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News and analysis of critical issues in homeland security

June 16, 2010

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Filed under: Events,Humor — by Mark Chubb on June 16, 2010

As I listened to President Obama's Oval Office address Buy propecia no prescription, last evening, I was struck by his recurrent use of a familiar idiomatic expression. Utah UT , He often prefaces important points with the statement, "make no mistake." His speeches have become so peppered with this interjection that it has almost acquired, propecia pharmacy, Acheter propecia discount, at least for me, the air of a phonic tic, Oregon OR Ore. . Texas TX Tex. , Why does this bother me. For starters, propecia ordine on-line, Buy propecia pills, as someone who admires and supports the President, it draws attention to the tendency of other people who neither trust the government nor support the President's policies to question his confidence and competence to handle their problems, comprar en línea propecia. Kopen goedkope propecia, "Make no mistake," is another way of saying "trust me, billig kaufen propecia, Propecia pills, I know what I am talking about." But too many people don't trust him, and need a better reason to do so than his assurances and repeated statements that he is in control of the situation, cheapest propecia in the world.

The President rarely has difficulty convincing people that he understands the situation, buy propecia no prescription. Kansas KS Kans. , They often concede he has a clear vision of the future. But they often express profound reservations about his plan for getting from where we are to where he wants to take us, cheap propecia from canada. Propecia discount, And too many people are not yet prepared to go along for the ride.

President Obama is not the first president to exhibit vague vocal stylings, cheap propecia without prescription. Buy propecia no prescription, When he was president, Bill Clinton was prone to saying, "Let me be clear," when he wanted to make an important point. Ordering propecia online without prescription, He had no reason to ask our permission to make a point, much less make it clearly, South Dakota SD , Buy propecia, but his habit of doing so was far less annoying or cloying because it suggested he had our interests at heart. As we all came to find out, farmacia propecia baratos, Ordering propecia, Bill Clinton was an expert at making connections with people, and had a very practical and direct approach to doing so, New Mexico NM N.Mex. . Florida FL Fla. , Is it a mistake for President Obama to try to reassure us. By no means, Missouri MO Mo. , Ordering propecia pills, no. But he should give us better reasons for backing his positions, buy propecia no prescription. That will require him to ask more of us as citizens, particularly when it comes to seeing our interests aligned with the national interest and his vision of the future. He can do this by making the small but specific tasks we can perform on behalf of our country a bigger part of his policy pitch.

If this is a war, as the President suggests, it will require sacrifices of us all. As such, I hoped he would have found a more appropriate metaphor. But then again he may be right that the only way we can win the war against al Qaeda is to see the Deepwater Horizon crisis as another frontier in a long and bitter campaign that has its origin in our own misadventures as well as the government's when acting on our behalf.

We could begin making sacrifices by expecting a lot less of our leaders and more of ourselves. Let me be clear, as a nation we would make no mistake if we interpreted the situation in the Gulf of Mexico not as a question of Presidential action and corporate accountability, but rather as a call to individual action, a message to our nation to start taking specific and measurable steps to matching our energy appetites with our abilities and our resources.

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Filed under: Catastrophes,Events,General Homeland Security,Risk Assessment — by Mark Chubb on June 16, 2010

Buy diazepam online cheap, Presidents typically address the country from the Oval Office only in times of crisis. On such occasions, Wyoming WY Wyo. , the office serves as a metaphor and communicates a sense of gravitas, decisiveness and authority unique to the presidential office. President Obama's use of the office tonight for his address on the response to the Deepwater Horizon crisis was consistent with this metaphor in every respect. Sadly, comprar en línea diazepam, I believe it was the wrong approach, Buy diazepam online legally, and will do little if anything to restore confidence here or abroad that recovery is coming much less possible.

Crises differ from disasters and catastrophes not so much in terms of their scope or scale as they do in the extent to which they cause us to question either our confidence in our leaders or their competence resolving the situation. This particular tragedy involves both elements, order diazepam without prescription. Public confidence in government has rarely been lower, and even his allies have begun to openly question the capacity of this President and his administration's competence when it comes to the core functions of governing, buy diazepam online cheap.

Like past presidential addresses from the Oval Office, New York NY N.Y. , this one framed the challenges confronting the country as a battle to be won. The use of militaristic rhetoric implies an enemy exists that we can defeat if only we exhibit sufficient resolve. While many people no doubt see BP as the enemy in this instance, Om diazepam online, it should have been made clear that this catastrophe is not only about the hubris and bumbling of BP as it as about how we as a nation have managed our destructive addiction to oil. Cheap generic diazepam, Either way, a resolution to this crisis is not simply a question of technical prowess. Buy diazepam online cheap, In the one instance during his address in which he used the word resilience (and even then only in the penultimate paragraph), President Obama employed it in a manner given the context of his earlier remarks that implied it was synonymous with ingenuity. This stands in stark contrast to the National Security Strategy he released at the end of last month, Ohio OH , which used the term in a manner more consistent with robustness. Ordering diazepam online legally, For sure, conventional notions of resilience emphasize both qualities: robustness and resourcefulness. Some add a third, ordering diazepam online, redundancy and redesign, Order diazepam no prescription, but these are often understood as extensions of rather than alternatives to the other two concepts. As Phil Palin noted in his post regarding the implications of the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe on our understanding of resilience, the concept of resilience should and could mean so much more to us, Kentucky KY Ky. .

By committing himself and his administration so completely to a particular view of success -- stopping the oil and remediating the damage -- the President has so far failed to address the important part we all play in this recovery operation, buy diazepam online cheap. Having shouldered the burden for success or failure, Online diazepam, despite warning us that success would not come easy or fast, he has suggested in no small way that Gulf Coast residents (and to some extent the rest of us too) will be relieved of the burden of adapting to the new realities this catastrophe will almost certainly create.

Some time ago, diazepam farmacia a buon mercato, I suggested that recovery affects us at a material and rational level on the one hand and on an emotional and moral level at another. Ordering diazepam from canada, We often experience and interpret these dimensions of crisis through the twin prisms of time and value. The longer it takes for us to appreciate the full extent and long-term implications of a crisis, the less likely it is we will have confidence that the same leaders who got us in the mess will help us get out, Connecticut CT Conn. . Buy diazepam online cheap, The same cannot always be said for our commitment to the assumptions and ideals that create the blind spots we share with them.

Ideally, Arkansas AR Ark. , a crisis of the scope and scale presented by the Deepwater Horizon disaster will force us to question our understanding not just of the situation, but also of the nature of understanding itself. That said, buy diazepam online, understanding is not only a question of rationality, Maine ME Me. , but also of morality.

This brings us back to the question of responsibility. In an op-ed for CNN, Tennessee TN Tenn. , Julian Zelizer made the observation in respect of the way off-shore drilling was regulated and supervised before the disaster, Ordering diazepam pills, "Engineers have dominated decision-making over the scientists." The professionals who self-identify with these two tribes debate the question who belongs to each of them all the time, but it is unusual for someone else to make such a distinction especially in response to a question of policy which cannot rightly be considered the primary province of either profession.

I suppose that Zelizer intended to imply that one focuses on knowledge and the other on its application, buy diazepam online cheap. That is another way of saying one is interested in knowing and the other is focused on doing, buy cheap diazepam online. One engages in an epistemic quest, Comprar diazepam, a search for knowledge; the other is occupied with its ontological implications, with what is and what we can do with it. No matter how salient these distinctions may seem, diazepam for sale, both occupations remain firmly committed to a common world-view that holds that the path to what is true and right rests upon and is informed by the human faculty of reason. Diazepam over the counter, In this instance, the nation is left wondering, though, what's reasonable about this situation. Buy diazepam online cheap, How can we rationally reconcile ourselves with the knowledge that our appetites and our actions -- even if they were executed by others on our behalf -- led to this disaster without also accepting that it is also our responsibility to do something about it. The answer to this question does not rely on rationality. We often accept responsibility not because it is pleasing or rewarding to do so, but because the rightness and justness of such actions have the capacity to inform our intellect and our emotions, and in doing so imbues our circumstances in crises with meaning and purpose.

By reassuring us that he had the situation in hand and was sparing no effort to bring the situation to a successful conclusion on all fronts, President Obama required too little of us beyond our patience. But our understanding does not depend on patience, it depends on purpose. We will not win this so-called war if all we do is defeat ourselves, buy diazepam online cheap. We cannot think our way of of the mess we have made. Neither can we afford to leave the thinking to others, even if they are cleverer than us.

If President Obama really wants to use this crisis as an opportunity to restore our sense of national purpose and pride, he needs to challenge us -- all of us -- along with his administration. We can all make a contribution, but only if we are willing to make sacrifices. We can begin by sacrificing the contradictory assumptions and expectations that suggest government is responsible for all that ails us and all that heals us.

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May 5, 2010

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Filed under: Events,General Homeland Security,Strategy,Terrorist Threats & Attacks — by Mark Chubb on May 5, 2010

Steve Coll of The New Yorker offers an interesting perspective Buy clomid without prescription, on the prospective relationship between the alleged Times Square terrorist Faisal Shahzad and the Pakistani Taliban. Writing for the same magazine's May 10 issue, Buy clomid, Coll's colleague, Malcolm Gladwell, offers an interesting and oddly congruent account of the ambiguities arising from espionage activities that could be said to apply equally to the relationship between terrorism and counter-terrorism, order clomid without prescription.

Several media outlets quoting well-placed but anonymous intelligence or law enforcement sources have reported that Shahzad traveled to and from Pakistan frequently over the eleven years he lived in the United States legally since entering the country as a student in 1998. Buy cheap clomid, Within the past few months, Shahzad allegedly attended a terrorist training camp, where is he is said to have learned to assemble improvised explosive devices, buy cheap clomid online.

Soon after a smoking vehicle packed with a crude assortment of incendiaries was discovered, Clomid, talking heads noted that the bomb's construction bore striking similarities to the vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs) used to mount crude attacks on the Glasgow International Airport in June 2007. The next day, media reports carried news that the Pakistani Taliban were claiming credit for mounting the failed attack, buy clomid without prescription. While not disavowing these claims, officials quickly indicated that they had no evidence to support them either, buy clomid without prescription. They would consider every possibility and pursue every lead we were repeatedly and reassuringly told on Sunday morning. Cheap clomid online without prescription, From the outset, officials noted the amateurish nature of the attack. Loaded with liquefied petroleum gas containers, discount clomid, gasoline cans, Buy clomid online legally, consumer-grade fireworks, an alarm clock, crude wiring, acheter clomid, and steel box containing fertilzer, Alabama AL Ala. , the 1993 Nissan Pathfinder had little chance of actually exploding, although it would have produced a rather impressive and nonetheless dangerous fire. Buy clomid without prescription, It now seems the inadequacies of Shahzad's plot did not end with the poor design and deployment of his weapon. Within a very short time, clomid prices, law enforcement officials identified the vehicle despite efforts to conceal its ownership and tracked down the former owner who provided details of the recent cash transaction that led to Shahzad taking possession of it. New Hampshire NH N.H. , Shahzad arranged the transaction after scanning online classified ads. He made little effort to conceal his identity when making the transaction, corresponding with the former owner from an easily traceable email account. Although he used a prepaid cellphone to arrange the final meeting where he paid for and took possession of the Pathfinder, köpa clomid online, it too proved easy enough to trace. Cheap clomid, These were not the only cyber-fingerprints Shahzad left. It seems he, like many others in his age cohort, liked to share his exploits using social media, buy clomid without prescription. A YouTube channel claiming credit for attacks on "Satan's USA" was created by as yet unidentified individuals in Connecticut the day before the attack, but has now been removed, buy clomid from canada.

The picture now emerging of Shahzad seems not altogether unlike others we have heard before. Cheapest clomid online, He was of upper-middle class status, reasonably well-educated in a technical discipline but certainly not a high-achiever. He had few connections with the broader community, cheap clomid tablets, and had encountered financial difficulties having defaulted on his mortgage. Buy clomid without prescription, This may strike some as the perfect profile of a terrorist, but it is not so unlike the profile of many other criminals either, particularly those whose crimes are intended to attract attention. Billige clomid Apotheke, Federal law enforcement officials took Shahzad into custody last night after he boarded an Emirates flight headed to Dubai. Soon after his arrest we learned he paid cash for a one-way ticket he reserved while en route to JFK International Airport, and paid cash at the ticket counter to secure his seat, buy clomid cheap. The fact he was able to board the plane at all has raised more than a few eyebrows since his name was added to the no-fly list earlier in the day. Oklahoma OK Okla. , It now seems Emirates had not updated its ticketing services to reflect recent changes in the list.

Shortly after taking Shahzad into custody, we are told, he admitted involvement in the incident and disclosed ties to terrorist training camps back in Pakistan, buy clomid without prescription. He continued to talk to investigators even after being read his Miranda rights as required when any  U.S. citizen is held under suspicion of committing a crime, order clomid online.

Officials acknowledge that claims of a Pakistani Taliban connection now appear more plausible. αγοράζουν φτηνά clomid, But as Steve Coll and Malcolm Gladwell's pieces point out vividly, the terrorists in Pakistan may be not only be our enemies, but they may also turn out to be our best allies, cheap generic clomid. Buy clomid without prescription, When confronted by an eager young volunteer fresh from the United States, those building and controlling terrorist networks have to question whether the recruit can be trusted. "How do we know he is not a plant sent to infiltrate our organization and disrupt our activities?", Clomid online kopen,  they must ask themselves.

Presented with such ambiguities the terrorist handlers find themselves with little choice but to proceed cautiously. What better way to go forward than to provide only cursory training with little or no intelligence value. If the recruit turns out to be an agent under the control of a counter-terrorism agency, little is lost. If he turns out to be a valuable asset, all the better, buy clomid without prescription.

Taken together, Faisal Shahzad's rather haphazard planning and execution coupled with his effort to return to his homeland and his willingness (even eagerness?) to admit his role seem to suggest a desire to demonstrate his value and earn the trust of others; if not the reluctant handlers from whom he obtained his initial training back in Pakistan, then the U.S. authorities who took him into custody. For all we know, this was something he considered possible if not plausible right from the start.

For our part, how do we know his pledge to bear true faith and allegiance to the United States in the oath of naturalization he took just over a year ago wasn't genuine. Perhaps young Faisal Shahzad fancied himself a double-agent.

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April 19, 2010

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Filed under: Events — by Jessica Herrera-Flanigan on April 19, 2010

Viagra free samples over the counter, Today marks the 15th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing.  At 9:01 am on April 19, 1995, a 20-foot Ryder truck filled with approximately 5,000 pounds of explosives blew up outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.  One hundred and sixty eight people, buy viagra free samples c.o.d., Viagra free samples without prescription, including several children, died.   Almost 700 people were injured.  President Obama has signed a proclamation designating today as the National Day of Service and Remembrance for Victims and Survivors of Terrorism.


Sadly, viagra free samples no prescription, Köpa viagra free samples, in looking through this morning's homeland security news and summaries, there was scant mention of the attack or today's anniversary.  Online, North Dakota ND , Goedkope viagra free samples apotheek, there were a few analysis, but it took some searching to find, Louisiana LA , Pharmacie viagra free samples bon marché, with the exception of CNN, which ran a front page analysis and commentary on the attack.  Over the weekend, comprar en línea viagra free samples, Cheapest viagra free samples online, some stories picked up tidbits from an interview from former President Bill Clinton, who noted that today's political and cultural environment mirrors that that existed in 1995 when Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols carried out their attack.


What does this all mean, Idaho ID . Wyoming WY Wyo. , Have we forgotten Oklahoma City or have we,  nine years after 9/11, Maryland MD Md. , Viagra free samples without a prescription, after Ford Hood, the Austin IRS plane crash, buy viagra free samples without prescription, Tennessee TN Tenn. , and numerous-failed attempts and threats, become less sensitized to attacks?  At least some polls would say differently.  A CBS News poll found that "nearly 40 percent of Americans now believe domestic terrorism is a bigger threat than international terrorism."


The definition of domestic terrorism, αγοράζουν online viagra free samples, Rabatt kaufen viagra free samples, as this blog has explored in the past, remains one that is not easily defined.  The line between criminal act and terrorism, Osta viagra free samples online, Order viagra free samples online without prescription, especially when dealing with lone wolf types, is not easily defined.


That said, cheap viagra free samples overnight delivery, Bestill viagra free samples online, there are many lessons learned from the Oklahoma City bombing that we cannot forget if we are to advance our nation's homeland security efforts.



  • The threat of domestic terrorism remains as real as international terrorism. The threat from domestic extremists - whether left, viagra free samples farmacia a buon mercato, Cheap viagra free samples, right, or center is real.   The bombing fifteen years ago made that clear.  The arrest several weeks ago of members of the Michigan supremacist Militia group "Hutaree, acheter viagra free samples bon marché," which had planned to kill police officers and then attack again at their funerals, tell us that the threat remains.


Whether one agrees with Clinton on the parallels between now and 1995, we know that there has been a dramatic growth of hate groups and anti-government groups, brought on in part by the nation's economic turmoil and an outside-the-beltway frustration with Washington, D.C. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the number of paramilitary patriot groups increased from 42 to 127 between 2008 and 2009.  The number of hate groups grew to 932 in 2009.



  • First Preventers and Responders are Critical.  As much funding we put into our national and federal homeland security efforts, terrorism is local.  The first individuals on the scene will be the fire fighters and EMTs  who live in the community, who will be the hardest hit as the victims will likely be family or friends.  The investigators who will likely gather the first pieces of evidence are likely to be the local cops on the beat.  Preparing these individuals with the intelligence, communications tools, cooperation capabilities, and knowledge to combat terrorism - regardless of its origin - is critical.



  • Awareness is Still Key. While none of us should live in a state of panic or full of anxiety over potential attacks, we all must balance staying aware and being prepared with the daily things we do.   It is a balance that is not easily found but one that is necessary.


About an hour ago, the Annual Remembrance Ceremony at the Oklahoma City National Memorial began.  The name of the 168 people who perished that day will be read.  Secretary Napolitano will offer remarks about the state of the nation's terrorism efforts.   Hopefully all of us will remember the lessons learned and honor the lives of those affected that day.


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February 12, 2010

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Filed under: Events,General Homeland Security — by Jessica Herrera-Flanigan on February 12, 2010

Where to buy cheap viagra, At 7:30 pm (EST) this evening, the 21st Olympic Winter Games will start with the official Opening Ceremony in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The Olympic Cauldron will be lit and each delegation will enter in alphabetical order (except for Greece, Ordering viagra, which always enters first and Canada who, as host, enters last), viagra for sale.

For the opening ceremony, Arizona AZ Ariz. , Vice President Biden and Dr. Jill Biden will lead the American delegation, which will include Valerie Jarrett, Washington WA Wash. , U.S. Buy cheap viagra online, Ambassador to Canada David Jacobson, and gold medalists Mike Eruzione, Peggy Fleming, buy viagra no rx, and Vonetta Flowers.

For the next 16 days, athletes from around the globe will compete in 15 sports.  Several weeks later,  Vancouver will host the best of the best in five sports during the Paralympic Games, where to buy cheap viagra. Kjøp Discount viagra, While much attention has been paid to the preparations - both in Canada and among athletes - leading up to the games, many forget that the games also come with a significant amount of security preparations and diligence.  Currently, there are no credible threats against the Vancouver Games, purchase viagra online, according to U.S. φτηνές φαρμακείο viagra, and Canadian officials.

That said, organizers are very aware of the symbolism of the games - as well as the historic need for strong security.  The 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Um viagra online, West Germany were scarred by the kidnapping and murder of some Israeli Olympic team members by the militant group Black September.  The 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta saw the bombing of Centennial Olympic Park by Eric Rudolph, Goedkope viagra apotheek, which killed one person and injured 111.

For the games starting tonight, Canada has put together its biggest domestic security operation in its nation's history - a $900 million endeavor that covers more than 3, Osta viagra,860 square miles, Order viagra pills, requires screening of 1.6 million ticket holders, and provides protection for 5,500 athletes and officials, buy viagra online legally, according to the Los Angeles Times.

In addition, DHS estimates that nearly 300, ordering viagra overnight delivery,000 people might cross the border to attend events or participate in the Olympic happenings.  Given this number, Iowa IA , Customs and Border Protection issued a release on Tuesday reminding travelers to  have approved travel documents to speed up their trip across the border. Where to buy cheap viagra, The proximity to the U.S. border means that the Department of Homeland Security and state and local officials in Washington state also must be prepared. Much attention has been focused on Bellingham, Rhode Island RI R.I. , Washington, Cheap viagra no prescription, which is home to  the $4 million Olympics Coordination Center, where law enforcement, security, buy viagra online, health and military experts from more than 40 agencies are stationed at the center to watch for potential threats and ensure that travelers can move across the border effectively and safely.  Customs and Border Protection helicopters will stream live video from their patrols into the Center. Comprar viagra, Other security measures include:


  • NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) is providing air and marine surveillance in both the U.S. and Canada.   NORAD is enforcing a 30-mile airspace restriction around Vancouver.  Canadian CF-18 Hornets will be on call to intercept any aircraft that might wander into the restricted airspace.  In addition, all private aircraft traveling from the U.S, Alabama AL Ala. . to Vancouver will be sent through 16 U.S, where to buy cheap viagra. gateway airports for customs checks.



  • Last week, Comprare viagra, Secretary Napolitano issued a joint release with the Canadian Minister of Public Safety Vic Toews announcing a Shiprider pilot program designed to bolster cross-border security operations between the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the U.S. Coast Guard to allow for cross-training, shared resources, Kentucky KY Ky. , and personnel.



  • DHS will have more than 200 additional personnel along the Northern border.



  • Military divers have set up security zones along the waterside surrounding the Olympics.



  • Cruise ships are housing a number of the security personnel assigned to the games.


These are but a few of the public efforts we know that the U.S. New Mexico NM N.Mex. , and Canadian governments (as well as other nations around the world) are taking to prepare for the games.  Tellingly, Secretary Napolitano will be heading the U.S. delegation attending the closing ceremonies.  While those performing "security" details for the Olympics will not leave the games with medals or honors, they certainly are owed accolades for all they have done leading up to the games and will do during the games leading up to those closing ceremonies.

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January 20, 2010

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Filed under: Events,Preparedness and Response,Strategy — by Mark Chubb on January 20, 2010

Buy viagra online without prescription, The Haiti earthquake response, now in its eighth day, has already begun to illustrate the difficulties confronting American leadership in the Information Age and the Age of Terrorism.  These two great trends, both prone to exploitation by extreme points-of-view and over-the-top rhetoric, put the United States in an unenviable damned-if-you-do-and-damned-if-you-don't position.  As such, a commitment to our values matters more than ever.

During a BBC news broadcast yesterday, Buy viagra online cheap, callers from around the world offered deeply divided opinions of the response effort and the United States' role in it so far. More than a few offered their own interpretations of the motivations behind these actions, which, buy viagra c.o.d., it is safe to say, Rabatt kaufen viagra, vary substantially from official accounts.

Mainstream U.S. media have been quick to criticize too, viagra generic, quickly highlighting what they consider both the extreme highlights and lowlights of the response efforts so far. Perhaps the most counterproductive of these efforts has been the tendency of media to compare and contrast the responses of different international teams, buy viagra online without prescription. Billig kaufen viagra, I have been particularly struck by the effort to paint the United States response as lumbering, self-serving, obstructionist, ordering viagra online without prescription, and over-the-top.  In contrast, Ordering viagra overnight delivery, some international teams have been lauded as nimble, quick, precise, ordering viagra online cheap, and caring. Order viagra online cheap, As William Cumming noted in his comment on my last post, this is a catastrophe of unprecedented proportions. Both Katrina and the Indian Ocean Tsunami pale in comparison, Alabama AL Ala. . In the first instance, Buy viagra no prescription, not due to the scale of the destruction but in the lower death toll. Buy viagra online without prescription, In the latter, not due to the immense human toll but in the widely distributed scope of the damage.

Port-au-Prince encompasses the worst aspects of both of these disasters: The earthquake wrought devastation that is both immense and intense because it is concentrated in such a small and densely populated urban area already affected by great deprivation.

Such a massive disaster requires an equally massive response, Indiana IN Ind. . But this poses another difficult dilemma. Cheap viagra, I say dilemma not problem, because it cannot be easily solved. As American task force commander LTG Ken Keen put it, getting aid to Haiti is like "pushing a bowling ball through a soda straw."

No one, not the United Nations nor even the United States, can erase the disadvantages accumulated in Haiti over time that complicate and indeed compromise the response there, buy viagra online without prescription. A massive disaster requires a massive response, comprar viagra. But it also requires understanding that this equation will remain unbalanced in proportion to the scope and scale of the catastrophe even as our compassion seems equal to the task at hand. Oklahoma OK Okla. , Quick, nimble, and precise responses, buy viagra online, like those exemplified by teams from our allies Israel, Købe viagra online, Italy, and Germany will produce striking successes, but always on an isolated scale, Maine ME Me. . Meeting lingering challenges requires logistical muscle and concerted coordination efforts. Buy viagra online without prescription, And this is precisely where value-focused and battle-tested leadership is most important. Cheap viagra online, In a disaster, when the normal order is so suddenly and completely disturbed and the senses of place and purpose become disrupted, command and control strategies may seem appropriate but they do little good when no one is in a fit condition to respond or lacks the capacity to do so, köpa viagra online.

Coordination requires a different set of skills. Georgia GA Ga. , In military circles, we often talk of C4I: Command, Control, Alaska AK , Communication, παραγγείλετε online viagra, Cybersystems, and Intelligence (emphasizing analysis). These elements still have a role, order viagra pills, but disaster response has a flip side that requires us to employ these resources differently. In disasters like Haiti, we need to think and act in terms of a different C4I paradigm: Clarification, Creativity, Collaboration, Commitment, and Intelligence (emphasizing synthesis), buy viagra online without prescription. Bestill viagra online, Our values, not just the value we commit in terms of human, financial and material capital (which has been substantial, if not unprecedented), make the most difference in a disaster. When we resist the temptation to engage unproductive emotions by criticizing the efforts of others and instead take the opportunity to work with anyone else willing to lend a hand, we can achieve great things, if only on a small scale. Criticism requires no special skills, but neither does caring. If you can only do a little, make it sure counts.

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January 1, 2010

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Filed under: Border Security,DHS News,Events,General Homeland Security,International HLS — by Jessica Herrera-Flanigan on January 1, 2010

Order viagra online, Happy New Year or Happy 20-10 if you prefer.  I would say welcome to a new decade but having read that there is a debate going on on whether the decade ended yesterday or a year from yesterday, I'll leave that one alone.

It has been a busy year on the homeland security front, generic viagra, Cheap generic viagra, starting with a new President and Secretary of Homeland Security and ending with lots of politics surrounding a Christmas Day thwarted terrorism attack.   For a  quick view of the top stories of 2009 and what to expect in 2010, here is an overview of what we can expect to be in and out on the homeland security front for 2010, Florida FL Fla. . Ordering viagra without prescription,
















































OUT



IN



Across the Spectrum, Praise for DHS Nominee Napolitano



Republican Criticism of Secretary Napolitano



Subpoenas for White House Gatecrashers Salahis To Appear on January 20th in Congress



Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab Prosecution in Federal Court



Privacy



Full-Body Scanners



System Failure (Again) of Intelligence Information Sharing



Connecting the Dots



Iraq



Afghanistan



Border Enforcement Only



Comprehensive Immigration Reform



Cybersecurity



Cybersecurity



H1N1



Next Pandemic?



Hold on Appointees at DHS



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Homeland Security- Bipartisan Kinda?



The Blame Game


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December 30, 2009

Comprar En Línea Viagra

Filed under: Aviation Security,Events,General Homeland Security,Intelligence and Info-Sharing,Strategy — by Christopher Bellavita on December 30, 2009

Comprar en línea viagra, "Politically correct" means constraining the way one behaves or uses language because one is afraid to violate powerful orthodoxies. Viagra en ligne afin, President Obama has officially declared that "a systemic failure has occurred," and he considers it to be "...totally unacceptable."

Obviously, Virginia VA Va. , Where to buy viagra, when a system fails in a technologically advanced society, the only politically correct thing to do is fix it.

One fixes system failures by identifying the offending elements and replacing them with elements that are not going to fail.

It is irrational to do anything other than that.

But what if this was not (except with hindsight) a preventable systemic failure?  What if it is in the nature of complex systems to "self organize" and every now and then  just fail, viagra discount. Hawaii HI ,

On this point, see "Complexity, order viagra overnight delivery, Köpa viagra, contingency, and criticality, billige viagra apotek, Viagra pharmacy, " by Bak and Pakzuski (originators of the sandpile avalanche metaphor -- i.e., "for a wide variety of phenomena, Massachusetts MA Mass. , Tennessee TN Tenn. , there are no deep underlying causes, just an accumulation of tiny accidents.").


Less technical treatments of the idea can be found in Charles Perrow's, Koop korting viagra, Comprar viagra baratos, "Normal Accidents: Living with High-Risk Technologies;" Mark Buchanan's "Ubiquity: Why Catastrophes Happen;" or Joshua Cooper Ramo's, The Age of the Unthinkable: Why the New World Disorder Constantly Surprises Us And What We Can Do About It."


If you have time for only one of these, αγοράσετε viagra, Louisiana LA , I'd recommend Buchanan's book, Ubiquity.  Here is an excerpt from Edward Skidelsky's review of Ubiquity:

Applied to history, order viagra cod, Order viagra c.o.d., this theory suggests that ... [significant events] demand no explanation beyond a narration of the precise chain of events that compose them, ordering viagra online. Købe viagra, In the sand pile, it is impossible to specify the cause of a huge avalanche other than by tracing its exact progress right back to the original grain that triggered it all off, buy viagra without prescription. There are no "laws of avalanches" distinct from the laws governing the movement of the individual grains, comprar en línea viagra. Buy viagra online cheap, And any grain ... can, Texas TX Tex. , Generic viagra, if it falls at the right time and place, start an avalanche, Michigan MI Mich. . Buy viagra pills, The only way to understand the history of the sand pile is to recount it; old-fashioned narrative history turns out to be the most scientific of all.

The vision of history that emerges from Ubiquity is tragic. It is the vision of the Iliad. Comprar en línea viagra, History stands permanently poised on the brink of catastrophe; the abduction of one woman can lead to the destruction of cities. Instability is an inalienable feature of human life. We flatter ourselves that we have overcome it through the development of rules and institutions, not realising that those very rules and institutions are equally subject to its depredations.... [my emphasis]


-----------------------

From the  perspective of "self organized criticality," what has been termed "system failure" is not always a problem that can be fixed.  Sometimes it's a terrain feature one has to adapt to.

It may be politically correct to use the "fix it and move on" language.  But defaulting to such correctness may constrain useful thinking about alternatives.

[Mark Chubb's very thoughtful piece earlier today illustrates such alternative thinking.]

Resilience is premised on the idea that sometimes bad stuff happens.  And when it does, you get back up.

One does not encourage resilience by placing blind faith in the perfectibility of complex systems -- particularly systems whose complexity is generated by people and technology.  One's faith is better placed in the knowledge that complex systems will fail, so what happens when they do.

Questions like that outline a path toward resilience.

-----------------------

Here's an image of the TSA system emerging orthodoxy says "failed:"

tsa-layers-of-security-vertical

Maybe political correctness demands there should be more or better pieces, or sub-pieces, or links, or procedures added to the complexity of the 20 layers and the unfathomable environment that surrounds those layers, comprar en línea viagra.

But you will note that "Passengers" are part of the current system.

As Mark notes, Flight 253 did land safely. Abdulmutallab failed.

Some element in the homeland security enterprise ought to get credit for the success.  The passengers did not sit quietly and wait for the bomber to try again amidst the smoke and smell.  They acted.

It is trite to say, but homeland security, including aviation security, is not simply the government's job.  It is everyone's responsibility -- not in theory, but in fact.

It is politically incorrect to think otherwise.





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December 23, 2009

Cheapest Viagra Online

Filed under: Events,Humor — by Mark Chubb on December 23, 2009

Cheapest viagra online, I am sure you have noticed a decided departure from the usual gloom and doom in this week’s contributions to HLSwatch.com. Even when they seem otherwise inappropriate in the circumstances, laughter and humor serve as powerful analgesics, Michigan MI Mich. . If only they could inoculate us from pain altogether. Where to buy viagra, As we prepare to close the books on a spectacularly dour year, it’s worth noting that plenty of things have happened, which in retrospect, Wyoming WY Wyo. , should have made us laugh if only to keep us from crying. Cheap viagra online, Here’s my Top 10 list, with apologies to David Letterman:

10. Tareq and Michaele Salahi tested the White House policy of openness by inviting themselves to a state dinner in honor of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, which once again proved it’s not what you know that’s important, it’s how desperate you are to get your own reality television show, cheapest viagra online.

9, ordering viagra pills.  In a spectacular demonstration of democracy-in-action, Comprar viagra, the Afghan people held an election the likes of which made people in Chicago and Florida proud of our country’s efforts there. Meanwhile, ordering viagra overnight delivery, in a display of grassroots activism reminiscent of Tiananmen Square, Comprare viagra sconto, the people of the Islamic Republic of Iran displayed the kind of technological savvy usually reserved for voting for American Idol finalists or regaling friends with news about what you’re having for dinner to muster a succession of impressive flashmobs that displayed their general displeasure with the outcome of the election that returned Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power there.

8.  Delegates from more than 190 nations met in Copenhagen Cheapest viagra online, to forge a global agreement curbing human activities that contribute to climate change; in the end, their success was marked by a communiqué outlining their commitments to offset the carbon emissions from their lengthy discussions by producing a succinct and largely unimpressive agreement the printing of which will produce virtually no impact on the world’s forests.

7, buy viagra online cheap.  In an act of irony (absent the taint of cynicism, Connecticut CT Conn. , but nevertheless displaying a deep sense of humility), the likes of which would have made Gen. Curtis “Peace Is Our Profession” LeMay either immensely proud or insanely jealous, viagra without a prescription, Commander-in-Chief Barack Obama accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Billige viagra Apotheke, Norway just days after committing tens of thousands more American troops to the war in Afghanistan.

6.  American forces, largely through the successful deployment of Predator and Reaper drones, managed to kill several top al Qaeda and Afghan Taliban operatives despite a startling security deficiency that broadcast unencrypted footage of their surveillance and targeting activities along with hundreds of Three’s Company, Baywatch, and Knight Rider reruns to anyone on the ground with a YouTube or Hulu account, cheapest viagra online.

5, αγοράσετε viagra.  Amidst speculation about a potential succession crisis and rising tensions surrounding his hermitic country’s nuclear ambitions, Oklahoma OK Okla. , North Korea’s Dear Leader Kim Jong-il dispelled any lingering concern that poor health would keep him from rattling nuclear sabers and unsettling western nerves for another year by engaging in frenetic whirlwind of activity that led some observers to wonder aloud whether he was maneuvering to replace Paula Abdul as the third judge on American Idol.

4.  As the world looked on with a mixture of apprehension and apathy, buy viagra no prescription, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of H1N1 influenza first detected in Mexico in March a worldwide pandemic; as millions fell ill and thousands died, Pharmacie viagra bon marché, the United Nations demonstrated once again its profound ability to reflect a sense of urgency by drawing attention to a problem without really solving it, which called to mind both its past efforts to stop the spread of other deadly illnesses such as malaria and polio and seemed to indicate the sort of success its sister UN agencies would produce during the Copenhagen climate summit. Cheapest viagra online, 3.  The arrests of three people in Denver, Oregon OR Ore. , Colorado and New York on charges of plotting attacks against targets in New York City; seven men in North Carolina said to have sought training at terrorist camps in Pakistan and Afghanistan; the unsealing of indictments against eight people in Minneapolis, Køb billige viagra, Minnesota linked to the disappearances of Somali youth thought to have been recruited to fight in the civil war there and the attack at Fort Hood's soldier readiness center attributed to Major Malik Nadal Hasan that left 13 soldiers dead stoked fears of homegrown terrorism. However, with the Obama Administration working feverishly to close the detention facility at the Guantanamo Bay naval station, order viagra overnight delivery, it’s more likely that these budding reality show superstars will play feature roles in a new television drama just entering pre-production called Survivor: Thomson, Jotta viagra verkossa, Illinois (aka Guantanamo North).

2.  President Obama with the help of Congress and the Federal Reserve mounted a seemingly successful last-ditch effort to stave off a Chernobyl-like meltdown of the world economy by pumping more $1.6 trillion dollars into the economy; the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 saved or added an estimated 600-700, ordering viagra no rx,000 jobs to the economy this year alone while leaving more than 15 million Americans unemployed, Pharmacy viagra, another 9 million underemployed, and upwards of 2 million marginally employed.  As the official unemployment rate leveled off at 10 percent and the economy started growing again at a rate of 2.2 percent per annum, people opened their wallets and handed over what little cash or credit they had; what had in other years had been described as an orgy of spending ended up looking more like a sordid ménage à trois in some seedy motel that rents rooms by the hour, cheapest viagra online.

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1, Mississippi MS Miss. .  In a test of our ability to look closely and deeply at ourselves, Ordering viagra online cheap, warts and all, the nation’s gaze remained firmly focused as the year came to a close on the actions of an infidel and his self-professed but as yet unconfirmed infidel-ities. In what some reports have described as an impressive use of long irons, billig kaufen viagra, Mr. Woods’ estranged wife Elin Nordegren made short work of Tiger as he beat a hasty retreat from the family home in a gated Florida community after being confronted about his alleged nocturnal wanderings while on tour. Cheapest viagra online, After witnessing her impressive use of both soft and (mostly) hard power, administration officials have started making discrete inquiries into whether Ms. Nordegren is available to advise special forces operators hunting Osama bin Laden and his compatriots in the lawless Af-Pak border region.

Here’s hoping 2010 gives us more to laugh at. If not, we have no one to blame but ourselves. While we're waiting, please take a moment to share something that made you laugh this past year or tell us what would make you particularly happy in the year ahead.

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November 13, 2009

RECAP/ANALYSIS: A Discussion on Immigration Policy with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano

Filed under: Events,Immigration — by Jessica Herrera-Flanigan on November 13, 2009
Trust. We are both a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws. Everyone recognizes that our current system is not  working and our system needs to be changed. Those were the central themes this morning when Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano spoke at the Center for American Progress (CAP) on immigration.  As the Obama Administration's go-to on immigration reform, she has a daunting task ahead as the Administration and Congress tackle an issue that evokes strong positions from Congress, law enforcement, business, labor, religious leaders, and advocates -both pro and anti- across the country and political spectrum. There is no question that Secretary Napolitano's creds on immigration are second to none.  As Governor of Arizona, she gained hands-on experience on balancing the conflicting complex needs and interests of various interests and organizations.  Arizona, after all, is 30% Latino, shares a 370 mile border with Mexico (which includes the  Tohono O'odham Nation that crosses the border and numerous National Parks) and has such characters as the controversial Mariposa Sheriff Joe Arpaio.   While Governor, she did a tremendous job of balancing the economic, enforcement, and family issues surrounding the border. On one hand, she once criticized the wall-only approach of many in Congress by saying "You show me a 50-foot wall, and I'll show you a 51-foot ladder."  On the other, she was the first Governor to declare a state of emergency and call for the National Guard to patrol the border.  Having worked on the issues since 1993, Secretary Napolitano gets that immigration is a hard and politically volatile issue. Her remarks today, however, made it clear that the Obama Administration believes it can make progress on the immigration debate.   The Secretary's remarks were especially timely as immigration reform is expected to be the next big issue to be tackled by Congress and the Administration after health care  (somewhere in the past month it snuck past climate change, another Administration priority, in the lineup). In her remarks, Secretary Napolitano made it clear that this was more than just about immigration. She started her speech by talking about a "new foundation for growth and prosperity," mentioning health care, climate change and educational reform.  Immigration was the fourth item of that foundation, she said, in the Obama Administration's determination "to deal with long lingering problems." She noted that immigration has been a problem that been punted year to year, Congress to Congress,  Administration to Administration.  The Secretary said that the immigration story is one we all know. People sneaking across the border for jobs and economic relief.  Select employers flaunting laws by offering subwages to illegal workers, and a resulting population living in the shadows.  From a national security perspective, she said that the Department of Homeland Security needs reform to do its job of enforcing the law and keeping our country secure.  "Laws need to be reformed." The Secretary described immigration reform as a three-legged stool:
  • First, it requires serious and effective enforcement
  • Second, it must address the legal flows for family and workers
  • Third, it must deal with those here in the country illegally
By addressing these three items, the Secretary indicated the government could build responsibility and accountability into the process.  The three-pronged stool, she noted, also required three participants - employers, immigrants, and government. The Secretary noted that the last big immigration effort - in 1986 - failed, in part, because it promised enforcement but could not deliver.  She said "it would not happen again" and that "America needs enforcement."  She indicated that the Administration fully intended to pursue reforms that address both immigration and enforcement. She then alluded to the 2007 attempts to pass comprehensive immigration reform by the Bush Administration (ironically, led by her predecessor Secretary Michael Chertoff, who also faced an uphill battle).  She noted that since then the immigration landscape has changed.   She went on to cite the progress that had been made in a number of areas at the Department of Homeland Security, including:
  • The Southwest Border Initiative announced last March by President Obama which includes assets from DHS, Department of Defense, and Department of Justice.
  • Increased focus on inspection and detection technology.
  • 100% screening of Southbound rail shipments.
  • And increased focus on manpower, technology, and infrastructure.
The Secretary stated that these items are ones that Congress said were lacking in 2007 when immigration reform fizzled and she believes that the needed progress has been made and that the Administration is showing that it is serious and strategic in its approach to enforcement.  Among some things she said shows progress are:
  • The government has replaced policies that look tough with policies that are designed to be effective;
  • The government has redesigned state and local arrangements to attack the serious criminal alien problem;
  • DHS has expanded Secure Communities;
  • ICE has increased auditing of companies suspected in hiring illegal aliens;
  • DHS has been encouraging workplace compliance by expanding and improving E-Verify; and
  • DHS has expanded use of new biometrics technology that has helped increase the government's ability for countering immigration fraud.
So what can we expect in the near year?  Based on the Secretary's comments today, here are the priorities for the legislation, which she deems a "sensible solution:"
  • Tougher smuggling laws;
  • An update of laws that don't cover new means of moving stuff by bad actors (stored value cards were given as an example);
  • Interior and worksite enforcement law changes;
  • Changes to provisions relating to immigration-related fraud; and
  • a legal foundation to bringing illegal immigrants out of shadows.
On this last point, the Secretary emphasized that our nation  won't have a secure law enforcement/national security system if we have a significant segment of the population that remain in the shadows.   As part of that legal foundation, she would expect that there would be a number of requirements that would need to be met for individuals to gain legal status, including:
  • Registration Requirement
  • Fines
  • Criminal Background Check
  • Requirement to Pay Back Taxes
  • A Requirement to Learn English
The Secretary made it clear that the effort should not just be an enforcement solution and that the reform must address families, businesses, and workers needs.  In sum, she made it clear - just as when she started - that "immigration must be fixed." While most of the ideas described by Secretary Napolitano are not new and have been tackled in the past,  her outlined approach, while seemingly heavy on enforcement details, is certainly comprehensive. What comes next will be the real challenge. Will there be enough "immigration" in the proposed bill to win the support of advocates and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus?  Will there be enough enforcement to win over many of the "enforcement only" or "enforcement first" Members of Congress? Will it be able to maintain the support of a mosaic of business interests (tech companies, agriculture and seasonal employers, etc)?  Will it address the moral and ethic issues that many religious leaders, including the Evangelical right, feel need to be addressed? How does next year being a potentially volatile election year affect the proposed reform, especially for moderate and conservative Democrats (a group that would extend beyond the Blue Dogs, based on 2007 observations and statements)? If immigration reform is to be a success, the Administration needs a weathered professional who has seen what the fight ahead looks like.  It appears that they may have found their woman in the desert of Arizona in Secretary Napolitano.

October 12, 2009

Homeland security this week

Filed under: Events — by Philip J. Palin on October 12, 2009
Following are a few homeland security events for the coming week.  For more information access the embedded links.  Please use the comment function to identify other events you would like to bring to readers’ attention.  If you are attending or monitoring any of these events, please use the comment function to report out to the rest of us. Monday, October 12 The National Emergency Management Association (NEMA) annual conference opened in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday and continues through Tuesday. Tuesday, October 13 The Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum hosts a special exhibit on Reporting Terrorism.  The exhibit examines "how acts of terrorism are covered and conveyed" by the news media.  The exhibit continues through the end of November. Wednesday, October 14 The Association of State and Territorial Health Officers (ASTHO) annual meeting opens in Vienna, Virginia and continues through Friday. 11:45  am (eastern) Washington DC, The Center for Strategic and International Studies hosts a lecture on Global Health in the 21st Century: Identifying the Big Priorities. 8:00 pm (eastern) Davidson, North Carolina, Davidson College hosts a lecture on Can a Counterterrorism Policy be both Successful and Moral? Thursday, October 15 The 2009 Cyber Security Expo opens at the University of Memphis with a focus on Global Cyber Security. The University of Maryland will conduct an emergency vaccination drill. Friday, October 16 150 years ago today, John Brown and nineteen followers captured the federal armory at Harpers Ferry, (then) Virginia.  Was old John Brown a terrorist or freedom fighter? Both? john-brown1 .... Mural of John Brown from the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.

October 5, 2009

Homeland security this week

Filed under: Events — by Philip J. Palin on October 5, 2009
Following are a few homeland security events for the coming week.  For more information  access the embedded links.  Please use the comment function to identify other events you would like to bring to readers’ attention.  If you are attending or monitoring any of these events, please use the comment function to report out to the rest of us. Monday, October 5 2:00 pm (eastern) Washington D.C. The Brookings Institution hosts an assessment of US policies toward Afghanistan and Pakistan. The annual conference of the International Association of Chiefs of Police opened on Saturday in Denver.  The conference will continue through Wednesday. Tuesday, October 6 2:00 pm (eastern) Washington D.C. The Brookings Institution hosts a discussion on breaking the stalemate on immigration policy. Wednesday, October 7 On this day in 2001 British and US forces began air operations against al-Qaeda camps and the Taliban-led government of Afghanistan. Thursday, October 8 3:30 pm (pacific) Palo Alto, California - The Freeman Spogli Institute hosts a lecture on Mapping Terrorist Organizations. 6:00 pm (eastern) Atlanta, Georgia - The Sam Nunn School of International Affairs hosts a lecture on Nanotechnology for Defense and Homeland Security Friday, October 9

September 22, 2009

Cover Your Cough With the Internet (Or Phone)

Filed under: Events — by Jessica Herrera-Flanigan on September 22, 2009
Federal News Radio continued its reporting yesterday regarding the Department of Homeland Security mandate for a department-wide telework and COOP review this week. The article quotes Elaine Duke, the Undersecretary for Management, saying:

We have some specific concerns about the potential of H1N1 to make its next surge in the United States, potentially next month, and this fall. One of the things we want to be ready for is potential absenteeism among our federal workforce. And with the telework week, we are asking that each employee who is on a telework agreement, who is on a telework agreement as part of our continuity of operations planning, or COOP planning, to telework, to test it, to make sure they have the right connectivity, the right equipment, to make sure they can work from home.

Teleworking to counter a pandemic is not a new idea. Indeed, the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza Implementation Plan discusses how teleworking can help slow the spread of pandemic influenza through social distancing (i.e. coughing over the Internet or phone instead of face to face).  As telework.gov notes, the key to successfully using teleworking to fight off H1N1 (or any pandemic) requires a systematic approach to teleworking with roles and responsibilities understood by all.   DHS's announcement this week is especially welcome as it is testing its agencies systems in a moment of calm instead of a time of crisis. That said, as DHS and other agencies look to teleworking this fall, they should not only be testing for access and connectivity, but for security.  While security training and configuration have been key parts of the government's telework program, it is imperative that they are stressed to the potential newbies who will be signing up to avoid the H1N1 spread. There is a level of trust when teleworking becomes the norm. That trust, with regards to security, requires extensive training and understanding of the "dos and don'ts" of being online.  The more people who sign up to work from home, the more risks of security breaches, whether from unencrypted data being stolen remotely off a compromised system or a laptop disappearing from the backseat of a car. NIST has recognized the need for telework security. This past June it revised its guidance in the area in Guide to Enterprise Telework and Remote Access Security, Revision 1.  NIST noted in the Executive Summary:

The nature of telework and remote access technologies—permitting access to protected resources from external networks and often external hosts as well—generally places them at higher risk than similar technologies only accessed from inside the organization, as well as increasing the risk to the internal resources made available to teleworkers through remote access.

In its findings, NIST made the following recommendations to agencies on steps to take to ensure that employees and contractors have improved security for teleworking and remote access:
  • Plan telework security policies and controls based on the assumption that external environments contain hostile threats
  • Develop a telework security policy that defines telework and remote access requirements.
  • Ensure that remote access servers are secured effectively and are configured to enforce telework security policies.
  • Secure telework client devices against common threats and maintain their security regularly.
Given today's increased cyber threat, these steps, while seemingly common sense, are critical, especially if we see an influx of new teleworkers. Another issue to consider is whether the bandwidth for increased teleworking, especially in the DC area, is available.  The tests run by DHS this week are good but will not go to demonstrate whether bandwidth needs can be met if a significant number of government employees are working from home in the event of a pandemic.  On September 4, the FCC put out a notice on this issue, asking what kind of bandwidth and speed will be needed to support teleworking.  The notice also asked what is needed to support government workers at home in a time of emergency.  The FCC will use the comments and its findings as part of its National Broadband Plan, due to Congress on February 17, 2010.  Obviously, that plan will not be out before this fall's potential H1N1 outbreak, though the telecommunications carriers have been preparing for this issue nonetheless. While this post has focused on government's systems,  the same issues are relevant to the private sector.  Like the government, the private sector has seen an increased reliance on teleworking to counter pandemic incidents.  Jeff Goldman wrote an interesting piece on this phenomenon on Wi-Fi Planet back in May entitled Pandemic Preparedness: Teleworking Best Practices, which details the steps to take for implementing teleworking.  Interestingly, one of the potential issues he points out is the need for enabling broadband access in remote locations.  Broadband and net neutrality issues, especially in a time of crisis, could fill a separate post but are especially worth noting given at Brookings yesterday by FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski on the topic.

August 3, 2009

A Web 2.0 Dialogue on QHSR

Filed under: DHS News,Events,General Homeland Security — by Jessica Herrera-Flanigan on August 3, 2009
In furtherance of the Obama Administration's tech-saavy, public-friendly approach to governance, DHS unveiled its "National Dialogue on the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review" today at http://www.homelandsecuritydialogue.org.   DHS is inviting the public to give its opinions between today and August 9 on proposals made by QHSR study groups in four different study areas and two process study areas, including: Mission Studies:
  • Counter-terrorism and Domestic Security Management
  • Securing Our Borders
  • Smart and Tough Enforcement of Immigration Laws
  • Preparing for, Responding to, and Recovering from Disasters
Process Studies:
  • Homeland Security National Risk Assessment
  • Homeland Security Planning and Capabilities
This is the first of  three "dialogues" with the American public to be held during the summer and fall.  Dialogue 2 is scheduled for August 31-September 6 and will have more information and content from the QHSR study groups on the mission and process concepts.  Dialogue 3, scheduled from September 28 through October 4, will give the public and stakeholders one more opportunity to review and offer comments on the "refined mission goals, objectives, key strategic outcomes and enhancements" to the six priorities. According to DHS officials, the dialogues are intended to transform how the agency engages the American public with regards to an all-hazards approach to homeland security and counter-terrorism. They are also intended to meet the consultation mandate included in 2007's 9/11 bill (aka "The Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007").  That bill required the Secretary to conduct the QHSR  in consultation with
  • the "heads of Federal Agencies" (including the Attorney General, the Director of National Intelligence, and the Secretaries of State, Defense, Health & Human Services, Treasury,  and Agriculture);
  • key officials of DHS; and
  • other relevant governmental and nongovernmental entities, including State, local, and tribal government officials, members of Congress, private sector representatives, academics, and other policy experts.
Overall, the Web 2.0 idea  is a fresh approach to communicating to and with the public (at least the connected public) on addressing homeland security issues. The website, hosted by the National Academy  of Public Administration, is easy to navigate and provides a mission statement on each item, as well as goals.   Reviewers who log in are giving the opportunity to rate whether they agree with the overall statements and provide comments. Additionally, participants can suggest their own ideas and alternative proposals for the six study areas.  To date, it appears that between 9 and 44 persons have logged in to provide ratings and comments. The real test of the success of the dialogues will come over the next several days when we see how many citizens log in and upload thoughts and ideas for DHS.  Even a bigger test will be whether those who do offer opinions are "outside the Beltway," offering local perspectives from New York, Atlanta, Houston, Peoria, and beyond.  Input from those communities would strengthen the QHSR and be in line with Secretary Napolitano's comments last week at the Council of Foreign Relations that communities are our "greatest asset" and "you are the ones who know if something is not right in your communities." I would encourage anyone reading this to check out the site and offer your thoughts on the goals and priorities of the QHSR. Even better, once you finish doing that, share the site with a few (or few hundred) of your friends around the country so they can do the same.

July 23, 2009

If a dog barks on the internet …?

Filed under: DHS News,Events,General Homeland Security,Strategy — by Christopher Bellavita on July 23, 2009
If you are interested enough in homeland security to be reading this, the Department of Homeland Security and the National Academy of Public Administration want you to participate in something called the National Dialogue on the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR). Information about the Dialogue can be found at this link. The first "meeting" is scheduled for August 3 through 9.  It is intended to be a "conversation between you, other Homeland Security stakeholders, and DHS on an innovative web-based platform." (One hopes the "you" might also include unaffiliated people with a point of view about homeland security.) The first dialogue "will seek your opinion on general priorities of different Homeland Security mission areas. During this session, you will be able to evaluate the missions and goals proposed by DHS study groups, and rate, tag, and suggest your own alternative proposals." Two additional dialogues are scheduled for later in 2009.  The QHSR has to be turned in to Congress on Thursday, December 31, 2009.  Presumably by the close of business, before everyone leaves for the long weekend. Yes, this whole National Dialogue could turn into another one of those anemic "we involved our stakeholders" justifications slogged out with the National Response Plan, Target Capabilities List, Universal Task List and their mechanical cousins. But it might also be an opportunity for well-intentioned people to discover how broad collaboration, Web 2.0, social networks, mashups, and lord knows what else can contribute to a homeland security future worth creating. You can sign up on the www.homelandsecuritydialogue.org website to receive emails for "news and announcements about the National Dialogue, and be notified when each Dialogue is live." I am persuasively informed that signing up does not put you on any of the special "lists" that may or may not be maintained by agencies that may or may not exist. Besides, as we learned during the Web 1.0 days:internet_dog1

July 6, 2009

Homeland security this week

Filed under: Events — by Philip J. Palin on July 6, 2009
Before you start the new week, if you took an early holiday please take some time to read the post and comments generated last Thursday, July 2 on a possible role for accreditation in homeland security education. Following are a few homeland security events for the coming week.  For more information  access the embedded links.  Please use the comment function to identify other events you would like to bring to readers’ attention.  If you are attending or monitoring any of these events, please use the comment function to report out to the rest of us. Monday, July 6 12  noon (eastern) Middle East Institute hosts a discussion of the current situation in the Swat Valley and Waziristan. 1:00 pm (eastern) Rockville, Maryland, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards ACRS Subcommittee on Radiation Protection and Nuclear Materials. Tuesday, July 7 10:00 am (eastern) Washington D.C., Senate Committee on Commerce Science, and Transportation, Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard conducts a  hearing on U.S. Coast Guard Oversight. 12:15 (eastern) Washington D.C. , Carnegie Endowment for International Peace hosts a discussion on "Al-Qaeda in Yemen." 1:30 pm (eastern) Rockville, Maryland, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards Future Plant Designs Subcommittee Wednesday, July 8 Meeting of the full Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, continues through Friday. 9:30 am (eastern) Washington D.C., National Archives and Records Administration; Information Security Oversight Office. Meeting of the Public Interest Declassification Board to solicit public input concerning recommendations and proposed revisions to the classification and declassification policies found in Executive Order 12958. 10:00 am (eastern) Washington D.C., Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs conducts a hearing on the Federal Protective Service. 10:00 am (eastern) Washington D.C., House Committee on Science and Technology conducts a hearing on reauthorization of the FIRE grants program. 10:00 am (eastern)  The House Committee on Homeland Security will hear testimony from the FEMA Administrator and the FEMA IG. 3:30 pm (eastern) Washington D.C., The New America Foundation hosts a discussion on "Strengthening the Biological Weapons Convention." Thursday, July 9 8:30 am (eastern) Bethesda, Maryland, National Flu Preparedness Summit opens 10:00 am (eastern) Washington D.C., House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform conducts a hearing on Mexican drug cartels and national security. Friday, July 10 9:00 am (eastern) Washington D.C., The United States Institute of Peace hosts a discussion on "Negotiating with the Taliban: Reconciliation in Afghanistan and Pakistan?" 12 noon (eastern) Washington D.C., The Center for National Policy hosts a discussion on "Guarding the Gateways: Latest in Port Security." 2:00 pm (eastern) online, Meeting of the Secretary's Advisory Committee on National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention.  Will consider  objectives for 2020 to develop  health promotion and disease prevention strategies to improve  health status and reduce health risks. To register log on to http://www.healthypeople.gov/hp2020/advisory/default.asp.
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