International News

Afghan Women Fear Their Fate Amid Taliban Negotiations (Time) “In June, Afghan President Hamid Karzai established a peace council tasked with exploring negotiations with the Taliban,” reports Time. “… But Afghan women fear that in the quest for a quick peace, their progress may be sidelined.… The Taliban will be advocating a version of an Afghan state in line with their own conservative views, particularly on the issue of women’s rights.” View article

Coast Guard photo by Carl Shipley

Abdullah Khadr Freed by Toronto Court (Toronto Globe and Mail) Abdullah Khadr “was released from a Toronto jail Wednesday after spending 4½ years of incarceration on terrorism charges,” reports the Globe and Mail. The Canadian federal government had wanted Khadr sent “to the United States, where he is accused of supplying weapons to al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.” But Ontario Superior Court Justice Christopher Speyer “ordered a stay of extradition for the Canadian citizen,” calling Khadr’s statements “to U.S. officials ‘manifestly unreliable.’ Judge Speyer described U.S. conduct in Mr. Khadr’s case as ‘shocking,’ saying he had been mistreated.” View article

U.S. Has Plan to Strike Iran (Boston Globe) “Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said [Sunday] that the US military has a plan to attack Iran, although he thinks such a strike is an undesirable option,” according to the Associated Press. “Mullen has often warned that a military strike on Iran would have serious and unpredictable ripple effects around the Middle East. At the same time, he says the risk of Iran developing a nuclear weapon is unacceptable. Mullen would not say which risk he thinks is worse, but he said in an interview on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’ that a military strike remains an option.” View article

Jenin, Palestine, Rises Again—Peacefully (Christian Science Monitor) “Jenin served as the launching ground for more bombing attacks than any other Palestinian city during the intifada, or uprising, that began in 2000,” reports the Monitor. “And it became synonymous for many with Israel’s disproportionate use of force after the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) razed its hardscrabble refugee neighborhood during a controversial counteroffensive eight years ago. But today, both Israelis and Palestinians see Jenin as a model of cooperation between their respective security forces, which is paving the way for progress in the stalled peace talks and is building up the kind of self-government that Palestinian leaders see as a prerequisite to an eventual state of their own.” View article

Another Chinese Kindergarten Attack Prompts More Psychiatry and School Security (Christian Science Monitor) “Yet another violent outburst at a school in northeast China has left three children and 20 others injured and prompted the Chinese government to announce plans to build as many as 550 new psychiatric hospitals over the next two years,” reports the Monitor. “The seventh such attack since the beginning of this year [see the May 14 newsletter] has encouraged an increase of armed guards and video surveillance on school campuses across the country, and self-defense training for students and teachers, reported Global Times.” View article

Project Vigilant Seeks Hackers to Fight Terrorism (Computerworld UK) “A secretive volunteer group that tries to track terrorists and criminals on the internet”—Project Vigilant—“went to the Defcon hacker conference this past week in hopes of recruiting information security experts,” reports IDG News Service. “… Run by former military, law enforcement and intelligence volunteers, Project Vigilant is able to monitor more than 250,000 IP (Internet protocol) addresses each day and create profiles for bad actors, their online identities and even the IP addresses they use. The group has access to data provided by 12 regional Internet service providers and also gathers intelligence from its growing network of … more than 600 volunteers.” Project Vigilant is sponsored by BBHC Global, a Fort Pierce, FL, company, “and receives funding from US government research projects. It can often react more quickly than federal agencies to emerging threats, and feeds the data it collects back to the government.” View article

New in the Journal of Homeland Security In “Implementing Evidence-Based Management for Improved Mission Assurance,” Robert A. Young, Director, Mission Assurance, U.S. Capitol Police, says that evidence-based management—the application of tested, measurable guidelines to execute plans key to achieving program management goals—reduces variations in execution, instead standardizing the practices (as documented by evidence) and, when transformed into guidelines, in turn improves the quality of program management effort.

United Nations News

UN Agencies Respond to Afghan Floods United Nations agencies are providing relief assistance to thousands of families in central and eastern Afghanistan who are affected by the floods that have followed torrential rains in the region. UNICEF said it is working with the Afghan Government and other UN agencies and partners to respond to hygiene, nutrition, and primary health needs. (See the Statistics of the Week.) View UN press release

UN Sees Link Between Terrorism and Organized Crime in Africa Terrorism in Africa is increasingly linked to organized crime, according to Jean-Paul Laborde, chairman of the UN Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force. He said that the killing of a French aid worker in West Africa and the suicide bombings in Kampala, Uganda, belied the traditional view that Africa was not a hot spot for terrorism. He also noted that West Africa is a growing intermediate destination in the trans-shipment of drugs from South America to Europe and elsewhere and that terrorist groups are using funds raised in this process to buy weapons for attacks. View press release

State and Local News

National Guard Border Deployment Will Take Weeks (New York Times) “It will take weeks longer to select, screen and train the 1,200 National Guard troops” before they will “be deployed … along the border from California to Texas,” reports the New York Times. The deployment was originally scheduled for Sunday, but only “about 140 troops have begun working in recent weeks on the ‘command and control’ of the mission.… in the weeks and months to come, the troops will … not carry out direct law enforcement functions,” but “will serve as lookouts, assess intelligence and carry out other support roles … They will join several hundred National Guard troops already there helping to stop drug trafficking.” View article

Metro Phoenix Traffic Stops Target Illegal Immigrants (Flagstaff Arizona Daily Sun) “The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office arrested 36 people in a crime and immigration sweep” last week, reports the Daily Sun. “Everyone arrested was stopped for traffic violations.… six suspected illegal immigrants were arrested on charges of failure to provide identification and will be turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be deported. The arrests came as about 180 deputies and trained sheriff’s volunteers fanned out across metropolitan Phoenix on [July 29 and 30] targeting traffic violators who may also be illegal immigrants. It was the 17th such sweep.” View article

6 Cities to Train Mail Carriers to Dispense Antiterror Drugs (USA Today) “The Postal Service is ready to deliver lifesaving drugs to about a quarter of the residents of Minneapolis–St. Paul, the only metropolitan area in the nation where letter carriers have been trained to dispense medication after a large-scale terrorist attack involving biological weapons,” reports USA Today. “… eight months after President Obama ordered government agencies to develop a plan to do so [see the Jan. 8 newsletter], efforts are underway in six cities to train workers to deliver the drugs needed to counter anthrax or other potentially deadly agents.” View article

Golden Phoenix Exercise Tests Nuclear Response in Los Angeles (Emergency Management) “Emergency operations centers in the L.A. area … were activated” July 28 “to provide command and control operations in response to the detonation of [a] mock nuclear device in L.A.’s metropolitan area,” reports Emergency Management. Operation Golden Phoenix “included tabletop exercises, workshops, [and] communications exercises.” View article

DHS Moves to Implement Real ID Law (Washington Times) “Having failed to get Congress to revise the tough new security rules for state-issued licenses in the Real ID Act, the Department of Homeland Security says it is working out how to implement the law.… ‘Although [Homeland Security] is still working with Congress on a comprehensive solution that allows cost savings and flexibility to the states, we are obligated to continue moving ahead with efforts to improve the standards for state-issued driver’s licenses and identification under the REAL ID framework pending any legislative changes by Congress,’ Homeland Security spokeswoman Amy Kudwa told The Times.” View article

Two Convicted in JFK Airport Bomb Plot (CNN) “Two men were convicted Monday of plotting explosions at John F. Kennedy International Airport” in New York, reports CNN. “Russell Defreitas and Abdul Kadir were accused of conspiring to blow up JFK’s jet-fuel supply tanks and pipeline in 2007.” View article

Virginia Attorney General Endorses Checks of Immigration Status (Washington Post) Virginia’s “Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II issued a legal opinion that authorizes law enforcement to check the immigration status of anyone stopped by police officers for any reason,” reports the Post. “Previously, law enforcement officers in Virginia were required to investigate the legal status only of those who were arrested and jailed.” View article

TSA Tests Portable Explosives Detector in New Orleans (Government Security News) “The Transportation Security Administration has begun a three-week pilot test of specialized portable explosive detection technology at transportation locations across New Orleans,” reports Government Security News. “… transportation security officers from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport will be deployed to various maritime, mass transit and bus venues, including Port of New Orleans cruise terminals, the Union Passenger Terminal and Crescent City Connection ferry terminals.” View article

National News

Toxic Gases Don’t Follow Expected Pattern (Government Security News) The Homeland Security Department can’t “accurately predict the impact of a large-scale release of ‘Toxic Inhalation Hazard’ materials, such as chlorine or ammonia gases, which might be dispersed over a wide area following a terrorist attack or a major accident,” reports Government Security News. “Experts thought they knew how TIH gases would disperse if they were suddenly released from a rail tank car, for example, but discovered that the gases followed unexpected patterns.… Earlier releases of much smaller quantities of TIH gases had led dispersion modeling experts, government regulators, emergency responders and chemical and rail industry executives to reach incorrect conclusions.… the TIH gases actually behaved quite differently during the Graniteville [SC, 2005] and Macdona [TX, 2004] chemical releases. ‘Unexpectedly, the released material appears to have had most of its impact in the area close to the release point with little downwind effects,’” according to the Transportation Security Administration. View article

Disaster Management Strategies in the 21st Century (Emergency Management) As “natural disasters are becoming more frequent, growing more severe and affecting more people than ever before,” Emergency Management looks at how emergency managers are “developing the tools, processes and best practices to manage natural disasters more effectively.” View article

One-Health Approach to Pandemic Flu The Task Force on a One-Health Approach to Influenza has issued its recommendations, which appear in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

• Improving vaccines and enhancing capacity for vaccine production
• Expanding and improving surveillance of influenza viruses in humans, pets, livestock, poultry and wildlife
• Improving early detection of flu in humans and animals
• Developing new tools to interrupt transmission
• Applying new developments from the fields of molecular biology

DHS News

DHS Needs to Assess Foreign Language Shortfalls, Says GAO The Homeland Security Department “has taken limited actions to assess its foreign language needs and existing capabilities and to identify potential shortfalls,” reports the Government Accountability Office. DHS “foreign language training programs generally do not include languages other than Spanish, and DHS officials were generally unaware of the foreign language programs in DHS’s components.… a comprehensive assessment of the … foreign language programs and activities” is in order, said the GAO. View GAO summary

Other Federal News

State Dept. Passport Issuance Process Remains Vulnerable to Fraud, Says GAO Government Accountability Office undercover investigators “applied for seven U.S. passports using counterfeit or fraudulently obtained documents” and “successfully obtained three.” The State Department “identified only two as fraudulent during its adjudication process and mailed five genuine U.S. passports to undercover GAO mailboxes.” The department “discovered—after its adjudication process—that” two others “were part of GAO testing” and had them “recovered from the mail before they were delivered.” View GAO summary

Photo courtesy of Steve Dunham

Private-Sector News

Lockheed Martin Will Help DHS With Modeling and Simulation (Government Computer News) “Lockheed Martin Corp. will work with the Homeland Security Department’s modeling and simulation project under a five-year, $7 million contract,” reports Government Computer News. “The contract calls for Lockheed Martin’s Space Systems Company’s Advanced Technology Center to assist DHS’ Science & Technology Directorate’s Complex Event Modeling Simulation and Analysis project.… The goal is to integrate the infrastructure with existing DHS systems to provide advanced capabilities that can quickly assess ‘the interdependencies and cascading effects on Critical Infrastructures and Key Resources when dealing with multiple, concurrent disruptions.’” View article

New Upcoming Events (Events are listed for four weeks; after that, they are still on the Upcoming Events page) Customs and Border Protection Industry Day (August 13; Washington, DC) U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Information Technology will hold an Industry Day to discuss upcoming procurements, including software, hardware, operations and maintenance, major systems, and other information technology needs. View event website Avoiding a Nuclear Catastrophe (August 18-19; Maxwell Air Force Base, AL) The conference is sponsored by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, U.S. Air Force Counterproliferation Center, Air Force Research Institute, Air University, and Headquarters Air Force Strategic Security Directorate. It provides a forum for government, military, academic, and industry leaders to discuss current and future issues concerning weapons of mass destruction. The focus of this year’s conference is on the global nuclear landscape, including the Nuclear Posture Review, Nuclear Security Summit, New START treaty, and Nonproliferation Treaty Conference. View event website Natural Disaster Youth Summit (August 23-27; Bursa, Turkey) In this project, students learn the importance of human lives and how to cope with natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, wildfires, floods, hurricanes, landslides, tsunamis, and droughts by communicating and collaborating with global friends. Students will acquire the knowledge of systems of disasters and skills to reduce future disasters. This year’s theme is “Disaster Reduction and Climate Change.” View event website San Diego Regional Security Conference (September 14-15) This conference will focus on command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; cybersecurity; robots; secure communications; and sensors. topics will include information assurance and the relationship to cybersecurity; identity management; data integrity; intrusion detection and prevention; security testing and audit technologies; ensuring and fusing secure data at the level of command, control, communications, and computers; cyber-secure robotics; and promoting global security. View event website Homeland Security for Networked Industries (September 20-21; Washington, DC) This conference draws together network security professionals with a common purpose of protecting the nation’s critical infrastructure networks, focusing on telecommunications, utilities, and transportation. Keynote sessions will focus on major weaknesses and opportunities for improved security and spending in the area of network security. Breakout sessions will address all areas of network security, including information technology investment, government- and industry-specific solutions, policy, and the latest technology trends. View event website Biometric Consortium Conference (September 21-23; Tampa, FL) The conference focuses on biometric technologies for defense, homeland security, identity management, border crossing, and electronic commerce, with presentations, seminars, and panel discussions featuring internationally recognized experts in biometric technologies, system and application developers, information technology business strategists, and government and commercial officers. View event website Homeland Security Symposium and Exhibition (September 28-29; Arlington, VA) This year’s theme is “America’s Homeland Leaders Talk Risk.” Among the symposium sessions: International Terrorism—The Threat from Abroad; Domestic Terrorism—The Threat at Home; The Wrath and Consequences of “Mother Nature”; Border Security; Cyber Threats and Enhancing Security of the IT Infrastructure; Critical Infrastructure Protection and Resilience; and a media panel on Covering Risks and Disasters. View event website (October 11-12; Sydney, Australia) This year’s program is based on “Building Solutions for a Global Community.” It offers sponsors showcasing their products and solutions, 10 hours of peer-to-peer networking, and over 20 hours of dedicated education focused on business continuity, emergency management, business resiliency, risk management, pandemic planning, natural disasters, emergency response, and emergency health. View event website Water Contamination Emergencies International Conference (October 11-13; Mülheim-an-der-Ruhr, Germany) The conference will deal with four principal themes: monitoring, understanding, acting, and lessons learned, with particular emphasis on prevention and how water companies prepare a strategy, and on unusual or unpredictable emergency situations. View event website Virginia Hazardous Materials Conference and Expo (October 18-22; Hampton, VA) This year’s theme is “Moving Forward With Renewed Commitment.” Workshops will cover topics such as unified command, ethanol and hazmat operations, radiological and nuclear awareness, homemade explosive production signatures recognition, and hands-on training with the Safety Train (see “Safety Train Takes Hazmat Training to a New Level,” by Amy Clymer and Heather Rose, in the Journal of Homeland Security, March 2010). View event website Intl. Assn. of Emergency Managers Conference & Emex (October 29–November 4; San Antonio) The conference provides a forum for current trends and topics, offers information about the latest tools and technology in emergency management and homeland security, and advances the association’s committee work. Sessions encourage stakeholders at all levels of government and in the private sector, public health, and related professions to exchange ideas on collaborating to protect lives and property from disaster. View event website CBRNe Convergence (November 2-5; Orlando, FL) With the theme of “growing closer, staying distinct: merging civilian and military response” to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and improvised explosive device threats, the symposium will bring together over 30 experts from 12 countries in a streamed conference and accompanying exhibition, plus a pre-conference workshop and a dynamic demonstration of U.S. military and civil capabilities. View event website Counter Terrorism Conference and Exhibition (November 10-11; London) This event offers a chance to take part in dynamic discussions and debates on transnational terrorism, internal and external threats, airport security, cyber-terrorism, financing terrorism, and securing major international events. A new networking forum offers interaction with distinguished professionals and decision makers from across the international counterterrorism community. View event website International Symposium on Development of CBRN Defence Capabilities (November 30–December 1; Berlin) The symposium will present the German comprehensive and overarching approach to developing chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear defense capabilities, along with those of other European and non-European countries. It will highlight the multinational environment in which German military forces are operating and in which the development of these defense capabilities is embedded, with special attention to NATO and the European Union; it will also reflect on the development of civil CBRN defense capabilities. The entire spectrum from threat assessment through policy and concepts and finally to industrial solutions will be demonstrated. View event website 5th Annual Border Security Expo (February 15-16; Phoenix) The largest conference and exhibition in the United States on border security will cover political, regulatory, operational, and tactical issues; the new state immigration laws; drug cartels; kidnapping and ransom; gangs of the Southwest; border violence; money laundering; guns going over the border; and new border security technology. In addition, there will be some closed-door sessions for law enforcement. Over 100 exhibitors will present the latest technology, products, and services. View event website

Calls for Papers (Calls for papers are listed for four weeks; after that, they are still on the Calls for Papers page) Virginia Hazardous Materials Conference and Expo (October 18-22; Hampton, VA) This year’s theme is “Moving Forward With Renewed Commitment.” The conference is soliciting proposals for presentations. View call for papers 2011 International Conference on Security Science and Technology (January 21-23; Chongqing, China) Among the topics of interest: authentication and authorization, biometrics, critical infrastructure protection, interoperability and standardization, and vulnerability and threat analysis. The submission deadline is September 10. View call for papers