International News

Israel Attacks Aid Convoy Bound for Gaza (London Guardian; EU Observer; Jerusalem Haaretz; Reuters AlertNet) On Sunday, “in international waters, the elite Flotilla 13 unit of the Israeli navy stormed the Mavi Marmara, the flagship of a flotilla” of six ships “crewed by an alliance of pro-Palestinian activists who had combined to deliver 10,000 tonnes of aid to Gaza,” reports the Guardian. The incident “ended with the deaths of at least nine people and the injury of at least 50.” As of yesterday, “an Irish ship carrying humanitarian aid [continued] to sail for Gaza,” reports the EU Observer. Among the passengers are “five Irish nationals, including a former UN deputy secretary general and a Northern Irish Nobel peace prize laureate.” The ship, “carrying cement, teaching materials and toys, had intended to take part in the flotilla that was attacked earlier this week.” Furthermore, “Hamas will not allow goods from” the flotilla “to enter the blockaded Gaza Strip, a spokesman for the Islamist organization said Thursday,” reports Deutsche Presse-Agentur, the German Press Agency. Hamas “says Israel must free all activists and agree to deliver the cargo in full before it will allow in any of the aid.” (See the Quote of the Week.) And “Egypt, which has kept its own Gaza border largely closed since Hamas, an offshoot of the opposition Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, seized the territory in 2007, reopened the frontier crossing on Tuesday,” reports Reuters. View Guardian article • View Observer article • View DPA article • View Reuters article

Indian Derailment, Blamed on Maoists, Kills 145 (Washington Times) On May 28, “a train accident blamed on Maoist rebels killed 145 people” in India, reports the Associated Press. “Thirteen cars from a high-speed passenger train derailed and then were hit by an oncoming cargo train in West Bengal state … Police accuse the rebels of sabotaging the tracks.” View article

UN Experts Say North Korea Is Exporting Nuke Technology (Associated Press) “North Korea is exporting nuclear and ballistic missile technology and using multiple intermediaries, shell companies and overseas criminal networks to circumvent U.N. sanctions, U.N. experts said in a report obtained by The Associated Press.” The “research indicates that Pyongyang is involved in banned nuclear and ballistic activities in Iran, Syria and Myanmar. It called for further study of these suspected activities and urged all countries to try to prevent them.” View article

80 Killed in Terror Attacks on Two Mosques in Pakistan (Reuters) “Gunmen attacked worshippers from a minority Muslim sect in two mosques of the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore on [May 28], taking hostages and killing at least 70 people” and injuring 78, reports Reuters. “The gunmen opened fire shortly after Friday prayers and threw grenades at two Ahmadi mosques.” View article

Nuclear Conference Approves Limited Nonproliferation Measures (Yahoo! News) “The 189 member nations of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty on [May 28] adopted a detailed plan of small steps down a long road toward nuclear disarmament, including a sharply debated proposal to move toward banning doomsday arms from the Middle East,” reports the Associated Press. “The 28-page final declaration was approved by consensus on the last day of the monthlong conference, convened every five years to review and advance the objectives of the 40-year-old NPT. Under its action plan, the five recognized nuclear-weapon states—the United States, Russia, Britain, France and China—commit to speed up arms reductions, take other steps to diminish the importance of atomic weapons, and report back on progress by 2014.” (See the Statistics of the Week.) “The final document also calls for convening a conference in 2012 ‘on the establishment of a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction.’” View article

U.S. and China Agree to Boost Supply Chain Security The United States and China last week, during a Strategic and Economic Dialogue, signed a memorandum of understanding to enhance supply chain security as part of a cooperative security and trade relationship between the two nations’ customs agencies. View DHS press release

Gunman Kills 12 People in Britain (BBC) Cumbria resident Derrick Bird “killed 12 people across the west of the county on Wednesday,” reports the British Broadcasting Corporation. He “deliberately targeted some of his victims and indiscriminately shot at others.” Eleven people were injured. “Detectives said his motivations appeared to be a mixture of ‘grudge and random’. At least three of his victims—his brother, his solicitor and a fellow taxi driver—were known to him, but others were apparently strangers.… He later shot himself and his body was found in a wooded area at Boot in the Lake District.” View article

U.S. and EU Sign Joint Counterterror Declaration (Saba [Yemen News Agency]) “The European Union and the United States of America issued a joint” Declaration on Counter-Terrorism “Thursday stressing that their fight against terrorism is to be in accordance with full respect for the sovereignty of nations and the rule of law and human rights,” reports Saba, citing the Kuwait News Agency. View article

United Nations News

UN Condemns Drone Attacks (Christian Science Monitor) “UN special rapporteur Philip Alston on Wednesday called for a halt to US unmanned drone attacks, which he called a path to a ‘Playstation’ mentality towards killing,” reports the Monitor. “… Since 2004, the US has conducted a covert assassination campaign against suspected Al Qaeda and Taliban militants in Pakistan, using unmanned drones often operated by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in control rooms thousands of miles away. Drone use has soared under President Barack Obama.” View article • View report (188KB PDF)

12 Cities Join Risk-Reduction Initiative Twelve cities have signed on to the United Nations campaign to boost the resiliency of urban areas, “Making Cities Resilient: My City Is Getting Ready” (see last week’s newsletter): Bonn, Germany; Mexico City; Saint-Louis, Senegal; Larreynaga-Malpaisillo, Nicaragua; Karlstad, Sweden; North Little Rock, AR; Durban, South Africa; Albay, Philippines; Davos, Switzerland; Port-au-Prince, Haiti; Santa Tecla, El Salvador; and Baofeng, China. View press release

National News

Does Killing Terrorists Actually Prevent Terrorism? (Newsweek) Despite all the “military operations carried out by the tens of thousands of troops each in Afghanistan and Iraq fighting counterinsurgency against Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and various affiliates and other violent organizations … U.S. law-enforcement officials have seen a recent surge in terrorism plots inside the U.S.,” writes Newsweek “The Gaggle” blogger Ben Adler. “… it doesn’t appear that selectively killing militants eliminates, or even necessarily reduces, the number of people seeking to do us harm.” And “no matter how strong our military is, we cannot invade every hostile country that might seek nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons, and suggesting that we pick off some just encourages the others to protect themselves by acquiring them. Likewise, terrorists can be lurking in any country, including our own, and striking them with missiles is not a feasible approach to eliminating them entirely.… Intelligence gathering has helped break up plots,” but “you cannot draw a line from [successful strikes] to any realistic point of total victory.” View blog

Public Safety Networks Still Lack Standards for Interoperability (Federal Computer Week) “A lack of technical standards is hindering deployment of interoperable public safety networks despite more than two decades of work on a suite of interoperability standards,” reports Federal Computer Week, citing May 27 testimony by “Dereck Orr, the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s program manager for Public Safety Communications Systems. Orr testified before the House Science and Technology Committee’s Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation, at a hearing on the status of Project 25, a 21-year-old effort to develop standards that would let police, firefighters and other first responders communicate across departmental and jurisdictional lines using equipment from various manufacturers.” View article • View hearing web page

DHS News

TSA Has Database of Very Rude Passengers (USA Today) “Airline passengers who get frustrated and kick a wall, throw a suitcase or make a pithy comment to a screener could find themselves in a little-known” Transportation Security Administration database, reports USA Today. The TSA “says it is keeping records of people who make its screeners feel threatened as part of an effort to prevent workplace violence.… agency spokeswoman Kristin Lee … said attacks and threats against screeners are ‘rare’ and the database has records from about 240 incidents. Most are screeners in conflict with other screeners. About 30 incidents involve people such as passengers or airport workers attacking or threatening screeners.” View article

Regional Labor Authority Denies TSA Union Bids (Government Executive) “Acting Chicago Regional Director Peter Sutton” of the “Federal Labor Relations Authority … has dismissed two major unions’ bids for an election to determine representation for 40,000 Transportation Security Administration employees,” reports Government Executive. “… Sutton cited a 2003 decision by the full FLRA, that it did not have jurisdiction over such petitions because TSA employees lack collective bargaining rights. Officials from the American Federation of Government Employees and the National Treasury Employees Union, which both would like to represent the TSA employees, said they were not surprised by the regional director’s rejection and noted it opens the door for an appeal to the full FLRA.” View article

Homeland Security Agency Studies Detection of Terrorist Behavior (Los Angeles Times) “At the Homeland Security Advanced Research [Projects] Agency,” Bob “Burns and his team of scientists are researching whether video game boards, biometric sensors and other high-tech devices can be used to detect distinct nonverbal cues from people who harbor ‘mal-intent,’ or malicious intent,” reports the Times. Their focus is “trying to find the bomber, not just the bomb.… The human factors division” is studying “micro-expressions” that could “indicate hostile intent.… The mal-intent project began in 2007 and is based on the unproven premise that technology can identify and interpret physiological, behavioral and paralinguistic cues from someone with mayhem in mind.” (See last week’s newsletter.) View article

Federal Protective Service Wins NextGov Award The Federal Protective Service last week received a NextGov award for its Risk Assessment and Management Program—a secure, web-enabled tool that will revolutionize the way the service collects, stores, analyzes, and shares information to manage security risks for federal facilities. (See the April 16 newsletter.) The program will also replace six other systems. Susan Burrill, the service’s Risk Management Division Director, was honored for her work on developing the new system. View DHS press release

DHS Provides More Recovery Act Funding for Airport Security Technologies The Homeland Security Department this week announced approximately $78 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding for airport security technology projects: inline baggage screening systems at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, San Diego International Airport, and Little Rock International Airport; an expanded closed-circuit TV system at Salt Lake City International Airport; and more than 250 reduced-size Explosives Detection Systems at more than 60 airports. View DHS press release

TSA Wants Info on Computer Security Forensic Technologies (Federal Computer Week) “The Transportation Security Administration wants information about commercially available computer security forensics technologies it could use for information technology security,” reports Federal Computer Week. “TSA is interested in products that would give the agency the ability to scan, capture, identify, report, and resolve IT forensics matters” and “in solutions that would allow TSA forensic users to deal with insider threats, e-discovery procedures, data leakage, misuse of IT assets, anomaly detection, identification of malicious code, and compliance verification … Responses are due June 15.” View article • View sources-sought notice

State and Local News

Houston Man Convicted of Trying to Help Taliban (Houston Chronicle) “A Houston jury” on May 28 convicted Adnan Baba Mirza “of conspiring to give money to the Taliban and illegally possessing weapons,” reports the Chronicle. Mirza is “a Kuwaiti-born Pakistani in this country on a student visa … Co-defendant Kobie Diallo Williams previously pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge in which he admitted to paramilitary training and donating money to the Taliban.” View article

Wisconsin Auditors Concerned About Emergency Radio Plan (Madison Wisconsin State Journal) “Emergency responders in Wisconsin still cannot communicate with each other statewide during large-scale disasters, and local agencies face obstacles—and high costs—amid plans to build a radio system,” reports the State Journal, citing “an emergency management review, released [May 27] by the state Legislative Audit Bureau … the new statewide system relies on the very high frequency, or VHF, band, which ‘does not penetrate buildings as well as other radio bands and can be difficult to use in urban areas with heavy radio traffic.’ The audit also said most portable radios used by emergency responders have weak antenna ranges, which can drop out of range even at locations in their jurisdictions.” View article

Photo courtesy of Steve Dunham

North Carolina Holds Multi-Threat Exercise (Triad 14 News, Raleigh, NC) “Hundreds of state and local law enforcement officers” participated “in a multi-agency terror drill” in “Forsyth County this week,” reports Triad 14 News. The drill included “a hostage situation involving kids on a school bus, a bomb scare and chemical weapons. The exercise is designed to test each agency’s communications plan, command and control techniques and response.” View article

NY Fire Dept. photo

Private-Sector News

DHS Asks Retailers to Step Up Vigilance On May 27, “the Department of Homeland Security held a conference call asking the private sector to heighten its level of awareness and report anything suspicious to law enforcement immediately,” writes Joe Larocca of the National Retail Federation in “Retail’s Big Blog.” “… According to DHS, businesses have to operate under the premise that other operatives are in the country and could advance plotting with little or no warning.… During the call with business leaders, Homeland Security officials requested private sector companies to … Institute aggressive awareness campaigns,” “Identify entrance areas where crowds will collect and common traffic choke points exist,” “Pre-identify primary and secondary evacuation routes,” look at how businesses assess unattended vehicles, “Vary security patrol and surveillance routines,” and “Rely on the people working in your buildings and stores every day.” View blog

Photo courtesy of Steve Dunham

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 South Dakota Homeland Security Summit (June 15-17; Sioux Falls, SD) The summit will provide training and information to response agencies from all levels of government and private-sector stakeholders in regard to homeland security issues affecting the United States and South Dakota. The presentation topics include agro-terrorism, response to violence in the workplace, risk management, communication and information exchange, vulnerability assessments, the need for public-private partnerships, and disaster response for both man-made and natural events. 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 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