To view this site you need Adobe Flash Player and your browser must allow javaScripts. Go here to get the latest Flash Player. HURRICANE SEASON HOMELAND SEC INDUSTRY NEWS INDUSTRY ROSTER Michael Hayden, former head of both the CIA and NSA, Paul Schneider, Charles Allen and Jay Cohen have joined The Chertoff Group as principals. … Tom Vice of Northrop Grumman has been elected chair of the Applied Science Center of Innovation and Excellence in Homeland Security. … NaviSite Inc. has appointed R. Brooks Borcherding senior vice president of sales and chief revenue officer. … Avineon Inc. has named Linda Hall business development executive for defense and homeland security. … Cobham plc has named Greg Caires to be its first vice president for media relations. … 21st Century Systems has tapped James Ballard to be senior vice president and chief of Global Services Group. Unmanned hurricane hunter to probe storms The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are utilizing the Aerosonde unmanned aircraft by AAI Corp., Hunt Valley, Md., to gain insight into this year’s hurricanes. The Aerosonde will make continuous observation of the temperature, moisture and wind structure of the near-surface hurricane environment, providing real time detailed observations to NOAA forecasters. Aerosonde and its instruments will try to detect signals of rapid intensity changes in the hurricane. In late 2007, the Aerosonde completed a history-making flight into Hurricane Noel in cooperation with NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility and NOAA. This was the first hurricane mission in which an unmanned aircraft was able to explore the storm’s inner core. The 17-hour flight duration was a record for unmanned aircraft hurricane missions, and the aircraft gathered data from as low as 300 feet above the ocean’s surface. (Sources:NASA,AAI) Thales’ Liberty Multiband Land Mobile Radio available under GSA blanket purchase agreement Thales Communications Inc., Clarksburg, Md., a manufacturer of multiband, software-defined radio equipment, has announced its selection as an industry partner on the General Services Administration Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) for land mobile radio (LMR) equipment. The purpose of the BPA, which is in support of the federal departments of the Interior, Agriculture and Justice, is to obtain Project 25 (P25)-compliant LMR equipment. The Liberty multiband LMR is designed to enable federal, state, local and Department of Defense agencies to communicate across all of the public safety bands — 136-174 MHz, 380-520 MHz, 700 MHz and 800 MHz — using a single portable radio. Operating modes include P25-conventional, P25-trunked and legacy analog. The Liberty radio offers full encryption capabilities, including the Data Encryption standard and Advanced Encryption standard, with over-the-air-rekeying. Key features include a color-coded display screen, keypad programming and more than 2,600 channels. The Liberty radio is size, weight and performance equivalent to existing single-band portable LMRs. (Source:Thales Communications Inc.) Guard booth built to post-Katrina standards BIG Enterprises,South El Monte,Calif., a manufacturer of guardhouses, cashier booths, portable buildings, bus shelters and a variety of kiosks, has created “The Estate” parking control/guard booth for Louisiana State University. The booth was built to strict hurricane codes due to Hurricane Katrina and is designed to blend into its surroundings. The design features a copper standing seam roof, gutters, downspouts and cupola and came prepared for on-site installation with architectural brick and complete electrical and mechanical systems and cabinetry. The booth has extensive electrical and mechanical systems, high output heating, ventilation and air conditioning, data and communication lines, shelves and cabinets. It can also be customized for specific security needs, including bullet and blast resistance. It can be shipped completely prefabricated and ready for installation. (Source:BIG Enterprises) Register online today for exclusive online content and eNewsletters Homeland Security Today Magazine | June 2009 23