http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/RSS.ashxJuly 2009 PagesWed, 01 Jul 2009 03:57:40 +0200http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=1http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=1THE BELTWAY BATTLE FOR CYBER TURF HomelandSecurityToday I N S I G H T & A N A LY S I S July 2009 Vol. 6, No. 7 $5.95 USD ™ The Flu Next Time: Are We Ready for a Pandemic in the Fall? Plus. Going from Pawns to Partner in Emergency Management HHS: A prescription for homeland security2009-07-01T03:57:40+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=2http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=2THE ENEMY IS UNCERTAINTY. What’s out there? What’s next? What’s around the corner? Our goal at DRS is to help defeat this common enemy, to turn questions into answers. Make the unknown known, and give your people the tools to succeed. In the field, you want answers. Which is why DRS continuously improves the technology to see more and know more within an ever-changing environment: night vision and vehicle sight enhancement products, tactical computers and communications tools that inform and enable personnel wherever they may be. Bring us your toughest challenges. We’re always looking for new enemies to conquer. www.drs.com2009-07-01T03:57:40+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=3http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=3DEPARTMENTS 3 4 7 Editor’s Letter Viruses Cyber and Physical Updates & Responses Homeland Security Today wins ASBPE honors Frontlines Law enforcement needs new infosharing tools BY STEPHEN G. SERRAO 9 Funding & Resources Taking a cut at 2010 pork spending BY MICHAEL PADDOCK 11 Responders Today Seattle, Washington: The mother of invention BY TODD MATTHEWS The Flu Next Time By David Silverberg & Anthony Kimery 12 Nebraska Ave. NCS: From tropical storms to cyber storms BY MICKEY McCARTER • DHS Roster The spring flu outbreak may have been just a foretaste of what the world will face come autumn. How prepared will we be? 21 15 Agency Spotlight HHS: A prescription for homeland security BY HANK HOGAN The Beltway Battle for Cyber Turf By Philip Leggiere 17 Market Monitor Harris Corp. targets the land mobile radio market BY PHILIP FINNEGAN 23 Industry News • Industry Roster Few Washington struggles have been as contentious as the one for dominance over cybersecurity. A look at the possible outcomes and their implications for the nation. 27 36 Tools & Technology 40 Leadership Profile Tom Conaway Unisys Corporation 32 Emergency Management: From Pawns to Partners By Mickey McCarter RESOURCES 38 Tradeshow circuit 38 Advertiser index 39 Coming in the next issue Napolitano is determined to raise the status of state and local relations with DHS. We examine the state of her efforts to date. Read more articles online at www.HSToday.us2009-07-01T03:57:40+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=4http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=4Panasonic recommends Windows Vista® Business. IN YOUR WORLD, YOU NEED THE MOST RELIABLE LAPTOP—THE TOUGHBOOK 30. As a core manufacturer, we build every computer from the ground up, allowing us to maintain exceptional quality control standards. 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Specifications subject to change without notice. ©2009 Panasonic Corporation of North America. All rights reserved. (**SKU: CF-30k3PEXAM non-touch with SmartCard reader and Preferred Services.) Reliable Laptop_30 Promo_FG_FY09-1 *Results may vary depending on environment product is used in.2009-07-01T03:57:40+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=5http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=5EDITOR’S LETTER Viruses Cyber and Physical IT’S HARD TO ADMIT THIS, ESPECIALLY TO A SECURITY-CONSCIOUS READERSHIP , BUT BACK IN THE LAST DAYS OF MARCH, I LEFT MYSELF OPEN AND TOOK A BIG HIT. The culprit was the Conficker C worm, a vicious bit of computer code making the rounds that completely scrambled my computer, wiping out years worth of data so effectively that I had to install a completely new hard drive. As someone who routinely deals with cybersecurity issues, I know better than to open suspicious attachments or click on links that say, “I love you.” Conficker, though, was different; it could sneak in without any actions on the user’s part. I was in a meeting and using spreadsheets on my laptop when my antivirus software kept trying to reboot my computer to confirm the installation of a patch. Annoyed, I kept stopping the reboot. It was a virtually fatal error. I cannot convey to you how disruptive, how nightmarish, how expensive and how utterly devastating it is to be the victim of a cyber attack of such penetration and power. When your life and work is on a computer and it’s virtually a part of your brain, undergoing this kind of cyber attack is like undergoing a lobotomy. Critical work is delayed indefinitely. You don’t know how much of your data has been stolen. Precious records are lost, many permanently—and I count myself luckier than another victim my technician told me about. That victim had 5,000 songs stored on his computer, each purchased for a dollar —all of them gone permanently. Suffering this kind of an event as an individual makes one appreciate the devastation that would be visited on the country as a whole by a successful, wide-scale cyber attack. Indeed, we’ve already seen strategic cyber attacks in the countries of Estonia and Georgia, seemingly tied to political and military differences with their neighbor, Russia. Truly, a successful large-scale attack could stop the vital business of the United States cold, further damage a weak economy, upend government and make the United States physically vulnerable. Then there’s the very real threat of cyber crime. In early May in my own state of Virginia, hackers said they had hacked into the state’s Department of Health Professions database, encrypting over 8 million patient records and 35 million prescriptions while deleting all the original data. They demanded a $10 million ransom in return for the password to decrypt the data. As of this writing, state authorities are publicly laughing off the threat and refusing to pay the ransom, saying they have the original data. I hope so—but it gives one pause, especially with a major initiative pending to digitize medical records across the nation. The Department of Homeland Security had a similar attack on its Homeland Security Information Network in March and email addresses and telephone numbers of state and federal employees were stolen from this sensitive database. And President Obama, when announcing his new cybersecurity initiative on May 29, revealed that his campaign's website had been hacked during the run-up to the election. Clearly, cyber vulnerability affects everyone. All these factors give particular urgency to our feature this month on the fight over cyber turf in the federal government. Cybersecurity in general is a difficult policy nut to crack because it involves so many questions in both the public and private sectors. In general, the conclusion one can draw is that, when it comes to individuals, the government is not going to be able to protect us all, no matter who is crowned “cyber czar.” But government has usually been good at setting standards and providing certifications of security, and perhaps that is the best role it can play when it comes to protecting all US cyber citizens. Meanwhile, cybersecurity remains a major vulnerability that must be closed. BY DAVID SILVERBERG “…government has usually been good at setting standards and providing certifications of security, and perhaps that is 2009-07-01T03:57:40+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=6http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=6UPDATES & RESPONSES Homeland Security Today wins ASBPE honors HOMELAND SECURITY TODAY HAS BEEN NAMED THE FIRST RECIPIENT OF THE “JOURNALISM THAT MATTERS” AWARD FROM THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF BUSINESS PUBLICATION EDITORS (ASBPE) FOR THE JANUARY 2008 EDITOR’S LETTER, “THE NFL VS. AMERICA.” Homeland Security Today was also named a finalist in ASBPE’s national competition for best editorial/editor’s letter for the January and March 2008 editor’s letters and for regional best news analysis/investigative article for the October 2008 article “FEMA Reaches for Redemption” byWashington Correspondent Mickey McCarter. The final awards of excellence are scheduled to be unveiled at ASBPE’s national conference in Washington, DC on July 16. After the Editor’s Letter was brought to the attention of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, a Border Patrol advertisement was included in the 2008 Super Bowl program. “David’s hard-hitting editorial is another example of the powerful impact that B2B journalists can have on developments that receive little or no coverage in the consumer press, yet have implications that extend far beyond industry insiders,” said Steven Roll, president of ASBPE. ASBPE initiated the award this year “to recognize a B2B [business-to-business], association, or trade publication journalist whose coverage of an issue in 2008 triggered a tangible change within government or industry. The genesis of the award is the outstanding journalism featured in the book Journalism That Matters: How Business to Business Editors Change the Industries They Cover (Marion Street Press, 2006). The book showcases changes in government policy or industry practices as a result of articles written by B2B, association, and trade journalists” according to an ASBPE statement. That book featured an article in Homeland Security Today’s May 2004 launch issue, “The Trauma in America’s Trauma Care” by Senior Reporter Anthony Kimery. The 2009 awards bring to nine the number of ASBPE awards won by Homeland Security Today since its founding in 2004. PHONE: HSToday WWW.HSToday.US ™ P.O. Box 9789, McLean, Va. 22101-3611 800-503-6506 FAX: 866-503-5758 PUBLISHER Kimberley S. Hanson-Brown PHONE: 800-503-6506 khanson@HSToday.us EDITOR David Silverberg PHONE: 703-757-0520 editor@HSToday.US SENIOR REPORTER Anthony Kimery akimery@HSToday.us BUSINESS EDITOR Philip Leggiere Business@HSToday.us WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENTS Mickey McCarter Kelley Vlahos REGIONAL CORRESPONDENTS NORTH AMERICA Journalism that matters In the “Journalism That Matters” category, the January 2008 Editor’s Letter by Editor David Silverberg argued that the National Football League (NFL) should run a recruitment advertisement for US Border Patrol agents in its 2008 Super Bowl program if it was going to benefit from taxpayer-funded local and regional security for its Super Bowl games. NFL management had earlier refused to run an advertisement in its 2007 program because it was deemed “too controversial.” Chuck Hustmyre—New Orleans Sara Francis Fujimura—Phoenix Jeff O’Neill—Boston Jana Schroeder—Mexico City Michael Peltier—Tallahassee WR Stephens—Toronto Liza Porteus Viana—New York EUROPE Matt Baglio—Rome Raffaello Pantucci—London COLUMNISTS Philip Finnegan Michael Paddock Science Correspondent Lakshmi Sandhana IT Correspondent Hank Hogan CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Todd Matthews Stephen G. Serrao COPY EDITOR PROOFREADER Kelly Medina Kristen Loesch Mexico progress THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (DHS), THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT AND OTHER US FEDERAL AGENCIES HAVE TAKEN SIGNIFICANT STEPS IN THE BATTLE AGAINST THE MEXICAN NARCO-CARTELS SINCE HOMELAND SECURITY TODAY’S THREE PART SERIES, “SAVAGE STRUGGLE ON THE BORDER” IN THE JANUARY, FEBRUARY AND MARCH ISSUES. On June 5 theWhite House and Attorney General Eric Holder, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano and Director of National Drug Control Policy Gil Kerlikowske released The National Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy (http://www.whi2009-07-01T03:57:40+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=7http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=72009-07-01T03:57:40+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=8http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=8Can technology make airport security even more secure? Siemens integrated security solutions protect passengers, personnel, equipment and the entire airport infrastructure. From integrated security equipment and maintenance to environmental controls, from fire safety to baggage scanning and screening, Siemens provides all airports across the nation with solutions that strengthen passenger security, safety and peace of mind. siemens.com/answers © Siemens AG, 2009 All Rights Reserved.2009-07-01T03:57:40+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=9http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=9FRONT LINES Law enforcement needs new infosharing tools By STEPHEN G. SERRAO WHILE IT IS CLEAR THAT US FUSION CENTERS DIDN’T EXPOSE ANY SIGNIFICANT TERRORIST OR CONSPIRACY PLOTS IN 2008, THEY DID, HOWEVER, DO SOMETHING THAT MAY BE MORE VALUABLE: THEY SEEM TO HAVE FOCUSED THE LAW ENFORCEMENT COMMUNITY’S ATTENTION ON SHARING AND INTEGRATING DATA. FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, THAT WAS THE GREATEST LAW ENFORCEMENT SUCCESS OF THE PAST YEAR AND THE FOUNDATION FOR ADDRESSING ONGOING CHALLENGES. merged intelligence with investigations and major crimes divisions. Classic intelligence operations held a long-term strategic view. They were tasked with trying to identify what threats existed in their communities, then employed strategic policing strategies to address those threats. They developed deep sources in their communities, debriefed informants on a long-term basis and tried to paint a long-term picture of what was going on. That shift in investigative resources was compounded, or affected, by the inability of agencies to hire analysts, and not much progress has been made in this area. We’ve built fusion centers and connected databases. The question now is, “Who is analyzing the data?” There has been a failure to hire highlevel, strategic analysts to conduct longterm threat assessments. In their place are short-term tactical personnel who basically deal with issues as they come in. The result is that there are very few specialists and a lot of generalists. At the end of the day, that means what little intelligence is collected isn’t being analyzed strategically. Everything that is done at that center is geared to working on tactical jobs. They are not evaluating what the real threats are through analysis and premonitory assessments. In a similar vein, large law enforcement agencies used to develop and publish annual assessments,for internal purposes,of each of the organized crime groups operating within their jurisdictions. These detailed reports built upon the collection efforts of intelligence officers working the streets and talking to informants and collecting information. Few local agencies have the resources to do these assessments anymore. The third major challenge is that law enforcement agencies are not ready to thwart terrorist attacks at the local level. It is clear that premonitory assessment is not taking place at the state, local or tribal level. Most police agencies have left this task to the FBI-sponsored Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTFs) and still place their hopes at the feet of the JTTFs. Although the JTTFs are conducting conspiracy investigations and classified long-term intelligence collection, very little to no resulting threat assessment is being passed on to local law enforcement. Much of this type of data gets lost in the “over-classification” of information by the federal government. While the challenges raised above are daunting in their own right, if the global war on terror is no longer a high priority for the government and other issues take precedence, then there may be a loss of focus in the fight against terrorism domestically— and, as the recent Department of Homeland Security Intelligence & Analysis study showed, the threat of domestic terrorism is real and present. A loss in focus may mean resources previously allocated to law enforcement agencies are redirected. This would definitely have a negative impact on what’s available for agencies, and support from the federal law enforcement community could be reduced. President Barack Obama’s administration needs to work hand-in-hand with law enforcement agencies at all levels, welcome the favorable changes toward informationsharing standardization that have occurred and aggressively address continuing challenges. Giving law enforcement personnel on the front lines the tools they need to succeed will help them anticipate and, therefore, prevent, crime and terrorism. HST Stephen G. Serrao is a retired New Jersey State Police captain and director of Product Man2009-07-01T03:57:40+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=10http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=10Your team is here. Your objective is here. And the unexpected here. ° ° Everything you need to turn vision into action. Our expert geospatial intelligence services capture the decision-critical data you need. And when it matters most, GeoEye is committed to delivering high-resolution, map-accurate data to you on time, the first time. Whether you’re developing time-sensitive, special-operations or strategic plans, we help you assess the conditions on the ground for maximum insight when it really matters. Before you act. Image intelligence. Delivered intelligently. www.geoeye.com / def © 2009 GeoEye. All Rights Reserved.2009-07-01T03:57:40+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=11http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=11FUNDING & RESOURCES Taking a cut at 2010 pork spending BY MICHAEL PADDOCK WELL, YOU CAN’T BLAME A GUY FOR TRYING, BUT IT SEEMS TO BE BECOMING DE RIGUEUR FOR THE NEW PRESIDENT TO TRY TO ELIMINATE CONGRESSIONAL EARMARKS FROM THE FEDERAL BUDGET. Over the past 20 years, earmarks have come to represent wasteful government spending, largely because the process for distributing them is not entirely transparent, their attachment to federal funding programs is not entirely predictable, and they don’t necessarily provide funding for the most needed or deserving projects. Earmarks are political, and although the members of Congress who seek and obtain them consider local programs funded through earmarks worthwhile, it is essentially horse trading in the halls of Congress and the market that determines where political capital finally gets spent. through other means, and the tension between the two to determine the destination of these funds is the fundamental reason for the ongoing efforts of presidents from both parties to defeat earmarks. Traditionally, the preferred method for eliminating earmarks has been the line item veto. That tool would provide the president with the ability to selectively eliminate earmarks, while keeping other elements of the appropriations, most notably the money, intact. The line item veto was requested by Reagan and held briefly by Clinton before being ruled unconstitutional, and it continues to be the gold standard for executive control of the perceived excesses of pork spending. being used to devote $298 million to the new COPS Hiring Program to continue the work done by the $1 billion that was provided for the program in the Recovery Act. Nevertheless, as the appropriations bills make their way through the congressional approval process, they are likely to begin to collect earmarks. How the Democratic president and the Democratic Congress work out their differences in this respect may create a new paradigm for the number of earmarks that can be infused in the annual budget on an annual basis. In the meantime, public safety agencies can scarcely afford to ignore these potentially valuable sources of funding just because political analysts may find them philosophically objectionable. Instead, it is more an example of the rules defining how the game is played. As long as Congress continues to allocate half a billion dollars in public safety funding through earmarks, those who would use those funds to enhance the safety and security of their communities would be remiss not to pursue them through whatever methods they require. President Obama and his administration have certainly demonstrated a knack for building momentum in public support for their policy priorities—from the Recovery Act to healthcare reform—but his success or failure at convincing Congress to reduce or eliminate pork spending, where so many others have failed, may be a defining test of his ability to affect lasting and systemic change in the very place Congress has been most protective: its checkbook. HST For more information on seeking an earmark for your project, see the December 2007 column “Playing the Earmark Game, ” available on the Homeland Security Today website at http://www.hstoday.us/content/ view/1104/258/. Michael Paddock is CEO of Grants Office LLC. He can be reached at MPaddock@grantsoffice.com. The evils of earmarks The Congressional Research Service has commented on the difficulty of classifying earmarks, because even the issuance and terminology associated with them is not standardized. However, a typical earmark starts with an agreement between the House and Senate appropriations committees on how much will be earmarked in a given year. At the same time, representatives select projects from within their communities that have been brought to their attention, either by interested community leaders, concerned citizens or Beltway lobbyists. Decisions on which projects will be slated to receive funding are made in private, close2009-07-01T03:57:40+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=12http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=12Those who need to know . trust HIIDE™ Find out more at www.L1id.com/HIIDE Those who depend on fast and accurate mobile identification for identity dominance in the field rely on HIIDE. With more than 9,000 units in the world’s harshest environments and at sensitive border crossings, it’s simply the most powerful and widely deployed hand-held multi-modal biometric ID system of its kind. When introduced in 2005, HIIDE set the standard for the industry. Today, its unparalleled functionality, accuracy and reliability continue to lead the way. When you need to know, rely on L-1 and the only proven solution. Trust HIIDE. Protecting and Securing Personal Identities and Assets HIIDEinfo@L1id.com2009-07-01T03:57:40+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=13http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=13RESPONDERS TODAY The mother of invention BY TODD MATTHEWS TODD MATTHEWS SEATTLE, WASHINGTON zens, as DHS originally desired. Both agreed the licenses should take advantage of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. Rapid verification of EDL data proved one of the biggest technical hurdles. With $8 million in initial federal funding (and a subsequent $3 million),Washington rolled out a pilot program for EDLs in January 2008. For an additional $15,Washington residents may apply in person for a special license. Those applicants are interviewed by staff and provide proof of US citizenship, identity andWashington state residence. The resulting license contains an RFID chip with a unique identification number and all the information gathered during the screening process and interview. The technology allows screeners to read cards at up to 10 feet from the scanner, retrieve data, check against a CBP database and verify identity with biometrics in less than a second. By late April, approximately 50,000 people had enrolled in the program, and a record 1,700 EDLs were issued in a single week.Washington officials are now advising officials inVermont, New York and Michigan on their own EDL programs. TO WASHINGTON STATE’S WEST, THERE ISWATER: THE GLEAMING SHEET OF THE STRAIT OF GEORGIA,WHEREA CROOKED LINE VISIBLE ONLY ON MAPS SEPARATES THE SAN JUAN ISLANDS OF THE UNITED STATES FROM THE DISTANTAND SHADED BUMP OF CANADIAN VANCOUVER ISLAND. To the north,there is land: The steel and glass tips of downtown Vancouver buildings poke above the rolling hillside town of White Rock, British Columbia. And to the east, a porous border stretches 427 miles and climbs steeply over the rugged North Cascades before dipping down into the wheat fields of the Palouse. For the Department of Homeland Security (DHS),Washington state’s water and land boundaries have not only required more than one agency to protect the state but they have also forced local homeland security authorities to be innovative. As a result, whether in technology or organization, Washington state has been leading the way in key aspects of US homeland security. Michele James, director of field operations in Seattle, Wash., visits the Peace Arch border crossing in nearby Blaine, a key US-Canadian crossing point. Getting reorganized OtherWashington state innovations are organizational. In 2004, CBP created the Bellingham Air and Marine Branch, the first of its kind in the United States. In Bellingham, a city just north of Seattle, four airplanes and two helicopters spend 2,100 hours in the air annually patrolling the state’s border, as well as the area near Vancouver Island and the San Juan Islands. They conduct regularly scheduled patrols, respond to federal and tribal requests and plan intelligence-gathering missions. Two Cessna Citations and a C-12 aircraft have been modified with airborne radar and forward-looking infrared cameras. A Cessna 206 also provides support for local and state operations. The workhorses of the fleet are the helicopters: a UH-60 Black Hawk Utility model and an AS-350 A-Star model. The branch employs 37 CBP personnel and 15 mechanics. The branch supports other agencies in larger surveillance operations, mostly related to drug-trafficking busts. HST Todd Matthews is a Seattle, Washington-based freelance writer. Homeland Security Today Magazine | July 2009 Port security Some Washington innovations are technological. In May 2007, DHS officials and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) announced that the port of Tacoma had been selected as the first site in the United States to scan and detect intermodal cargo for radiological materials. While American ports had been scanning cargo offloaded from ships and onto trucks, at the time there was no means for scanning cargo loaded onto trains. That changed when Tacoma’s port, which ships more than 70 percent of its total import cargo by rail,was used as a screening test bed. The program resulted in two new technologies: cran2009-07-01T03:57:40+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=14http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=14NEBRASKA AVENUE quite a bit of documenting how we would handle the paperwork and handle the administration and oversight. We are working through our personnel to make sure they understand the roles and functions that they have to execute during the event. “We’re in pretty good shape and we will be doing some more training events and exercises in preparation for the 2009 hurricane season,” he added. NCS structure In the event of a catastrophe like a hurricane, the NCS agencies come together to fulfill specific roles. They collect requirements and engage private industry to broker communications services between the federal government and the public sector. Now operating under the National Response Framework, which governs emergency response, NCS takes the national lead for restoring communications in the event of an emergency. “That means when FEMA goes out the door, there are certain functions that they break down, and communications is one of those functional areas,” O’Connor explained. “The NCS has a leadership role to help assist with provisioning of emergency communications on a tactical basis and a restoration basis. We work quite closely with FEMA. FEMA brings in a lot of assets on the tactical recovery side of the house to those operations. We work in a coordinated fashion to bring those functions and capability to the table.” NCS has done more advanced planning and training for its personnel since Hurricane Katrina to provide ever-faster restoration of communications. In addition, the organization is actively examining how providing priority communications services can work best over networks operating on the Internet Protocol. The goal is to position NCS to perform emergency communications services on a priority basis within the changes occurring in commercial architecture. “We’ve plussed up some of our monitoring and awareness so that we’re looking at things on the horizon in a real world situation,” O’Connor said. NCS coordinates communications, both for national security and emergency preparedness, with federal, state, local, tribal and territorial leaders. It also works with first responders to protect critical communications infrastructure. NCS: From tropical storms to cyber storms BY MICKEY McCARTER, WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT A POWERFUL HURRICANE CAN DESTROY A LOT OF INFRASTRUCTURE, INCLUDING COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS. WHEN HURRICANE KATRINA WIPED OUT COMMUNICATIONS IN AREAS OF THE GULF COAST IN 2005, THE NATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM (NCS) SPRANG INTO ACTION TO RESTORE LOST COMMUNICATIONS AMONG EMERGENCY RESPONSE AGENCIES. NCS is a confederation of 24 federal departments and agencies formed in 1963 under an order issued by President John F . Kennedy. It works with government and industry telecommunications personnel to coordinate national security and emergency preparedness. Katrina knocked out more than 3 million telephones, disabled 38 emergency call centers, darkened more than 1,000 wireless base stations, and also disconnected cable services. In response, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) tasked NCS with duties under Emergency Support Function No. 2 of the National Response Plan, which covers communications. The agency was faced with the task of coordinating federal actions to establish communications for emergency response officials that set up camp in Louisiana and other states, as well as coordinating actions to restore the destroyed telecommunications infrastructure. While NCS worked quickly, it suffered some contracting snafus that delayed financial reporting and contributed to difficulties in keeping track of expensive equipment, reported the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in a report titled National Communications System’s Management of 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes Mission Assignment Funding (http://www.dhs.gov/xoig/assets/mgmtrpts/ OIG_09-23_Feb09.pdf). But NCS has overcome those problems and sharpened its training for its personnel for the current hurricane 2009-07-01T03:57:40+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=15http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=15NEBRASKA AVENUE “Part of government doing its business is making sure those agencies and entities—like the Homeland Security Council, National Security Council, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Office of Management and Budget—have the infrastructure and communications capability in place to be able to execute their missions. That NCS is there in a role to help them pull that together and execute,” said O’Connor. In May: Tara O’Toole was nominated to be under secretary for Science & Technology. … Jeff Neal was appointed chief human capital officer of DHS. …W. Craig Fugate was confirmed as administrator of FEMA and Timothy Manning as deputy administrator for national preparedness…Ivan Fong was confirmed as DHS general counsel. …John Morton was confirmed as assistant secretary of ICE. …Mary Byrd was appointed federal security director for the HartsfieldJackson Atlanta International Airport by TSA. …Coast Guard Capt. H. Mark Hamilton was relieved of duties as commander of the Anchorage sector pending results of an investigation into misconduct and Capt. John Kenyon was named the acting commander. DHS ROSTER Branching into cyberspace An increasing role in cybersecurity may be in store for NCS, particularly given the agency’s expertise and the consequence management responsibilities of FEMA. Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) recently wondered aloud if FEMA might not have a more active role in cybersecurity, but it’s clear that the mission of cyber assuredness for communications infrastructure might best remain with the offices within the DHS National Protection and Programs Directorate, including NCS, under mission assignments from FEMA during a catastrophe. NCS consists of four branches: Technology Programs, Customer Services, Plans and Resources and Critical Infrastructure Protection. O’Connor, as NCC manager, works within the NCS Critical Infrastructure Protection branch. The NCC is the operational arm of the NCS, watching networks 24 hours a day, seven days a week to observe the availability of telecommunications services. NCS resides within the DHS Office of Cybersecurity and Communications, working with its sister offices in the National Cybersecurity Division and the Office of Emergency Communications to monitor and report on cybersecurity threats. “If you go back and trace the definition of cyberspace, it’s movement of informa- tion and it’s movement across telecommunications infrastructure,” O’Connor remarked. “The NCS is there for ensuring that the nation’s telecommunications infrastructure is available and ready and can be prioritized during times of crisis. We work with carriers to influence that.” The NCC, in particular, works closely with the US-Computer Emergency Response Team, convening every day at 8 a.m. to share information on occurrences in the dot-gov cyber domain and in public infrastructure. Given its responsibilities and relationships, NCS may one day be responding to cyber storms in addition to tropical storms. HST UMUC HOMELAND SECURITY PROJECTED JOB GROWTH: 23% OVER THE NEXT DEC ADE. Global uncertainty and billions of federal stimulus dollars are creating thousands of jobs in homeland security. Be ready by enrolling in an undergraduate or graduate program in homeland security from University of Maryland University College (UMUC). UMUC’s unique curriculum goes beyond the hypothetical to provide practical, cutting-edge instruction. Copyright © 2009 University of Maryland University College Enroll now. Call 800-888-UMUC or visit umuc.edu/getahead Homeland Security Today Magazine | July 2009 Register online today for exclusive online content and eNewsletters 132009-07-01T03:57:40+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=16http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=16When the government asks you to help secure its network of facilities, assets and people, that’s trust. 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For your next security initiative, choose a trusted security partner that is always there, ready to help government mitigate its unique risks. Call 1-888-721-6612 now. www.adt.com/government Schedule 84 HSPD-12/FIPS-201 Approved Integrator Homeland Security SAFETY Act Certified and Designated for Electronic Security Services ADT state license numbers are available for review at www.adt.com or by contacting 1-800-ADT-ASAP.® ©2008 ADT Security Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ADT, the ADT logo, ADT Always There and 1-800-ADT-ASAP are registered trademarks of ADT Services, AG, and are used under license.2009-07-01T03:57:40+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=17http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=17AGENCY SPOTLIGHT A prescription for homeland security BY HANK HOGAN, IT CORRESPONDENT APRIL’S SWINE FLU OUTBREAK PUT THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (HHS) ON THE FRONT LINE OF THE NATION’S EMERGENCY RESPONSE. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which comes under the HHS umbrella, was the lead agency on decisions about when to release Tamiflu, the antiviral agent, and issued guidelines for shutting schools. On a day-to-day basis, the HHS Secretary’s Operation Center (SOC) coordinated decisions, primarily through conference calls with as many as 14 different federal government partners. However, what about future emergencies? Within HHS the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) handles preparedness issues. ASPR recently deployed some new tools to help manage a public health emergency. These promise to make mounting a response easier and could perhaps be tested soon. A key point is that HHS efforts are managed from a central location. “The SOC is the focal point for emergency response and situational awareness in regards to public health and human service needs,” explained Deramus Smart, the center’s IT manager. Various technologies are used within the center, with many of them involving some form of communication or information exchange. These include Web-based applications, some off-the-shelf and others custom. HHS developers, for example, have designed a custom report tool and other modules for WebEOC, the web-based emergency management communication system from ESi, Augusta, Ga. The finished information products are available to others via Microsoft SharePoint. One of the goals for this approach is the eventual creation of a virtual operations center, one that would broaden the reach and usefulness of the current SOC. The beginnings of such a tool already exist, said Smart. “We’ve created a website where you can view the same images we have up on our wall.” CDC/ JAMES GATHANY HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES hurricane season. Another test could appear this fall if, as some experts fear, swine flu reappears in a mutated and more deadly form. Keep your distance During an emergency, HHS staffers at the SOC gather information in a variety of ways, including monitoring news media outlets. When they need a more two-way and targeted interaction, they can use video and audio conferencing over landline, radio and satellite links. A great deal of this traffic runs over connections based on the Internet protocol (IP), which allows for flexibility in the video, audio and data mix. An all-IP approach constitutes the future, noted Murad Raheem,branch chief for information technology, electronics and communications within ASPR. His responsibility is the infrastructure, including the piping that carries information to and from the field in the event of a public health emergency. Infrastructure played a role in the swine flu response,although not in an immediately obvious manner. One way to lessen the impact of a disease is to reduce social contact, which involves keeping the potentially sick out of the workplace. Such social distancing, though, requires telecommuting, the right equipment and an adequate infrastructure. During the recent outbreak, HHS worked to improve its staff’s ability to continue working while engaged in social distancing. Rear Admiral Anne Schuchat, interim deputy director for the CDC’s Science and Public Health Program. You are here Another example of planned improve- ments over existing technology can be found in the tracking of a medical emergency. In the case of swine flu, this was done using geographic information systems. They provided information on the distribution, intensity and growth of cases. However, the ability to plot an outbreak will soon be enhanced, Jennifer Olsen, director of ASPR’s fusion cell for information and analysis, told Homeland Security Today. She explained that MedMap, a new tool, was developed using Google Maps technology. Experience w2009-07-01T03:57:40+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=18http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=18It’s your job to protect others, so missing a beat is not an option. Nextel Direct Connect ® makes sure your entire team can be mobilized in under a second. And in a field like this, that second makes all the difference. Nextel Direct Connect. Only on the Now Network.™ 1-800-NEXTEL-9 sprint.com/nextel BlackBerry® Curve™ 8350i Direct Connect: Nextel and PowerSource devices operate on the Nextel National Network. International Direct Connect not included. Other Terms: “Fastest” claim based on initial call setup time. Coverage not available everywhere. The Nextel National Network reaches over 274 million people. ©2009 Sprint. Sprint and the logo are trademarks of Sprint. Other marks are the property of their respective owners.2009-07-01T03:57:40+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=19http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=19MARKET MONITOR Harris Corp. targets the land mobile radio market BY PHILIP FINNEGAN HARRIS CORP ., ROCHESTER, NY, IS ACCELERATING ITS MOVE INTO THE $9 BILLION LAND MOBILE RADIO MARKET WITH ITS PLANNED $675 MILLION ACQUISITION OF TYCO ELECTRONICS WIRELESS SYSTEMS, BERWYN, PA. HARRIS BECOMES THE LATEST IN A STRING OF DEFENSE COMPANIES TO APPLY THEIR EXPERTISE IN SYSTEMS INTEGRATION AND DEFENSE COMMUNICATIONS TO THE HOMELAND SECURITY RADIO NETWORK MARKET. Over the past year, Harris’ RF [Radio Frequency] Communications demonstrated the high priority it was placing on homeland security by introducing several new products. In July 2008, it introduced the Unity family of multiband portable land mobile radios to provide federal, state and local public safety authorities with secure interoperable communications. The first product of the family is the Unity XG-100. Competitors Other defense contractors have been successful in getting into the homeland security public safety radio market, a market traditionally dominated by Motorola, Schaumberg, Ill. Motorola alone has approximately half of the $9 billion land mobile radio market. Yet defense contractors eager to expand into homeland security have made serious inroads into Motorola’s dominance in recent years. Northrop Grumman, Los Angeles, Calif., beat Motorola to win a fiveyear, $500 million emergency radio system contract in New York City in September 2006. The broadband public safety wireless network added new high-speed data and video capabilities to the existing system, as well as new advanced wireless capabilities for first responders and transportation personnel. General Dynamics, Falls Church, Va., a leader in defense tactical communications, brought that military expertise to bear in winning the Integrated Wireless Network program in 2007. The nationwide interoperable voice and data radio network for law enforcement is intended to aid federal agencies in communicating with state and local law enforcement, especially during terrorist attacks or natural disasters. At earlier stages of the competition, General Dynamics beat both Motorola and Lockheed Martin, Bethesda, Md., to win the 15-year contract worth up to $10 billion. The Justice Department manages the program with participation by the departments of Homeland Security and Treasury. The European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co. (EADS), the world’s second largest aerospace company, also has seen the potential offered by the public sector radio market. By acquiring Nokia’s Professional Mobile Radio business in 2005, EADS was able to combine Nokia’s Tetra technology with its own TETRAPOL technology to create the European market leader in the two leading digital radio standards. EADS Secure Networks, now second to Motorola in the professional mobile radio market, has done work in more than 60 countries, creating 30 nationwide networks. HST Philip Finnegan is the director of corporate analysis at the Teal Group, a firm based in Fairfax, Va., that provides strategic and market analysis to major corporations. He can be reached at pfinnegan@tealgroup.com. Harris Unity XG-100 fullspectrum multiband radio Synergy Harris’ management sees the potential for synergy between its dynamic Rochesterbased RF Communications segment, and itsWireless Systems business, based in Lowell, Mass. RF Communications, which represents about 37 percent of Harris’ total sales, is extremely dynamic, with one of the highest growth rates and profitability levels in the defense industry. Demand for its products has soared with the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. That has created concerns about a potential downturn as the US effort in Iraq winds down, a concern management is helping to address by building up its homeland security work. The acquisition combines Wireless Systems’ expertise in end-to-end network infrastructure solutions with Harris’ expertise in radio technology. In addition to complementary technologies, the two companies will have a broader2009-07-01T03:57:40+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=20http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=20HOMELAND SEC INDUSTRY NEWS INDUSTRY ROSTER ICx has promoted Colin Cumming to president and CEO. … Avigilon appointed Dan Ireland regional sales director for eastern Canada. … Michael Mahon was promoted to national sales manager for Sielox. … SIG SAUER appointed Pete Kujawski vice president of international sales and training. … Celera appointed Dr. H. Robert Superko vice president and chief of medical affairs. … SRC named Joanne Shumaker its federal market account director. … Health Discovery Corp. made R. Scott Tobin its president and general counsel. … Peter Trick was named chairman of the board of the Newton Marasco Foundation. … FLIR Systems elected John Wood, Jr. to its board. … Roxanne Gould left TechAmerica to lead public policy activities in the western states for Dell. … SkyTerra appointed Jeffrey Carlisle vice president of regulatory affairs. … QinetiQ North America made JD Crouch II executive vice president for strategic development. … AlliedBarton Security Services appointed Ken Bukowski vice president of Sperian awarded SCBA contract for Los Angeles County Fire Department Following a second evaluation of self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), the County of Los Angeles Fire Department has awarded Sperian Respiratory Protection, Los Angeles, Calif., and its distributor, LN Curtis and Sons, the SCBA contract for the County of Los Angeles Fire Department, which includes products of the company. It is estimated that with Los Angeles County and other departments that might choose to purchase SCBAs from this contract, the contract will result in the sale of approximately 4,200 Sperian Warrior SCBAs and related items. (Source:Sperian) healthcare. … Global InfoTek appointed P. Jayachandran vice president for business development and marketing. … Deidre Lee has joined the Professional Services Council as executive vice president of federal affairs and operations. … Matt Shannon has joined the federal sales and marketing team of Datastrip. …O’Neill & Associates has hired Carlos Iturregui as a senior vice president in Washington, DC. Air Force chooses ONESuit Gard HAZMAT suits for personnel in Iraq The United States Air Force has chosen ONESuit Gard chemical protective single-skin hazmat suits—which are produced by Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics, Merrimack, NH, maker of high-performance materials and packaging—for personnel based in Iraq. With a single-skin design, ONESuit Gard chemical protective suits do not require overcovers to keep wearers safe, allowing for maneuverability and user comfort. The HAZMAT suit is also lightweight, features extended shelf life and is compactable for storage. All ONESuit products are certified to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1991 standard for superior protection against the most dangerous chemical and biological agents. (Source: Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics) Hunter acquires Vertigo Inc. for shelter technology Hunter Defense Technologies, Solon, Ohio, a designer and developer of homeland security and military solutions, has acquiredVertigo Inc., the Lake Elsinore, Calif., engineering firm that invented high pressure AirBeam technology. AirBeam technology utilizes a fiber-reinforced elastomeric composite capable of containing high gas pressure and resisting bending. AirBeams can be formed in a multitude of different shapes, allowing for a variety of uses. The Vertigo AirBeam is the primary structure utilized in the US Army’s Force Provider Base Camp system due to its rapid deployment capabilities, strength and quality. AirBeam shelters can be utilized in applications such as command centers, aviation hangars and field medical facilities. (Source:Hunter) This month’s issue is now available online at… 18 July 2009 | Homeland Security Today Magazine2009-07-01T03:57:40+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=21http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=21C Integrated Security Solutions Identity Management Safeguarding Information Compliance Support Physical Security Security Systems IT Services and Products . and much more. Where Total Security Solutions Converge Your mission to safeguard America’s property, assets and workforce requires an integrated approach including access control, guards, surveillance and detection. 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Equip your team with confidence and enhanced response capability from the trusted leader in protective fabrics. The quick-donning XRT suit gets your team to operations sooner with one-piece design and no taping. Breathable GORE® CHEMPAK® Selectively Permeable Fabric reduces heat and moisture buildup, allowing your team to stay on the scene for up to eight hours. The XRT suit is the only breathable single mission certified CB suit for perimeter response – certified to the NFPA 1994, Class 3 standard. Visit our website for more information on the new XRT suit and other suits using Gore’s innovative fabrics. THE NEW XRT SUIT – AVAILABLE NOW. www.GoreChempak.com/XRT W. L. G ORE & A SSOCIATES , I NC . Technical Fabrics 800.431.GORE (4673) CHEMPAK, GORE and designs are trademarks of W. L. Gore & Associates ©2009 W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc. Warning: No products, including garments, footwear or handwear, offer absolute protection, even when new, and their protective performance will decline with wear, tear, abrasion, and other damage associated with use.2009-07-01T03:57:40+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=23http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=23The Flu NEXT TIME THE SPRING FLU OUTBREAK MIGHT HAVE BEEN JUST A PRECURSOR TO A MUCH MORE DANGEROUS FALL. WILL WE BE READY? By D A V I D S I L V E R B E R G and A N T H O N Y K I M E R Y IN MARCH 1918,YOUNG, HEALTHY SOLDIERS BEGAN FALLING ILL AND DYING AT FORT RILEY IN KANSAS, KILLED BY AN INFLUENZA VIRUS SO VICIOUS THAT IT VIRTUALLY TURNED THEIR LUNGS INTO A PASTE. Despite its virulence, in many ways the government, medical authorities and the public overlooked it because of their preoccupation with a world war. It spread unevenly through the United States, Europe and Asia, and death rates were not appreciably higher than normal mortality rates. Moreover, by the late spring it appeared that the epidemic was over as the numbers of new cases declined. But then, in the fall, it struck again violently and virulently and with very high mortality rates. It became the first global pandemic in modern times, adding the ravages of nature to a world beset by the woes of war. It was the first, most deadly and widespread disease outbreak of the 20th century. This year, late in April, a strain of flu emerged from the town of La Gloria in Mexico. Dubbed H1N1, this was a highly mutated, unknown strain of flu to which many humans had never been exposed and to which there was no immunity. It spread north of the border, to Europe and Asia and persisted well past the end of flu season. It afflicted a disproportionate number of young people—a pattern similar to the 1918 flu. Register online today for exclusive online content and eNewsletters Homeland Security Today Magazine | July 2009 212009-07-01T03:57:40+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=24http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=24THE FLU NEXT TIME On June 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared the H1N1 outbreak a pandemic and raised its alert to Phase 6, its highest level. “The virus is contagious, spreading easily from one person to another and from one country to another. As of today, nearly 30,000 confirmed cases have been reported in 74 countries,” announced Dr. Margaret Chan,WHO’s director general. As of June 15, in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had tracked 17,855 cases resulting in 45 deaths. Fortunately, though, by mid-June the H1N1 strain seemed relatively mild, and most of the sufferers had recovered with nothing more than the aches and fever of a seasonal flu. But will the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus follow the pattern of 1918? Will we have a second outbreak of a much more vicious strain? While the future is uncertain, governments can prepare in the present. How are the United States and its neighbors, allies and the rest of the world preparing for what could be a deadly fall? sonal flu and two for H1N1. They said that in order to be prepared for the next flu season, a decision would have to be made in late July or early August in time to begin manufacturing H1N1 vaccines. Dr. Albert Geetter, section chief of the Operations Branch of the Office of Public Health Preparedness in the Connecticut Department of Public Health, told Homeland Security Today that “vaccine production technology is dependent on our ability to identify the main genetic characteristics of a continually evolving virus. Thus, we are always in a reactive mode. It’s a very sophisticated cat and mouse game. It still takes four to six months to produce a vaccine to deal with a new strain.” Tim Stephens, a noted emergency public health preparedness advisor who had worked for the National Sheriffs Association and was former senior director of preparedness for the Association of State & Territorial Health Officials, warned, “The issues of having a seasonal and H1N1 vaccine could get tremendously messy, especially given how quickly H1N1 can mutate. A final vaccine made for what emerges from its circulation through the southern hemisphere could have changed again after vaccines are made.” Throughout the summer, experts’ eyes will be on the southern hemisphere, the winter flu season of which is the opposite of the northern hemisphere. Von Roebuck, spokesman for the CDC director, told Homeland Security Today, “We’re watching very closely what’s happening with H1N1 in the southern hemisphere. We believe this will tell us a lot about what’s going on with it with regard to what we may expect next [flu] season.” The experts will be watching to see if H1N1 mutates or develops a resistance to existing vaccines. They are also concerned that inoculating populations too early in the epidemic with antivirals like Tamiflu could create a resistant strain of H1N1. As explained by Dr. Jonathan Epstein, associate vice president of field programs for the Wildlife Trust and executive director of the Consortium for Conservation Medicine, “It’s fortunate that this strain of flu is susceptible to Oseltamivir and Zanamivir [flu-fighting drugs]; however, vaccination is [still] the most effective form of prevention.” He added: “Antivirals are effective when used immediately upon onset of flu symptoms to reduce the intensity of infection and may certainly save lives. However, the risk associated with the widespread prophylactic use of antivirals is that resistant strains of the virus may arise.” The vaccine front The most common and effective defense against a flu is a vaccine. However, because H1N1 was a new and unknown strain, past flu vaccines were ineffective. The spring outbreak spread so rapidly, there was nothing available as a defense. However, on May 22, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sibelius announced that her department would use $1 billion in existing money to fund clinical studies over the summer and produce two po2009-07-01T03:57:40+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=25http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=252009-07-01T03:57:40+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=26http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=26THE FLU NEXT TIME of “a lack of equipment and trained staff to keep up with even a small number of cases. “As always, we must rely on excellent leadership and common sense at the local level to manage disasters of any magnitude or type and not await the state or federal government to be our rescuer,” Potter said. Von Roebuck said HHS, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other pandemic response agencies are working hard to incorporate recent lessons regarding vital supply issues. A leading state public health official said, “The situation is as sensitive as it is fluid.We’re in a very early reactive stage, still data collecting furiously.” He added: “I think it is important for all to know that the states are actively acting regionally” and “are very much aware that our collective effectiveness is absolutely dependent on the clarity of our communications.” Of particular concern to state and federal public health officials contacted by Homeland Security Today is the fact that the fatality rate of confirmed H1N1 infections by late May was higher than that for seasonal flu, an important finding with regard to preparedness planning. As one state official pointed out, “Although, as you know, influenza viral activity tends to diminish as the warmer weather hits in the northern hemisphere, we have to remember that it will be circulating in the southern hemisphere in June-July through September and may change its virulence pattern when it emerges up here during the following year. We just can’t predict whether it will be more dangerous or less until it arrives. Meanwhile, our surveillance activities will continue unabated.” The trial run By virtually all accounts, government agencies responded well to the spring outbreak. CDC and HHS “integrated themselves to the degree that they supported our specific needs with minimal bureaucratic interference,” one official told Homeland Security Today, saying, “They were surprisingly nimble for such a large government entity. Overall, we’re much more confident that we can mitigate the effects of a pandemic.” DHS was deeply involved in the spring response, with Secretary Janet Napolitano making the rounds of talk shows, along with Sibelius and Dr. Richard Besser, the acting director of the CDC, reassuring the public and explaining government actions. On a more substantive level, the US federal During a three-week stay in Japan during the outbreak of the H1N1 flu outbreak, I got a taste of government, along with state and local governwhat a full-blown pandemic might be like. For the first time, I was able to see a plague unfoldments, began testing existing plans for distribution ing from a global perspective. of antivirals and personal protective equipment, The Japanese love everything American, so I wasn’t surprised to see experts from CDC Schuchat told reporters on June 11. offering up nightly sound bites from across the Pacific. Also following America’s lead, the “What’s going on right now is an intense effort Japanese media featured only the most sensational stories. working with state and local governments to try to Traveling abroad became, at best, a complete hassle or, at worst, potentially life-threatengather those lessons learned and to understand ing. Japanese health officials, in full HAZMAT suits, boarded every incoming flight from the what worked well, what didn’t work well, how can United States, Mexico and Canada and checked every passenger’s temperature. we take those lessons and really get more ready Scores of people cancelled spring vacation plans, and there was suddenly a run on hand for the fall,” said Schuchat. The association of sanitizer and facemasks.While it’s not uncommon to see Japanese people wearing facemasks state and territorial health officials hosted a series during cold, flu and allergy seasons, the ever-polite Japanese wear them to protect others, not of regional meetings to absorb those lessons. themselves. But as I traveled around Japan, I noticed that 2009-07-01T03:57:40+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=27http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=27THE FLU NEXT TIME As Kudwa put it, “We are working with our federal partners to review policies and guidance for workforce decisions such as telework, social distancing, sick leave and other decisions that would affect the continuity of services. Our work with state, local, tribal and territorial homeland security advisors, health officials and emergency managers will continue to be a focus of our coordination efforts, as well — as they look to the federal government for guidance.” But with the spring outbreak just the foretaste of what might come, officials, physicians, public health professionals and citizens are looking anxiously to the autumn—and to the system that protects them. Budget cuts and staff shortages have weakened the US health system, and one organization, the Association of Schools of Public Health, in a May 21 briefing to members of Congress, warned that, should there be a resurgence of the flu, “the shortages in the [public health] workforce will severely strain abilities to adequately control and extinguish the outbreak. Additionally, resources will have to be pulled from other projects and activities—such as sanitation, health services delivery and responding to other infectious diseases— which could fall by the wayside.” “We’re always poised for a seasonal flu,” noted Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association. “If you have another wave on top of that, it will stress the system.” The answer, according to Benjamin, is that “we have to build some capacity over the summer to plan” for large-scale events. “During the trial run [the spring outbreak], we did very well. The training, the skills and the practice were there. The fact that people weren’t exchanging business cards for the first time meant we did well. We had seasoned people at the helm;we had good people in leadership positions. But we have to build in surge capacity.You can’t be throwing money at the end or the middle [of the outbreak]. It’s like trying to build an army in the middle of a fight.” Among the needs that Benjamin saw from the spring outbreak was the need to build laboratory capacity and better manage closures of public events and institutions. “We need to make sure that people understand closures. Now there is reluctance to make decisions, but based on experience, we’re going to have to make informed decisions in the fall about closing schools and things like sports events.” While the spring outbreak didn’t require those kinds of closures—or large-scale quarantines, airport closures or sealing borders—those kinds of measures might be required in the fall. “Hopefully, over the summer we’ll get a better idea of who is at risk,” he said. This will apply not only to H1N1, which may put at risk younger populations, but also to the seasonal flu, which may threaten older populations. For the average citizen, said Benjamin, “the message is that you have to have a plan. Have a plan to protect yourself and your family. You may have to plan to have children home from school, and you may not be able to go to work. Have a plan in place now. It’s not something you want to be doing when the flu strikes.” As it is for individuals and families, so it is for nations and the world. There are a few months respite for planning and preparation before what might be an autumn storm. A summer is a terrible thing to waste. HST CIRCULA TION SUSCI FLUID RE TAT I O N PA C I N G You want to improve survival rates. ZOLL® wants to help. We know code events in military-unique environments are complex. We also believe that products and solutions that encompass multiple facets of resuscitation, and work as a system, can help you improve survival rates. You can feel confident that every ZOLL product provides superior performance independently, and as part of our vision of a fully integrated resuscitation system. And with our Guidelines Guarantee, you can be sure that our products will take you into the future. We invite you to join2009-07-01T03:57:40+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=28http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=282009-07-01T03:57:40+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=29http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=29The Beltway Battle for By P H I L I P L E G G I E R E BUSINESS EDITOR CYBER TURF IN MARCH 1943, AT A TIME WHEN AMERICAN AND BRITISH MILITARY LEADERS WERE CONFIDENT THAT THE NAVAL WAR AGAINST GERMANY HAD TURNED DECISIVELY IN THEIR FAVOR, ALLIED CONVOY SHIPS SUDDENLY AND MYSTERIOUSLY BEGAN BEING FIERCELY AND SUCCESSFULLY AMBUSHED BY GERMAN U-BOATS. NEARLY A QUARTER OF THE SHIPS THAT SET OUT IN CONVOY ON THE EASTBOUND ATLANTIC PASSAGE WERE SUNK. ALL TOLD, 95 SHIPS, CARRYING CLOSE TO A MILLION TONS OF MATERIAL AND THOUSANDS OF ALLIED SEAMEN WERE DESTROYED THAT MONTH. The cause of the sudden deterioration of allied shipping (thought erroneously at first to be the weather) was finally discovered months later to be the cracking of the allied convoy routing cipher by German signal code breakers. In the interim, thousands more seamen perished. “US Navy and British naval communications were so complex and security so disorganized that no one seemed to know how many times and by whom, and in what systems, they were compromised,” author Alan Hodges wrote of these communications security failures in his book Alan Turing: The Enigma, a famous study of theWorldWar II signal intelligence war. Register online today for exclusive online content and eNewsletters THERE’S A PLETHORA OF IDEAS ABOUT THE PROPER WAY TO ORGANIZE THE NATION’S CYBERSECURITY DEFENSES—BUT IS THERE THE WILL AND AUTHORITY TO FIND ONE SOLUTION AND IMPLEMENT IT? 27 Homeland Security Today Magazine | July 20092009-07-01T03:57:40+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=30http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=30T H E B E LT WAY B AT T L E F O R C Y B E R T U R F “Information and communications technology have obviously come forward by quantum leaps in the many decades since World War II,” Jim Ivers, veteran security specialist and chief marketing officer of Rockville, Md.-based IT risk management firm Triumfant, told Homeland Security Today. “But the essential vulnerability of vital information systems persists. The Internet has not changed that a bit.” those words there have been a number of tentative steps toward advancing a truly national agenda on cybersecurity. The National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace (NSCC) (http:// www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/National_Cyberspace_Strategy.pdf), released in 2003, identified three strategic objectives: preventing cyber attacks against America’s critical infrastructures; reducing national vulnerability to cyber attacks; and minimizing damage and recovery time from cyber attacks that do occur. Among its outlined priorities, NSSC called for the creation of a National Cyberspace Security Response System, focusing on improving the government’s response to cyberspace security incidents and reducing the potential damage from such events, and the development of national threat and vulnerability reduction and education programs. Homeland Security Presidential Directive 7 (HSPD 7) (http:// www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/nspd/hspd-7.html), issued in December 2003, directed the new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to serve as the focal point for securing cyberspace and for coordinating analysis, warning, information sharing, vulnerability reduction, mitigation and recovery efforts for critical infrastructure information systems. Within DHS, the National Cybersecurity Division (NCSD), also formed in 2003, has been the central entity charged with improving the United States’ defense against Internet-based attacks. NCSD oversees the US-CERT (Computer Emergency Response Team) program, which is essentially its operational arm, charged with providing response support and defense against cyber attacks for the federal civil executive branch and information sharing and collaboration with state and local government, industry and international partners. The past two years have seen the advancement of yet more cybersecurity initiatives under the aegis of DHS. In January 2008, President George Bush issued HSPD 23, which is also known as National Security Presidential Directive 54 and the president’s “Cyber Initiative.” Though the full directive remains a classified document, one of the things it did was create a National Cyber Security Center (NCSC), a newly formed office within DHS tasked with protecting the US government’s communications networks. The center monitors, collects and shares information on systems belonging to the National Security Agency (NSA), Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Defense (DoD) and DHS. At the time of NCSC’s formation, then-DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff referred to the new entity and the still largely secret Cyber Initiative as a “Manhattan Project” to defend cyber networks. Also in 2008, DHS issued its National Response Framework, designed to provide guidance in coordinating cyber incident response among federal entities and, upon request, state and local governments and private sector entities. Reviewing the history of these programs, Lewis bemoaned the huge gap between rhetorical promise and performance that has plagued them. “Our national efforts in cyberspace are disorganized,” Lewis added. “None of the existing cybersecurity structures are adequate … the central problems in the current federal organization for cybersecurity are the lack of a strategic focus, overlapping missions, poor coordination and collaboration and diffuse responsibility.” Playing catch-up Indeed, in the age of the global Internet, the stakes of information security have in many ways broadened and deepened, for not only ships but most of the ongoing operations on which hundreds of millions of American2009-07-01T03:57:40+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=31http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=31T H E B E LT WAY B AT T L E F O R C Y B E R T U R F Turf tussles “Every American depends, directly or indirectly, on our system of As if to illustrate this critique, a variety of turf wars over cybersecurity information networks,” Obama said. “They are increasingly the responsibility and jurisdiction have stymied recent attempts to crebackbone of our economy and our infrastructure, our national ate a seamless national cybersecurity policy. security and our personal well-being. But it’s no secret that terrorists The sudden resignation in March 2009 of Rod Beckstrom, the could use our computer networks to deal us a crippling blow.” technology entrepreneur tapped with much fanfare only 11 months Making what had previously been considered an issue of interest before to be the first head of the new NCSC,shined a spotlight on the only to specialists and nerds a frequent campaign topic, Obama extent of the bureaucratic power struggles being generated around vowed to declare the nation’s cyber infrastructure a strategic asset cybersecurity. and appoint a national cyber adviser who would report directly to In a resignation letter widely circulated both inside and outside him. In addition, he promised that his administration would coordithe government, Beckstrom complained to Homeland Security Secnate efforts across the federal government to implement a truly retary Janet Napolitano that the center had not received appropriate national cybersecurity policy. support from DHS to help coordinate federal network defenses. Very shortly after assuming office, Obama took an initial step Beyond issues of funding, Beckstrom charged that NSA was most toward following through on that promise by appointing directly undermining DHS’ authority over the country’s cybersecurity, a development Join the FusionX CORE launch at the Microsoft booth he predicted would have disastrous conseat the ESRI® User Conference Public Safety Showcase. quences over the long term if not reversed. July 13 – 17, 2009 San Diego Beckstrom’s resignation made public what had been a largely internecine struggle over cybersecurity jurisdiction between advocates of continuing DHS’ authority over coordination of federal cybersecurity and those, including President Barack Obama’s Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Admiral Dennis Blair, who believe control of securing the nation’s cyber infrastructure should be centered in NSA. Ivers believes that these turf wars on cybersecurity, which a few years ago might have been merely “inside baseball” kinds of conflicts — of interest to Beltway aficionados only — have disturbed and alienated the public. “A growing portion of the public is now well aware from their everyday experience that their savings,their investments and personal information are all deeply bound up in cyberspace,” he said. “So combating cyber theft and cyber espionage is no longer a fringe issue. “There’s a growing political reality, which may not have fully penetrated the Have you always wanted your Fusion Center to improve its information sharing bureaucracies yet but is being understood capabilities and security? by a few politicians who sense the public mood more directly, that the public wants Introducing Microsoft® FusionX CORE — a ready-to-go hardware and software solution that can help any Fusion Center produce actionable intelligence — and needs the sense that guarantees that quickly and easily with enhanced security. Whether your center requires rapid the entire government is on the same page intelligence and information management, data visualization, or cutting-edge on this.” geospatial capabilities, FusionX CORE seamlessly manages the information you need now — from intake, to analysis, to dissemination. FusionX CORE is also The Obama administration designed to take advantage of your existing IT investments and does not require One politician who has been ahead of the you to rip and replace your current applications. curve in understanding the importance2009-07-01T03:57:40+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=32http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=32T H E B E LT WAY B AT T L E F O R C Y B E R T U R F Melissa Hathaway, previously a senior advisor to Michael McConnell, the Bush administration’s director of national intelligence, to conduct a 60 day review of national cybersecurity policy, a review subsequently completed on April 17, 2009. The review was announced as a prelude to developing an integrated strategy that will coordinate security efforts across government agencies and between the public and private sectors. On the morning of May 29, in front of an audience ofVIPs at the White House,including DHS secretary Janet Napolitano,Director of the National Economic Council Lawrence Summers, General James Jones, the President’s national security advisor, and chief executives from many of America’s largest technology and security firms, Obama unveiled the recommendations of the review,declaring “ the status quo is no longer acceptable,and a national dialogue on cybersecurity must begin today.” The White House’s cyberspace policy review, titled Assuring a Trusted and Resilient Information and Communications Infrastructure (http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/Cyberspace_Policy _Review_final.pdf) explicitly stated that “leadership should be elevated and strongly anchored within the White House to provide direction, coordinate action, and achieve results.” Referring to previous flawed attempts at national cybersecurity policy,the document stated that “while efforts over the past two years started key programs and made great strides by bridging previously disparate agency missions, they provide an incomplete solution,” primarily,it explained,“because,although each agency has a unique contribution to make,no single agency has a broad enough perspective or authority to match the sweep of the problem.” In his speech outlining the cybersecurity review results, Obama announced the creation of a new office within the White House, to be headed by a central policy coordinator for cybersecurity who will report to the National Security Council (NSC) and the National Economic Council. The first order of business for the newly formed office, according to the “action plan” laid out in the review, will be the preparation of an updated national strategy to secure informational and communication infrastructures. The new office will also be responsible for creating and convening an interagency mechanism to “conduct interagency cleared legal analyses of priority cybersecurity related issues,” initiating a public awareness campaign and designating a privacy and civil liberties official to the NSC cybersecurity directorate. While the experts with whom Homeland Security Today spoke (including two former NCSD directors) believed the centralization of functions at the White House would mark an important step forward in forming a truly unified cybersecurity strategy, they emphasized that ensuring its effectiveness would be a major and long-term challenge. “What’s encouraging to me,” Amit Yoran, former national cybersecurity director at DHS from 2003 to 2004 and now chief executive officer of Herndon, Va.-based cyber risk management consulting firm NetWitness, told Homeland Security Today, “is the realization that the White House needs to be an active coordinating presence and be the focal point of a federal policy. Beyond that,I’m optimistic that in a town where contention is the norm there is finally a true bipartisan focus on the need to take cybersecurity out of the margins and into the center of policymaking.” Another former DHS “cyber czar,” Andy Purdy, acting director of NCSD and US-CERT from 2004 to 2006 and now chief executive officer of DRA Enterprises, a Washington, DC-based cybersecurity firm, believes that, although the White House office of cybersecurity resulting from the review will have its work cut out for it in many areas in getting buy-in from government departments, once the restructuring and reform agenda has been laid out, its mission will be relatively easy. “I think the m2009-07-01T03:57:40+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=33http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=33T H E B E LT WAY B AT T L E F O R C Y B E R T U R F Analysis Beyond the government level, the White House plan must obtain true buy-in with the private sector and the public,in Purdy’s view. “To really engage the private sector, it’s going to be necessary to go beyond the check-the-box mentality we’ve had. The private sector needs to be part of the process and accountable.” As an example of how that might work, he cited the area of malicious activity monitoring. “The malicious activity and cyber crime priority has seen tremendous progress, but I think there is a significant, missing strategic piece to this,” he said. “Although it is important to go after the bad guys, we need to identify this as a strategic priority and bring together key stakeholders to collect and share information to identify the most significant malicious actors in cyberspace and those who enable them and use the resources across government and the private sector to shut them down, cut off the flow of payments to them, stop the enablers (bad merchant banks) and disrupt the black market in malicious tools.” Ivers of the Triumfant risk management firm agreed and added that defining rigorous, clear and transparent standards and requirements to which all government and corporate entities will be held accountable is critical. “I don’t foresee standards development and even compliance as inherently a technical problem,” he explained. “The standards for sound cybersecurity are widely understood, if not so widely practiced. The compliance tools are in place. What it really is going to come down to is how to create agreement about across-the-board, unambiguous requirements that everyone is committed to, and the creation of uniform processes and road maps for reaching goals that are universally shared.” The biggest danger, Ivers believes, is that the government’s mandates will be shown or perceived to lack “teeth.” “The biggest challenge will be that, the minute you try to apply serious compliance standards that are uniform, you’ll run smack into the two words that render standards meaningless, which are ‘except me.’ The big problem in the past has been that you’ll get a great set of recommendations and ‘requirements,’ and organizations will say, ‘They are terrific, except that our case is a little different; we can’t do it.’ “Whatever entity comes out of this reform and restructuring needs to have not only the respect of everyone involved but the authority to back it up,” Ivers warned. Ed Hammersla, chief operating officer of Herndon, Va.-based Trusted Computer,an IT security specialist that does extensive cybersecurity work for the federal government,concurred with this assessment, saying, “For well over a decade, we’ve had guidelines, suggestions, mandates and policies, but they’ve never had any teeth to enforce compliance. The result is that most organizations, public and private, just ignored them and hoped they’d go away. And you know what? For all practical purposes, they did.” A final necessity if this latest attempt to unify cybersecurity policy is not to suffer the same fate as its predecessors, Yoran believes, is staying power and persistent, relentless multi-institutional focus. “The details of how this evolves into working relationships and processes will take years, not months, and certainly not weeks,” observed Yoran. “Nonetheless, I sense that a national cybersecurity policy may be an idea whose time has finally come, and that the review will mark what I think will eventually be seen as a decisive turning point toward a truly nationalized policy.” HST Contract GS-07F-9463S Register online today for exclusive online content and eNewsletters Homeland Security Today Magazine | July 2009 312009-07-01T03:57:40+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=34http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=34MANUEL BROUSSARD/FEMA W. Craig Fugate, the newly confirmed administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), meets in New Orleans on June 15 with the senior staff of the Louisiana Transitional Recovery Office. Federal officials are taking a more respectful tone in dealing with state and local governments, according to officials around the country. From Pawns to Partners By M I C K E Y M c C A R T E R , W A S H I N G T O N C O R R E S P O N D E N T IN THE AFTERMATH OF HURRICANE KATRINA, THE STATE OF LOUISIANA DETERMINED IT WOULD HAVE TO TACKLE ABOUT 25,000 INDIVIDUAL RECOVERY PROJECTS TO RESTORE ITS PARISHES TO THE STATE THEY WERE IN BEFORE THE HURRICANE RIPPED THROUGH THE GULF COAST IN AUGUST 2005. Many of the decisions made over those 25,000 projects were done so individually, creating a painfully slow path to recovery where officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) viewed recovery projects with suspicion instead of trust, according to many Louisiana officials. President Barack Obama’s administration has made a great deal of difference with new federal leadership in recovery efforts, Mark DeBosier, assistant deputy director for disaster recovery at the Louisiana governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, told Homeland Security Today. “The Obama administration has been fabulous,” said DeBosier. “They have sent down the right kind of decisionmakers that are interested in supporting the Louisiana recovery. The new leadership focuses on a logical approach—a common sense approach— CHANGES IN FEDERAL RELATIONS WITH STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS SHOULD MAKE FOR BETTER RESPONSES WHEN THE NEXT BIG DISASTER LOOMS. and they’re making transparent decisions.” For example,federal recovery authorities no longer judge the eligibility of projects submitted for disaster recovery funding by a standard of proving “beyond a shadow of a doubt” that a structure like a public facility was damaged by the hurricane. Instead,they view eligibility on more reasonable terms whereby a structure is eligible if it appears to have been damaged by the hurricane. “The new team would say, ‘It looks like it’s storm damage,’ so unless someone can prove that it wasn’t,it’s probably going to be an eligible expense,” he explained. The change in philosophy stems partly from a realization that recovery in Louisiana has been slow due in part to the slow federal response. Therefore, improving the federal response improves the recovery. “It’s not that the applicants, the locals and the state don’t need to improve their procedures as well, which we’re all trying to do, but the federal response to these recoveries is critical. They’re the ones with the gold,” he declared. With Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and 32 July 2009 | Homeland Security Today Magazine This month’s issue is now available online at…2009-07-01T03:57:40+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=35http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=35FEMA Administrator W. Craig Fugate, federal officials hope to strengthen partnerships with state and local governments in all aspects of emergency management, drawing upon their knowledge of their jurisdictions and then augmenting their capabilities with federal resources. With the flexibility demonstrated by the new FEMA leadership, DeBosier expressed hope that recovery stakeholders will create a new paradigm this year, tackling multiple recovery problems, perhaps hundreds at a time, rather than handling the projects through individual stovepipes. “We’re communicating as partners. Before,we communicated as adversaries,” he said. Intergovernmental coordination Federal homeland security officials under Napolitano have embraced her call for greater state and local integration in disaster preparedness, response and recovery efforts. One of Napolitano’s first actions after taking charge of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was to issue an action directive to study ways to boost state and local integration with emergency management efforts. In response, FEMA developed about 75 recommendations to improve integration with state and local authorities. To assist in carrying out her vision, Napolitano recruited Juliette Kayyem,former homeland security advisor to the governor of Massachusetts, to help improve state and local coordination. Kayyem currently serves as the assistant secretary of Homeland Security for Intergovernmental Programs within FEMA, but Napolitano hopes to bring the office out of FEMA later this year to boost state and local integration on a DHS-wide basis. “The Department of Homeland Security is only going to succeed if there is all sorts of outreach going on every single day with the state and locals,” Kayyem told Homeland Security Today. “As a state homeland security advisor, I often talked to the captain of the Boston port. I talked to her two or three times a week. “But it would be a complete mess if every time she needed to do what she needed to do it was in some way overseen, managed or vetoed by someone sitting in an office 1,000 miles away. That just couldn’t succeed. The very point is that you want that coordination.” In the same way, DHS must have a group of people who are aware of and working to integrate outreach efforts in a way that makes sense for its customers—which include state and local governments. According to Kayyem, Napolitano has a philosophy that there cannot be too much outreach to state and local authorities. So DHS will increase outreach to state homeland security advisors and to municipal homeland security advisors to discuss issues like their economic shortfalls and how federal authorities can help them meet their homeland security and emergency management goals. Some of that outreach will take place in the form of conference calls and some of it in the form of meetings with representative organizations like the National Governor’s Association. Instead of waiting for a phone call asking ques- tions about what is going on, Kayyem intends to initiate phone calls with organizations on a regular basis to explain to them what has been happening in homeland security affairs. The motivation behind this outreach is to saturate state and local governments with more information than they actually need to do their jobs because, as subject matter experts, they may have contributions or interests to foster. “So it’s important that, for example, we talk to the border governors’ homeland security advisors about border security,” she said. “But I’m sitting here thinking,‘I bet you everyone is interested in this.’ There is no question that people are reading the newspaper. The northern states are going to care about it and the southern states are going to care about it. But lo and behold, Oklahoma cares about it. They have a huge concern about where the drug trade is heading. So it’s that kind of outreach to make DHS accessible even when it may not be operationally relevant on a day-to-day basis.2009-07-01T03:57:40+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=36http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=36FROM PAWNS TO PARTNERS COMING IN OCTOBER gration that it needed to be a part of.” So DHS must be more than a federal agency that talks to itself or works with federal stakeholders without integrating state and local input, Kayyem asserted. An early test of turning this philosophy into reality is underway this summer with the emergency management grant process. Grant applications must become more user friendly and more sympathetic to budget crises. “We can’t survive as an agency if we seem unresponsive or unconcerned that most police chiefs are worried about cutting 10 percent of their police forces. The fact that DHS has a new funky database that they can use is not at the top of their concerns right now. We have to recognize that, and we have to modify our own deliverables and be sympathetic and understanding and supportive of that,” she said. GREEN Harnessing expertise While boosting state and local input into federal initiatives is admirable, sometimes problems are best solved with federal input into state and local initiatives, cautioned Ben Smilowitz, executive director of the Disaster Accountability Project, an organization monitoring national disaster management efforts. “There are many ways to engage state and local emergency managers—and not only should they be engaged in planning for the federal government role in responding to disasters and in preparedness but also they can be engaged in ensuring their own preparedness systems are comprehensive and updated,” Smilowitz told Homeland Security Today. “So preparedness grants could have requirements attached to them: In order to reapply, a community has to have an updated comprehensive emergency plan. These are similar to post-Katrina recommendations found in the White House lessons learned report that have not been implemented,” he added. In May, the Disaster Accountability Project released a report, titled Southern Louisiana Emergency Preparedness (http:// blog.disasteraccountability.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/ emerg_ plan_full_041709a.pdf),that examined the levels of organization and comprehensiveness among emergency plans in 22 parishes in Louisiana and found that many of them need help. The project evaluated the emergency plans based on 23 criteria, ranging from whether they address at-risk populations to whether they include evacuation plans for schools and hospitals to whether they are available online. The study found that only half of the plans were accessible by the public and that many of them have not been updated since Hurricane Katrina. The report concluded that these emergency plans,sometimes developed by offices with only one full-time staff member, could use some federal support to provide expertise for revisions and extensions. “The local level has the most perspective and awareness of what local needs are, but they often lack the resources they need. If you have an emergency preparedness office with one person, they are probably understaffed,” Smilowitz commented. “So the federal government has the most capacity to provide the technical expertise and tools necessary for communities to build and implement better plans.” Federal resources often can accomplish goals more efficiently than state resources, as well, according to Smilowitz. Security With a major emphasis in government on going green and government purchasers favoring green solutions for their safety and security needs, the October issue is an outstanding opportunity to shine the spotlight on your company’s eco-friendly solutions. The October issue of Homeland Security Today will feature a special section on green security solutions that cut pollution, energy use and carbon footprint. If you have a story to share, send a press release with your company’s green solution, product or service to Business Editor Philip Leggiere at Business@HSToday.us. For advertising information contact your sales representative at sales@HSToday.us. 34 July 2009 | Homeland Security Today Magazine This month’s i2009-07-01T03:57:40+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=37http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=37FROM PAWNS TO PARTNERS Given that FEMA has the greatest capability to offer in the event of a large-scale disaster, common sense would suggest that the agency would undertake efforts like projects that require large multi-jurisdictional logistics. One such instance might be found in a battle over distributing ice after disasters. More than a year ago, under Administrator David Paulison, FEMA determined it would no longer distribute ice after disasters, prompting protests from the state emergency managers of Alabama and Mississippi. Fugate has defended the decision,arguing the federal government should not be burdened with the distribution of ice or food and water. “Given the federal government’s commitment and moving supplies daily in Iraq and Afghanistan and other places around the world, it’s troubling that the government cannot deliver ice to postdisaster areas,” Smilowitz protested. So the goal of soliciting a “bottoms-up” approach to emergency management where state and local authorities tell federal authorities what they require sounds admirable, but it remains to be seen how well that would work in practice, Smilowitz warned. improved since the Obama administration took office. “We have probably had more communication on the ground with FEMA officials in the last several months than in the previous collective three-and-a-half years put together,” he noted. “So we’re working much better with FEMA at this point. It’s borne fruit for everyone on all sides.” Kayyem insisted that talking to state and local stakeholders, listening to their concerns and adopting their recommendations would improve federal efforts to assist them in emergency management concerns ranging from preparedness to recovery. “The secretary has said to me that the department has to start answering the ‘why.’ For years, people have asked, ‘Why are they doing that?’” Kayyem observed. “Often, the ‘why’ is totally rational and good policy and makes sense. Maybe there would be disagreements about it, but rational people can disagree. “So it’s that whole transparency side of it, saying to localities and states and governors and mayors and first responders, ‘This is why we are doing it. We are doing it this way because you told us to do it this way or because we have been meeting with you for a year and this is what makes sense to satisfy all of our needs.’ That transparency is necessary so people don’t wake up one day and there is a huge 200-page document in their inbox called the National Plan to Solve All Problems and they have never seen it before. You don’t want that,” she said. The new collaborative spirit DeBosier said he witnessed in Louisiana is an initial indication that DHS and FEMA seem to be starting off on the right foot in providing state and local authorities with the solutions they seek. HST Analysis DeBosier estimated the four parishes hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana still face six to eight years of recovery before they are fully restored. The state would like to see restoration of their fire stations, police stations and schools complete within the next year, he said. While DeBosier was not yet certain that would happen, he was encouraged that coordination with FEMA had significantly Register online today for exclusive online content and eNewsletters Homeland Security Today Magazine | July 2009 352009-07-01T03:57:40+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=38http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=38TOOLS&TECHNOLOGY Handheld announces major upgrade to the Algiz 8 rugged tablet computer Handheld US, Corvallis, Ore., a supplier of rugged mobile computers, has announced a major upgrade of its Algiz 8 tablet computer. The upgrades include a faster processor, a brighter outdoor viewable display and increases in the standard hard drive capacity and standard RAM memory. The new version of the Algiz 8 has the new Intel 1.1 GHz ATOM processor. Its optional outdoor viewable display has been upgraded to a new screen with brightness of more than 1100 nits. The size of the standard shock-mounted hard drive has been increased from 40 GB to 60 GB, a solid-state flash drive is available as an option and the RAM has increased from 512 to 1024 MB. (Source: Handheld US) IZT introduces locationfinding software for its receiver series IZT GmbH, Erlangen, Germany, a provider of digital signal processing equipment for radio frequency signals, has introduced software for radio location finding for both commercial and military applications using its IZT R3000 receiver series. The software resides on a central station and connects multiple IZT R3000 receivers in different remote locations. Comparing their receive signals results in accurate delay measurements that can then be used to derive the location of the signal’s source. The result is displayed on a map. Efficient algorithms reduce the amount of data that has to be transferred between the central station and the remote receivers, permitting the use of slower wireless connections between the remote receivers and the central station. (Source: IZT) AUGUST 11 – 12, 2009 DONALD E. STEPHENS CONVENTION CENTER ROSEMONT, IL www.mspce.com Access to the exhibit floor and educational sessions is FREE. EDUCATE, PROTECT, SERVE AND SECURE State-of-the-Art in Law Enforcement and Security Products and Services 2 Days of Cutting-Edge Industry Educational Sessions Meet Over 150 Top Suppliers in Security and Law Enforcement The Midwest Security & Police Conference/ Expo is the most dynamic industry trade show in the Midwest showcasing the latest products and services for security and law enforcement professionals. Now in its 9th year, MSPCE brings together an exciting 2-day marketplace featuring state-ofthe-art security and law enforcement products, Brought to you by systems, and services. Attend MSPCE and discover the means to meet and surpass your challenges in security and law enforcement. 36 July 2009 | Homeland Security Today Magazine This month’s issue is now available online at…2009-07-01T03:57:40+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=39http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=39Kopin introduces new high-performance VIPER head-mounted viewer Kopin Corporation,Taunton, Mass., a manufacturer of microdisplays for the US military, has introduced its new VIPER HMD (head mounted display) system, allowing users to remotely view video from imaging devices, including thermal and surveillance cameras. VIPER HMD is designed for the homeland security, military and first responder markets, including police, fire, marine and border patrol. Weighing less than one ounce, the VIPER HMD can be easily attached to eyewear, goggles and helmet visors with a universal mounting system. (Source: Kopin Corporation) OnSSI features newly enhanced Ocularis On-Net Surveillance Systems Inc. (OnSSI), Suffern, NY, a provider of Internet protocol video solutions, has upgraded its Ocularis surveillance platform.The new version enables advanced detection of events, investigation, shared alert management, bookmarking and export of evidence within seconds. Ocularis is designed to enable users to push video to any monitor or video wall in a network. It provides detection and distribution of video events and related data and alerts from a variety of physical security and transaction systems, allowing investigation of events using instant review and digital panning, tilting and zooming during live monitoring. (Source: OnSSI) Paradox Marine introduces Nav-Tracker 2.0 SmartKEY Paradox Marine, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., a boat security systems developer, has enhanced its Nav-Tracker 2.0 wireless boat location and GPS tracking system with SmartKEY, which automatically disarms the system when the vessel operator boards the vessel and re-arms it when the operator disembarks. SmartKEY uses radio frequency identification technology that allows for “no touch” arming and disarming of the system without pushing buttons or turning keys. With a SmartKEY in range, Nav-Tracker 2.0 is disarmed. When a SmartKEY is out of range for more than 60 seconds or is turned off, the system will re-arm itself. (Source: Paradox Marine) REGISTER NOW FOR SUPER EARLY BIRD SAVINGS www.scworldcongress.com Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers OCT. 13/14 WEDNESDAY TUESDAY Announcing your best value proposition in information security education & networking INCOMPARABLE SC World Congress provides the most security education bang for your buck (whatever the currency) of any event on the planet. COMPELLING Every session is packed with actionable information conveyed by experts in innovative formats. REACH A global network provided by more than 75 media partners is unsurpassed in the industry. LOCATION SC World Congress moves to the heart of the world’s business capital in a new, high-quality hotel environment. To register and for information, visit www.scworldcongress.com. To exhibit or sponsor, contact Mike Alessie at 646-638-6002 or mike.alessie@haymarketmedia.com. Register online today for exclusive online content and eNewsletters Homeland Security Today Magazine | July 2009 372009-07-01T03:57:40+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=40http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=40HSToday HOMELAND SECURITY INSIGHT & ANALYSIS ™ ADVERTISER INDEX 14 23 ADT www.adt.com/government CSC North American Public Sector www.csc.com/cyber DRS Technologies www.drs.com GeoEye www.geoeye.com/def U.S. General Services Administration www.gsa.gov/securitysolutions ICX Technologies www.icxt.com 31 10 29 L-1 Identity Solutions www.l1id.com/HIIDE 6 Microsoft www.microsoft.com/fusion 36 Midwest Security & Police Conference/Expo www.mspce.com On Site Gas Systems www.onsitegas.com 33 Panasonic panasonic.com/toughbook/federal RSDecon www.RSDecon.com SC World Congress 2009 Enterprise Data Security Conference & Expo www.scworldcongress.com Sensaphone www.sensaphone.com Siemens www.siemens.com/answers 16 C4 35 2 Sprint www.sprint.com/nextel Technical Communities www.technicalcommunities.com Tex-Shield www.tex-shield.com UMUC www.umuc.edu/getahead Verizon www.verizonwireless.com/gov W. L Gore & Associates www.GoreChempak.com/XRT ZOLL Medical Corp. zoll.com/homelandsecurity Publisher Kimberley S. Hanson-Brown khanson@HSToday.US Associate Publisher/Sales Director Linda Andersen landersen@HSToday.US Sales Assistant Shannon Webb 1-800-503-6506 swebb@HSToday.US Public Relations & Marketing Director Sue Stott 1-800-503-6506 suestott@HSToday.US Tradeshow Manager Lynn Perciasepe PHONE: 772-708-4649 FAX: 772-334-4271 lynnp@HSToday.US ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES National Accounts Linda Andersen PHONE: 978-448-3932 FAX: 978-448-5745 landersen@HSToday.US Southern US Karen Gaconnier PHONE: 631-793-0182 FAX: 866-503-5758 kgaconnier@HSToday.US Northern US Lisa Pavlock PHONE: 540-349-9794 FAX: 540-349-9791 lpavlock@HSToday.US Israel Dan Erlich PHONE: 972-9-9586 245 FAX: 972-9-9585 685 d_erlich@netvision.net.il C2 8 19 13 C3 20 25 5 37 26 TRADESHOW CIRCUIT July 28-30 America's Fire & Security Expo Miami Beach Convention Center www.nfpa.org/afse MEDIA PARTNER Find more events and details online at www.HSToday.us 17-19 4th Annual Gulf Coast Terrorism Prevention Conference Sarasota, FL www.homelandsecurityssi.com 13-14 World Security Congress New York City www.scworldcongress.com MEDIA PARTNER 20-21 19-20 International Swine Flu Conference Washington, DC www.new-fields.net 8th Annual Maritime Security Expo Long Beach, CA www.ejkevents.com August 3-5 The Computer Forensics Show San Jose, CA www.computerforensicsshow.com 21-23 Indesec Expo 2009 New Dehli, India www.indesec-expo.com September 15 Partners in Preparedness & The CEO Summit 2009 Washington, DC www.homelandcouncil.org CO-SPONSOR 31Nov. 3 EMEX 2009 Orlando, FL www.iaem.com MEDIA PARTNER 9-12 2009 NCCP Conference Arlington, VA www.iaem.com/NCCP2009.htm Account Executive Michelle Flynn PHONE: 1-800-503-6506 FAX: 1-866-503-5758 mflynn@hstoday.us 11-12 Midwest Security & Police Conference/Expo Rosemont, IL www.mspce.com MEDIA PARTNER 21-23 2009 ASIS Anaheim, CA www.asisonline.org November 17-19 Clean Gulf New Orleans, LA www.tradefairgroup.com MEDIA SPONSOR 21-23 Anti-Piracy Summit Washington, DC www.idga.org/us/pirate MEDIA PARTNER 16-20 © Copyright 2009 HSToday All rights reserved APCO 75th Annual Conference & Expo Las Vegas, Nevada www.apco2009.org MEDIA PARTNER 17-19 US Coast Guard Innovation Virginia Beach, VA www.ndia.org MEDIA PARTNER October 5-6 The Computer Forensic Show Santa Clara, CA www.computerforensicshow.com 17-19 2009 Land & Marine Supply Chains Business Conference Columbus, OH www.ndia.org 2007 CentralSoutheast Region 2007 CentralSoutheast Region 2005 CentralSoutheast Region 2005 CentralSoutheast Region Bronze Special Section Bronze Special Supplement Silver Special Section Bronze Regular Department 38 July 2009 | www.HSToday.us2009-07-01T03:57:40+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=41http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=41COMING IN AUGUST Unholy Trinity South of the US border, a dangerous relationship is developing between jihadist sympathizers, narco-cartels and urban street gangs. A new investigative report sheds light on the connections, the implications and the consequences. REUTERS/EDGARD GARRIDO ALSO IN AUGUST… COMING IN SEPTEMBER… Closer to the Same Wavelength We’ve all heard about the failures of first responder interoperability—but we shine a spotlight on the lesser known successes that are achieving a critical capability. Grading Homeland Security Are we safer? Have we made progress? We take our annual, award-winning comprehensive look at the state of homeland security and the progress or lack of it over the previous year. New this year! The Business View We invite executives to share their views on doing business with DHS and grade it on its responsiveness, efficiency and transparency. The ‘Always-On’ Guard With a critical homeland security mission that could demand instant response, the National Guard is finding itself closer to its Minute Man origins. The State View Is there really a new relationship between DHS and the states and locals? We poll state homeland security directors to see if it’s really happening. COMING IN OCTOBER… Also: Responders Today: Rugged Computers & Peripherals Agency Spotlight: US General Services Administration SPECIAL REPORT ON GREEN SECURITY SOLUTIONS Does your company have a security solution that uses less energy, reduces pollution or lowers carbon emissions? Tell us about it at Business@HSToday.us—and let the world know by advertising in this groundbreaking issue. To advertise in this issue, call 1-800-503-6506 or email dyoung@HSToday.us2009-07-01T03:57:40+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=42http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=42LEADERSHIP PROFILE BY DAVID SILVERBERG BY ALL ACCOUNTS, THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MANAGED SERVICES (ITMS) WAS A MASSIVE PROGRAM, AND COMING AS IT DID IN THE DAYS SHORTLY AFTER SEPT. 11, 2001, AND THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE NEW TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION (TSA), IT WAS ON A SHORT TIMELINE. Under a congressional deadline, TSA had to protect US transportation by November 2002; that meant guarding 429 airports, linking 65,000 employees at those airports, as well as 21 field offices and the TSA Command Center. It meant establishing a network of electronic connections, laptops, pagers, cell phones, phone systems, highspeed data conduits, encrypted radios and a host of other electronic and digital capabilities, technology and services. To do this in the short time available, TSA turned to Unysis, based in Blue Bell, Pa., and awarded the technology giant a $1 billion contract. And the person to whom Unysis turned was Tom Conaway. “TSA has always been and will always be an amazing organization,” Conaway recalled. “They were born out of the tremendous need that was identified in the aftermath of 9/11 and they had to stand up quickly and execute quickly. So it has been our honor and privilege to be with them from the beginning, helping them get their organization stood up and operational.” He continued: “It was a real adrenaline rush in the early days of the ITMS contract. We focused on the TSA, getting their mission capabilities set up from an IT perspective and then finding ways of improving that and meeting their requirements as they changed to face new emerging threats. We were right there with them, having to support that.” with TSA and the fifth largest with Customs and Border Protection (CBP), according to the Homeland Security Today listing of the Top 25 companies. In addition to handling the original ITMS contract and its follow-on bridge contract,as well as theWestern Hemisphere Travel Initiative for CBP , the company recently won the COMMIT (Centralized Operations and Maintenance and Management Information Technology) indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. One of its great homeland security successes was the establishment of an emergency operations center in New Orleans within three days of Hurricane Katrina. “We have a perspective across the department, which is born of our ability to get in at the working level of multiple agencies and then work with them to help them drive their missions forward,” Conaway pointed out. Conaway can still recall the alarm and urgency of the response to the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. At the time, he was at the consulting firm KPMG International and he was charged with thinking through the changes, both internally and externally, brought about by the attack. Internally, he handled the new emphasis on continuity, breaking down organizational barriers and bringing together different perspectives. Externally, he grappled with the question: “This has happened to our customers: How do we help our customers deal with this, and how do we help them prepare for the future?” In May 2002, Conaway left KPMG for Unisys, where he began working on homeland security contracts while still struggling with the larger questions of resilience, continuity and preparedness. Of course, the worst has not happened in the years since 9/11, but having seen the worst and being acutely conscious of the precariousness of the post-9/11 world, Conaway hasn’t stopped working to strengthen his homeland security customers—while at the same time building Unisys’ homeland security business. “Thanks to a lot of hard work from a lot of dedicated people, we haven’t seen another attack like [9/11],” Conaway reflected. “The danger at this point is making sure that people aren’t getting complacent.” HST TOM CONAWAY Managing Partner, Homeland Security, US Federal Systems Unisys Corporation began producing advanced navigation equipment that would prove essential for the nasce2009-07-01T03:57:40+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=43http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=43America’s largest Push to Talk coverage area. Because disaster never tells you where it will strike. 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GOVHSTSTRIKE7092009-07-01T03:57:40+02:00http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=44http://ipaperus.ipaperus.com/HomelandSecurityToday/July2009/?Page=44When it comes to GSA sales, don’t let your technology products get lost in the shuffle. Experience Channel-Friendly. With Technical Communities, you can be sure we won’t cut special sales deals with your competitors and promote them instead of you to GSA buyers. We will always help you successfully grow your GSA sales in a channel-friendly environment. Is he selling your product today or someone else's? Increase Government Sales. We have over a decade of experience growing government sales for our partners. Our proven record includes successful management of multiple GSA schedules and exceptional trusted relationships with more than 100 companies and thousands of government buying centers. Let Us Help. 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