors Missing Insect-Infested Food (Chicago Sun-Times) “The Homeland Security Department, short of inspectors who specialize in keeping agricultural diseases out of the country, has been catching less insect-infected food at the border,” according to the Associated Press. “Interceptions of prohibited material in the last three months of 2003 were 32 percent below the same period in 2002, said Dr. John Payne of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, who coordinates the agency’s work with Homeland Security.” [View article]

Dealers Clamp Down on Ammonium Nitrate (Des Moines [IA] Register) “For greening up a pasture, ammonium nitrate has long been a favorite fertilizer with farmers,” reports the Register Washington Bureau. “But the product also is a favorite ingredient for terrorist bombs--and a growing headache for the dealers that sell it. The Fertilizer Institute, an industry group, recently announced new security guidelines for dealers that include requesting identification from ammonium nitrate buyers and keeping sales records for up to two years.” [View article]

Robot to Aid Homeland Security (Billings [MT] Gazette) “Miss Daisy, a $150,000 robot purchased with federal homeland security funding, is now ready to be sent anywhere in Wyoming to handle bombs and hazardous waste,” according to the Associated Press. “Named for the movie ‘Driving Miss Daisy,’ the Cheyenne-based robot can be operated from 1,500 feet away, out of harm’s reach. It is an example of how some of the $49 million Wyoming has received in U.S. Department of Homeland Security funding over the past two years has been put to use.” [View article]

Return to the top

International News

Indo-Pakistani Talks on Terrorism and Drug Trafficking (Outlook India) “Top Interior Ministry officials of India and Pakistan” held two days of talks in Islamabad this week “on terrorism and drug trafficking to discuss a host of issues, including alleged infrastructure of terrorist camps in Pakistan, extradition of hijackers of [an] Indian Airlines plane in 1999 and the accused wanted in connection with Bombay blasts,” according to the Press Trust of India. [View article]

Japan Accident Highlights Nuke Plant Fears (Reuters UK) “An accident at a Japanese nuclear plant that killed four workers occurred in a section that was to be inspected this week for the first time in 28 years, and months after a warning of potential problems, the owner has said,” according to Reuters. “The admission by Kansai Electric Power is likely to further dent public confidence in Japan’s nuclear policy, raising questions about the condition of some of Japan’s ageing plants and management’s apparent laxity on safety matters.” [View article]

Iran Says It ‘Doesn’t Need Permission’ to Enrich Uranium (Khaleej Times, Dubai, United Arab Emirates) “Iran ‘will not seek permission from anyone’ to pursue its civilian nuclear activities, even if the policy draws sanctions from the UN Security Council, President Mohammad Khatami said on Wednesday,” according to Agence France Presse. “If the international community ‘wants to deprive us of our primordial right, we will not give up our national right and our country should be prepared to pay the price,’ he told reporters after meeting with his cabinet.” [View article]

Prosecutors Oppose Release of French Ex-Guantanamo Prisoners (Tocqueville Connection) “French prosecutors on Monday opposed a fresh request for the conditional release of four Frenchmen repatriated from the US prison at Guantanamo Bay and under investigation in France for terrorism-related crimes,” reports Agence France Press. [View article]

North Korean, U.S. Nuclear Negotiators Hold Informal Talks (Yonhap News, South Korea) “Nuclear negotiators from North Korea and the United States held rare informal talks Tuesday as they met at an international seminar on the issue of Pyongyang’s nuclear program, a seminar participant said,” reports Yonhap News. “The meeting between Ri Gun, deputy director-general of the American Affairs Bureau of the North’s Foreign Ministry, and Joseph DeTrani, U.S. special envoy for negotiations with the North, came amid efforts to organize a working-level meeting of the six-party forum on the nuclear issue.” [View article]

South African and UK Officials Discuss Fake Passports (South Africa Independent) “South Africa’s home affairs minister” was scheduled to “meet British officials on Wednesday amid concern over fraudulent South African passports found during anti-terror raids,” according to Reuters. “Ministry special adviser Mike Ramagoma said Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula’s meetings in London would focus on boosting co-operation between the two immigration services and were not specifically tied to the passport issue.” [View article]

Ukraine Launches Controversial Reactor (Johannesburg, South Africa, Mail and Guardian) “Ukrainian authorities on Wednesday gave the go-ahead to the controversial launch of a new nuclear reactor on the country’s western border with Poland, despite European protests and safety concerns,” according to the Mail and Guardian. “The Russian-type water reactor, which has a 1 000 megawatt capacity, got the nod from Ukraine’s governmental commission for atomic energy and is expected to be activated within the next few weeks.” [View article]

Yemen Hails Cooperation With U.S. (Australia’s Big News Network) “Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh said his country is cooperating with the U.S. war against terror--not taking orders from the United States,” according to Big News Network. “In remarks published in the Yemeni press Monday, Saleh accused opposition parties of circulating allegations [that] Yemen is subservient to the United States to discredit the government in [the] public eye.” [View article]

Philippine Congress Urged Anew to Pass Antiterror Bill (Manila Bulletin) “Citing the 9/11 Commission findings naming the Philippines and two other Southeast Asian countries as [a] terrorists’ haven, the Philippine Center on Transnational Crime urged anew both houses of Congress to expedite and prioritize the passage of the anti-terrorism bill aimed at institutionalizing [a] mechanism to prevent and suppress its commission and to provide penalties for its violations,” reports the Manila Bulletin. “Deputy Director General and PCTC Executive Director Reynaldo Velasco said the quick passage of the anti-terrorism bill will not only contain the biggest threat to regional and national security and economic development but it will also further bolster the country’s determined effort to win the war against terror along with other countries like the United States and Australia.” [View article]

Australia’s Triple J Radio Uses World Trade Center in Ads (Sydney Daily Telegraph) “Youth radio network Triple J has outraged the families of Australians killed in the September 11 terror attacks by using mocked up images of the World Trade Centre to promote the station,” reports the Daily Telegraph. “People hitting the publicly funded station’s website are confronted with pictures of the Twin Towers--still standing--with a banner strung between them bearing the Triple J logo of a beating drum.” [View article]

Return to the top

State and Local News

California Security Gap: Places That Store Explosives (Fresno Bee) Two homeless men in San Mateo County last month “thought they had hit pay dirt: some locked containers in the woods,” reports the Christian Science Monitor. “Inside, wrapped in olive drab, were bricklike bars, which they knew from movies was C-4, a highly dangerous military explosive. Altogether the two men, who are in custody, walked off with 200 pounds of potential mayhem.… last year there were 79 reported thefts of explosives, including six from law-enforcement facilities.… no single federal agency knows where the explosive stockpiles are or inspects them. And some of these public facilities are unguarded, hooked up at best with burglar alarms.” [View article]

Washington, DC, Agency to Review Local Businesses’ Defenses (Washington Times) “The D.C. Office of Homeland Security is preparing to assess the vulnerability of the area’s business community to a major terrorist attack,” according to the Washington Times. “The agency is seeking consultants for a $4.9 million Citizen Education Campaign that includes an effort to find weak spots in the private sector’s defenses and recommend ways to prepare for an attack.” [View article]

DHS Catches Drug Fugitive in Miami (WINS Radio, New York) “A fingerprint screening system started in January by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has led to the arrest of an Ecuadoran fugitive wanted in New York on cocaine charges since 1979, a prosecutor said” on 06 August, reports WINS. Patricio R. Salazar, “who allegedly used variations of his name as aliases to obtain travel visas over the past quarter-century, was apparently quite comfortable traveling between the” United States and Ecuador “despite his fugitive status, and didn’t balk when he was asked to comply this spring with the new Homeland Security fingerprinting requirement.” [View article]

Indiana Alert Network to Spread Word of Threats (Indianapolis Star) “Much like a high-tech phone tree, a network designed to quickly alert authorities of potential terror threats and other emergencies should be up and running within a month,” according to the Indianapolis Star. “In just one minute, Indiana Alert Network will be able to make as many as 10,000 telephone calls, send up to 3,000 faxes and transmit 5,000 e-mail messages over secure lines.” [View article]

Massachusetts Advances in Homeland Security Training (Taunton Gazette) When the “Integrated Fiber Optic Response Mechanism” project in Raynham “is fully operational, it will allow public safety officials to share audio, video and intelligence systems using a fiber optic and wireless network,” reports the Taunton Gazette. “The interoperability capabilities could be used in everyday crime situations, disaster events and acts of terrorism.” It would also serve nearby Taunton and Lakeville. [View article]

Public Wasn’t Alerted to Las Vegas Threat (Fox News Channel) “When the Justice Department obtained two videos suggesting terrorists had cased Las Vegas casinos, the discussions didn’t center on public alerts or heightened security,” reports the Associated Press. “Rather, authorities worried about the effects on tourism and the casinos’ legal liabilities, internal memos show.” [View article]

NH Locals Question Homeland Security Official About Grants (Dover, NH, Foster’s Daily Democrat) “One of the nation’s top Homeland Security officials got an earful” last week “as local officials urged him to help expand their shopping list for anti-terrorism equipment, make sure the gear goes to people qualified to use it and send money directly to cities and towns, not state governments,” according to the Associated Press. “‘Trust the cities, trust the mayors, trust the first responders to spend that money in a manner that is going to provide the maximum security to the people we serve,’ Manchester Mayor Robert Baines told” Michael Brown, Homeland Security Under Secretary for Emergency Preparedness & Response. [View article]

Homeland Security Money to Pay for Oklahoma’s Comm System (Daily Ardmoreite) “Millions of dollars in federal Homeland Security money will pay for the first phase of a statewide radio system that will allow first responders to share information during a terrorist event, Gov. Brad Henry said” on 05 August, reports the Associated Press. “Money for the system, which will connect cities and towns along Interstate 44, will come from more than $32 million in federal grants for terrorism prevention programs, said Henry and Kerry Pettingill, director of the state Office of Homeland Security.” [View article]

Return to the top

Private-Sector News

TSA to Test New ID Card for Transportation Workers The Transportation Security Administration announced on Tuesday a $12 million contract to BearingPoint, Inc., to begin the prototype phase of the Transportation Worker Identification Credential. This is the third phase in developing a program to improve security at seaports, airports, rail, pipeline, trucking, and mass transit facilities by creating a nationwide credential that will prevent unauthorized persons from gaining access to secure areas. [View press release]

Slim Launches Super-Fast Supply-Chain Software (Food Production Daily) “Slim Technologies has combined its supply chain modelling software with optimisation solver Xpress-MP to offer users such as Alcoa run times of up to 15 times faster,” reports Food Production Daily. The firm believes that the combination “will allow companies to model and optimise their supply chain networks faster, more accurately and with better bottom line results than ever before.” [View article]

Northrop to Build Pathogen Database (Federal Computer Week) “Officials from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases awarded Northrop Grumman Corp. a five-year, $16.9 million contract to develop a database to centralize and integrate data for six potential bioterrorism agents,” reports Federal Computer Week. “The company will develop a Web-based database--called BioHealthBase--to collect and analyze genomic and related data and bibliographic information for those six pathogens, which pose significant public health threats.” [View article]

AVI BioPharma Teams With Army Researchers on Biodefense (Portland, OR, Business Journal) “Portland biotech company AVI BioPharma Inc. has signed a research and development agreement with the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases,” reports the Business Journal. “The five-year agreement provides for testing of AVI’s Neugene antisense therapeutics against several viruses, bacteria and toxins that may be used as bioterror agents.” [View article]

Boston Univ. Biodefense Lab Opposed (Space Daily) “Opponents of a Boston biodefense laboratory are not persuaded by assurances the lab will be safe and they doubt [that] officials at the university in charge of building the facility really have the ability to control the work done there,” reports United Press International. “Set within the city limits at the Boston University Medical Center … the lab is one of the federal government’s two new National Biocontainment Laboratories.” More than 2.5 million people live in the Boston metropolitan area. [View article]

Cingular to Provide Wireless Priority Service for Emergency Communications (PRNewswire) Cingular Wireless has been awarded a contract by the National Communications System to provide Wireless Priority Service to the country’s authorized emergency response personnel. [View article]

Return to the top

Upcoming Events

9th Annual Joint Services Environmental Management Conference (16–19 August; San Antonio) This conference will bring together thousands of professionals from military services, industry, academia, and local, state, and federal agencies to translate ideas, success stories, case histories, current trends, and technologies into solutions for pollution prevention and hazardous waste management challenges. The four-day schedule includes 224 technical presentations on a variety of topics, over 375 exhibitors showcasing their latest equipment, products, technology, and services, and a networking reception. [View conference website]

Midwest Infrastructure Security Forum (24–25 August; Kansas City, MO) This symposium includes members of Congress, nationally recognized experts, and executives from the public, private, and interagency sectors focusing on the operational and policy implications of homeland security on communities, institutions, and the economy. Separate tracks will address physical security of critical infrastructures, cyber-security of network-centric systems, bioterrorism warning and response, and the challenges of 21st-century terrorism. [View conference website]

Prevention First 2004--An Onshore & Offshore Pollution Prevention Symposium & Technology Exhibition (14–15 September; Long Beach, CA) The symposium includes three maritime security panels as well as panels dealing with liquefied natural gas issues, maritime transportation, global shipping perspectives, and other timely subject matter. The symposium has been a success story for the California State Lands Commission, and this year’s event will mark the sixth biennial presentation. [View conference website]

Technologies for Public Safety in Critical Incident Response Conference and Exposition (27–29 September; New Orleans) This first-ever joint conference of the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate and the Department of Justice’s National Institute of Justice will highlight the technology and training tools available and being developed for the responder community to deal with major threats to lives and property, such as terrorist attacks. The conference offers a unique opportunity for responders, business and industry, academia, and elected federal, state and local stakeholders to network, exchange ideas, and address common critical incident technology needs. [View conference website] [Register for this event]

Rural Homeland Security Technology Expo (21–22 October; Johnstown, PA) This event seeks to demonstrate emerging technologies designed to improve rural America’s ability to prepare for and manage mass casualties resulting from a terrorist attack or weapons of mass destruction. The expo will provide emergency management officials working in public, private, and nonprofit entities with a forum to discuss issues that will facilitate better communications and cooperation during emergencies. In addition, demonstrations will highlight technologies that may aid the participants in performing their professional duties. [View conference website]

Fall 2004 Biometrics Summit (26–28 October; New York) Attendees of the 11th annual international forum for advanced identification solutions will learn about the latest biometrics technology solutions, their utility across different end users, and how to effectively implement such solutions into security policies using case studies from industry experts. [View conference website]

Emergency Response 2004 (17–20 November; San Diego) Recent history has proven the need for all first responders to work together and communicate effectively. Emergency Response 2004 will focus on how land, air, and marine emergency organizations can better integrate their response to major incidents and manage the new missions imposed by increased homeland security concerns. This conference offers attendees the ability to meet and interact with all emergency response industry professionals. The extensive conference, with five separate industry tracks, will bring you up to date with all the latest advancements, training, methods, and equipment. [View conference website]

Return to the top
   

Homeland Security Institute

The Weekly Homeland Security Newsletter

Send Questions and Comments to
Editor-in-Chief
Jennifer Crook

Copyright 2004. The Weekly Homeland Security Newsletter, Analytic Services Inc. All rights reserved.

In accordance with Title 17 (USC), Section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment and is intended for nonprofit research and educational purposes only.

PRIVACY POLICY

Content provided in the Weekly Homeland Security Newsletter does not reflect the viewpoint(s) of Analytic Services Inc. or the Homeland Security Institute. Neither Analytic Services Inc. nor the Homeland Security Institute share, publish, or in any way redistribute subscriber email addresses or any other personal information.
The Wire: The top stories from the Associated Press

Index

> Dual-Benefit Solutions
> What’s New
> National News
> International News
> State and Local News
> Private-Sector News
> Upcoming Events
> Website of the Week
> Quote of the Week
> Stats of the Week

Subscriptions

Links

>Institute Homepage
>Analytic Services Homepage
>Newsletter Archives
>Journal Homepage
>Contact Us

Quote of the Week

“I know that our country working with so many other countries sharing intelligence and they’re cooperating in putting pressure on these global terrorist networks is having good success in making their lives more difficult, making it more difficult for them to move between countries, to finance their operations, to recruit and retain their terrorists, to communicate with each other. But they only have to be lucky once or twice and they can kill 2[000] or 3,000 people. The defender has to be lucky all the time, has to be fortunate, has to be attentive. And that’s why these terror alerts exist. It’s why it’s so important that so many countries cooperate to put pressure on the terrorist and to make their lives more difficult and try to prevent them from killing still more innocent men, women and children.”

Secretary of Defense
Donald Rumsfeld
10 August 2004

Site of the Week

Established in 1988, the CERT® Coordination Center (CERT/CC) is a center of Internet security expertise, located at the Software Engineering Institute, a federally funded research and development center operated by Carnegie Mellon University. The CERT/CC is a major reporting center for Internet security problems. Staff members provide technical advice and coordinate responses to security compromises, identify trends in intruder activity, work with other security experts to identify solutions to security problems, and disseminate information to the broad community. The CERT/CC also analyzes product vulnerabilities, publishes technical documents, and presents training courses.

[View website]


Stats of the Week

Cargo Transport Executives Say Their Industry’s Homeland Security Performance Is Lacking

According to a study by Deloitte & Touche USA LLP, released on 11 August, “The U.S. cargo industry is not performing well in implementing any of the most important homeland security measures.” These findings come from a survey of 103 executives representing the air cargo, maritime, rail, logistics providers and trucking (truckload and less-than-truckload) segments of the industry.

Important findings include these:

  • Air cargo rated most vulnerable. More than 80% of executives rated the security risks to air cargo as very high or high, while 70% gave a similar rating to the maritime sector.
  • Key security measures not adequate. Executives believed that conducting background checks for workers and drivers was the most important step that could be taken to reduce security risks, with more than 60% of executives rating this measure as very important. Yet only 14% of executives rated the industry’s performance in this area as excellent. For a series of other security measures, no more than 9% of executives rated industry performance excellent.
  • Fewer rail and trucking firms make homeland security a high priority. Only about one-quarter of executives at trucking firms and 60% at rail firms said that homeland security would be a high priority at their firm over the next 12 months.
  • Security spending to increase. More than 80% of executives said they expected their firm to increase spending on security over the next 12 months. When asked to name one or more funding sources for the spending increases, about one-half said their firm would fund increased spending from current revenues or reserves and a similar number said their firm would employ rate increases.
  • Popularity of outsourcing. To respond to the complex demands of homeland security requirements, roughly half the executives said their firm planned to use outside services, including roughly three-fourths of executives at maritime firms.

Current Threat Level

Link to the Newsletter From Your Website

Click on the image below to learn how to include the linked newsletter image on your website.