DHS News

TSA Behavior Detection Lacks Scientific Validation, Says GAO The Transportation Security Administration deployed its Screening of Passengers by Observation Techniques (SPOT) program and Behavior Detection Officers (see the April 16 newsletter) “nationwide without first validating the scientific basis for identifying suspicious passengers in an airport environment,” reports the Government Accountability Office. “A scientific consensus does not exist on whether behavior detection principles can be reliably used for counterterrorism purposes, according to the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences.” In a May 20 letter to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Rep. John Mica of Florida stated that “at least 17 known terrorists, including [Times Square bomber Faisal] Shahzad, have flown on 24 different occasions passing through security at eight” airports at which the behavior detection system was in use. View GAO summary • View Mica letter

Federal Protective Service Employees Abused Credit Cards; Agency Chief Removed (Washington Times; Government Executive) A General Services Administration “investigation that found thousands of dollars in unauthorized purchases of clothing, gold coins, flat-screen televisions, gym memberships and college tuition payments by employees of the Federal Protective Services using government purchase cards has resulted in no disciplinary action,” reports the Times. “Twenty-one FPS employees took advantage of an 18-month transition period during which the security agency was moved from the General Services Administration to the Department of Homeland Security ‘to loot GSA resources by purchasing unauthorized goods,’ according to the GSA’s office of inspector general.” The employees “also used expense vouchers to get reimbursements for more than $9,000 in clothing, including an $800 tuxedo.” And “the Homeland Security Department this week announced that it will replace the head of the Federal Protective Service,” Gary Schenkel, reports Government Executive. View Times article • View Govt. Exec. article

Researchers See Health Risks in Full-Body Scanners (Government Security News) Scientists at the University of California at San Francisco “have called upon the White House to take a close look at” full-body scanners, reports Government Security News. “The technology being used puts people at increased risk of cancer, the scientists believe.” View article

Coast Guard Updates Guidance for Responding to Pirate Attacks (Government Security News) “The U.S. Coast Guard has updated its guidance to the operators of U.S.-flagged commercial ships by advising that ‘deadly force’ is appropriate in certain circumstances, by outlining a number of ‘non-deadly force tactics’ that might be used instead, and by raising the possibility of ‘retreat’ to a ‘safe room’ on the vessel to reduce tensions and buy time in other instances,” reports Government Security News. “The guidance and ‘best practices’ are incorporated into a revised version of Port Security Advisory (3-09), which was updated on May 12 and announced in the Federal Register on May 25.” View article • View guidance

Coast Guard photo

FEMA Urges Pet Preparedness (New York Times) “This month the Federal Emergency Management Agency is urging all Americans to prepare for the unexpected, particularly when it comes to pets,” writes Times “Well” blogger Tara Parker-Pope. “The Web site Ready.gov offers a detailed plan for creating a disaster kit that includes supplies, cellphone chargers and pet food … preparedness also means collecting veterinary records.… The American Veterinary Medical Association offers an online brochure called ‘Saving the Whole Family’” with “a list of evacuation essentials for pet owners.” View blog • View FEMA pet page • View vet brochure

Other Federal News

Blair Resigns as Director of National Intelligence (CNN) “Dennis Blair, the president’s top intelligence adviser, announced his resignation after 16 months of power struggles, politics and personality clashes,” reports CNN. “Blair was the third person to serve as director of national intelligence since the position was created five years ago.” The Director of National Intelligence “oversees 17 federal intelligence agencies.” View article

Afghan Detainees Barred From Access to U.S. Courts (New York Times) “A federal appeals court ruled [on May 21] that three men who had been detained by the United States military for years without trial in Afghanistan had no recourse to American courts,” reports the Times. “… The court reasoned that Bagram was on the sovereign territory of another government and emphasized the ‘pragmatic obstacles’ of giving hearings to detainees ‘in an active theater of war.’” View article

FDA Approves Swine Flu Test for Permanent Use (MSNBC) “The Food and Drug Administration says it has approved the first diagnostic test for 2009 swine flu under its traditional approval system,” reports the Associated Press. “The FDA previously cleared several tests on a limited basis for use during the declared public health emergency related to swine flu. The new Simplexa Influenza test from Focus Diagnostics in Cypress, Calif., uses specimens from nasal swabs to detect the H1N1 virus.” View article

National News

Obama Issues New National Security Strategy (Washington Post) “In a broad redefinition of U.S. strategic priorities” contained in the new National Security Strategy released yesterday, “President Obama has said that the United States must revitalize its own economic, moral and innovative strength if it is to continue to lead the world,” reports the Post. “… Obama’s new doctrine represents a clear break with the unilateral military approach advocated by his predecessor … The strategy cites four ‘enduring national [interests]’ that are ‘inextricably linked:’ security, prosperity, values and international order.” View article • View strategy (1.9MB PDF)

Miscarriages Increased After 9/11 (CNN) “The shock and stress felt by pregnant women after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, may have contributed to an increase in miscarriages of male fetuses in the United States, according to a study released Monday in … the journal BMC Public Health,” reports CNN. The “researchers found [that] the male fetal death rate increased in September 2001 and subsequently affected the ratio of boys born in a later month … Even without direct relationships with the deceased, pregnant women may have been distressed by the attacks, resulting in miscarriage, according to the research.” View article • View study

‘Jihad’ Does Not Equal Terrorism, Says White House Adviser (Fox News) “The president’s top counterterrorism adviser”—John Brennan—“on Wednesday called jihad a ‘legitimate tenet of Islam,’ arguing that the term ‘jihadists’ should not be used to describe America’s enemies,” reports Fox News. “During a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies,” he “said that those plotting attacks on the United States should not be described in ‘religious terms … jihad is a holy struggle … and there is nothing holy or legitimate or Islamic about murdering innocent men, women and children,’ Brennan said. The technical, broadest definition of jihad is a ‘struggle’ in the name of Islam and the term does not connote ‘holy war’ for all Muslims.” Rather, “Modern Muslims stress that it refers to the living of a moral life as well as defensive warfare to protect the faith,” according to “Focus on Islam” in the February 9, 2007, newsletter. See also the reviews of Islam: A Short History and Islam: A Mosaic, Not a Monolith in the Journal of Homeland Security, 2007. View article • View Focus on Islam

International News

Former Thai Prime Minister Charged With Terrorism (Australian) “Fugitive ex-prime minister” of Thailand Thaksin Shinawatra faces “terrorism charges in connection with” protests “that left 88 people dead since mid-March, mostly civilians, and nearly 1,900 injured,” reports Agence France-Presse. Thaksin “was ousted in a 2006 coup … the government accused him of inciting unrest and bankrolling the rallies by opposition ‘Red Shirt’ protesters.” View article

Taliban Families Expelled From Pakistan’s Swat Valley (BBC) “About 25 families of suspected Taliban fighters have been expelled from Pakistan’s troubled Swat valley,” reports the British Broadcasting Corporation. “… the families were banished from the area by a local council of elders and not the army.… they were sent away because their ‘Taliban relatives’ failed to surrender to security forces. The military has put them up at a camp previously used by Afghan refugees in the Malakand area.” View article

U.S. Tries to Reintegrate Taliban Soldiers (New York Times) “Military commanders on the ground in Afghanistan are reintegrating insurgent foot soldiers on their own,” using “military guidelines aimed at persuading low-level fighters to lay down their arms,” reports the Times. Marine Capt. Jason C. Brezler “got pledges from 25 former insurgents to sign up as police recruits,” and “Lt. Col. Brian Christmas released two young men who admitted to fighting for the Taliban, after the pair and two elders signed pledges promising the men would not fight again.… Military officials describe reintegration so far as sporadic at best … Last year, as part of an earlier Afghan push to give jobs to defecting Taliban, the Kabul government said that at least 9,000 insurgents had turned in their weapons.… the Afghan government now estimated that there were 40,000 fighters to be brought back into the fold.” View article

Red Cross Teaches First Aid to Taliban (Washington Times) “The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been providing medical training to members of the Taliban, including some high-ranking combatants, in Afghanistan,” reports the Times. “The humanitarian group says in a recent report that it provided first-aid training and first-aid kits to more than 70 ‘members of the armed opposition’ in April.… Besides the militants, 100 Afghan security personnel received similar training in April.” View article

Israelis Ignore Sirens in Civil Defense Drill (Jerusalem Haaretz) “The sirens that wailed across the country on Wednesday morning, at the peak of the five-day Home Front Command exercise, highlighted a disturbing chasm between the hyperactivity of the authorities and the apathy of the public,” reports Haaretz. “While the authorities spent hours training for dire scenarios and the media provided a background chorus of strident, even scary, commentary, the public remained completely unfazed.… It is possible that many people are aware of the danger but do not believe that a future threat should disrupt their present activities. Before Wednesday’s drill Deputy Defense Minister MK Matan Vilnai estimated that ‘99 percent of people would not respond to the siren.’” View article

‘Surviving the Tsunami’ This documentary, winner of the Best of Photojournalism Awards 2010 and sponsored by the Thomson Reuters Foundation and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, presents “stories of hope, compassion and dignity” from the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004. View multimedia show

Private-Sector News

DHS Publishes Private Sector Resources Catalog The Homeland Security Department’s Private Sector Office has gathered all the training, publications, guidance, alerts, newsletters, programs, and services available to the private sector from across the department into the Private Sector Resources Catalog where the nonprofit world, nongovernmental organizations, and the business sector can find information on any topic or office in DHS. The catalog provides information, contact numbers, email addresses, and websites for almost every DHS program, office, and component. View DHS blog • View catalog

Monsanto Gives Haiti $4 Million in Hybrid Seeds (Bloomberg Businessweek) “U.S. agriculture giant Monsanto Co. is donating $4 million worth of seeds to Haiti, the biotechnology manufacturer’s first major foray into the chronically hungry nation,” reports the Associated Press. “… Farmers will have to buy the seeds at markets to avoid flooding the local economy with free goods, but Monsanto will not receive any revenue from the sales.” Monsanto will not send “genetically modified seeds” but “hybrid seeds, which are produced by manually cross-pollinating plants.” View article

Computer Sciences Corp. Gets TSA IT Infrastructure Contract The Transportation Security Administration has awarded its Information Technology Infrastructure Program contract to Computer Sciences Corporation of Falls Church, VA, for deploying, maintaining, and enhancing the TSA’s IT infrastructure capabilities. The award is for one base year but is worth up to $489 million for five years. View TSA press release

United Nations News

UN Campaigns to Make Cities Resistant to Disasters The United Nations is launching a campaign to boost the resiliency of urban areas. The two-year program, “Making Cities Resilient: My City Is Getting Ready,” emphasizes the need for cities to implement disaster reduction plans. View UN press release

State and Local News

Smadi Pleads Guilty to Attempted Bombing of Dallas Skyscraper Hosam Maher Husein Smadi pleaded guilty on Wednesday to attempted bombing of a downtown Dallas skyscraper in September 2009. (See the Oct. 2, 2009, newsletter.) He drove a truck with a bomb that, unknown to him, was inert into a garage under the building, left in a car with an undercover law enforcement agent, and attempted to set off the bomb. View Justice Dept. press release

Energy Dept. photo

New Upcoming Events (Events are listed for four weeks; after that, they are still on the Upcoming Events page) On the Path of Emergency Preparedness (June 10; Groton, CT) This event is for professionals in the eldercare, healthcare, and disabilities communities; first responders; and family caregivers. It will focus on elders and individuals with disabilities and their needs in a disaster: what to expect, how to prepare, and how to manage the necessary transitions. View event website Emergency Alerting for the 21st Century (June 10; Washington, DC) This Federal Communications Commission Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau workshop will focus on leveraging multiple technologies to bring alerts and warnings to all Americans. It will educate stakeholders about the status of the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System, including the Next Generation Emergency Alert System and the Commercial Mobile Alert System, and it will give the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the FCC, and other federal partners an opportunity to gather feedback on outstanding issues related to these systems, the National Emergency Alert System test, and the FCC’s Next Generation Alerting Notice of Inquiry. View event website 22nd Annual International Conference on Maritime Security (June 16-17; Washington, DC) This Maritime Security Council conference will be held at the historic headquarters of the Organization of American States. This year’s event will focus on the evolving security challenges facing the maritime industry and the Americas and will address solutions for ensuring the security, transparency, and accountability for cargo moving through the supply chain. View event website Joint Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear (CBRN) Conference (June 22-24; Fort Leonard Wood, MO) The conference and exhibition will provide a forum for the exchange of CBRN defense information among warfighters, CBRN incident responders, technology developers, acquisition professionals, and the supporting industry, focusing on a better understanding and increased responsiveness to CBRN defense users’ needs. Speakers from CBRN defense stakeholder organizations will discuss current issues and future direction. The exhibition will showcase the broad array of CBRN defense equipment and technologies, as well as the latest in training and logistics capabilities. View event website (July 22-23; Osage Beach, MO) The conference will bring together experts and professionals to consider and discuss effective violence prevention and other intervention strategies to reduce risk to human life when emergencies occur. This year’s conference will focus on suicide prevention and emotional wellness issues for both the educational and first responder communities. View event website Precision Indoor Personnel Location and Tracking for Emergency Responders (August 2-3; Worcester, MA) This workshop will provide a forum for researchers and developers working on indoor location and tracking of emergency response personnel to share technical knowledge and define the state of the art. Working sessions will be organized around the major technical challenges. It is expected that all participants will contribute from their own experience and will share knowledge and best practices. View event website Disaster Planning for Hospitals (August 11-12; Washington, DC) This conference focuses on disaster planning trends along with strategies and solutions to help hospitals effectively prepare their facilities for the challenges a disaster brings. The conference will demonstrate how to create an effective disaster plan and manage the logistical and financial recovery. View event website 2nd International Swine Flu Conference and Workshop (August 18-20; Washington, DC) This event will present a bird’s-eye view of the global H1N1 situation, fresh updates from hard-to-reach country experts, how organizations can prepare for a pandemic, contacts with key agencies, and firsthand best practices from top organizations to create solid business continuity plans. View event website (August 23-25; Indianapolis) This risk assessment conference is for geographic information system specialists, emergency managers, geologists, state and local planners, and the like. It will include educational sessions, hands-on training, and networking opportunities. View event website Alliance of Hazardous Materials Professionals National Conference (September 12-15; Atlanta) This conference will bring together professionals from across wide-ranging disciplines, both domestic and international, to give new perspectives and discuss the most pressing issues facing environmental, health, safety, and security professionals, including the newest regulations, advances, and technologies. View event website (September 14-16; San Jose, CA) Highlighting the theme “When Seconds Count …” this event will provide real-time, threat-based training for law enforcement, fire service, emergency medical service, emergency nursing, homeland security, and other disaster communities. View event website Opportunity and Risk in Brazil (December 6-7; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) This Chief Security Officer Roundtable Latin America Summit will address the security challenges facing Brazil as it prepares to host to the 2014 Fédération Internationale de Football Association World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics and Paralympics, and it will give senior corporate security executives from around the world a chance to discover new business and professional opportunities, exchange best practices, and interact to build or strengthen professional relationships. View event website