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| A Primedia Property | |
| April 7, 2005 | Vol. 1 No. 7 |
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Table Of Contents Largest-ever state anti-terrorism drills praised DHS crafts National Preparedness Goal U.S. travelers to see tighter passport restrictions DHS research and development to take center stage at conference Technology equals savings for SBA ADVERTISEMENT iCLASS Meets Government Standards HID supports FIPS 201 with fully-compliant iCLASS contactless smart card readers that are available to output the FASC-N in multiple configurations, providing versatility to support both existing and new access control systems. Standard communication protocols make it easy to replace existing access control card readers with HID FIPS-compliant card readers. http://www.hidcorp.com In the News Largest-ever state anti-terrorism drills praised Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff praised federal and state efforts in the nation's largest-ever anti-terrorism drill held this week, saying agencies were communicating "efficiently and promptly" in response to a pair of mock disasters staged in the northeast. In New Jersey, authorities aided mock victims and arrested mock terrorists after a simulated bio-terror attack launched from a sport utility vehicle with a commercial sprayer. Meanwhile, Connecticut officials were dealing with a simulated chemical weapons attack. Chertoff said authorities will conduct a thorough review of the weeklong drill to see where things had gone wrong so they can be corrected in the event of a real catastrophe. "At this point, we have received tremendous cooperation from New Jersey, Connecticut and our federal partners," Chertoff said during a news conference. "There's no doubt we're going to learn some things from this." Police officers and metal barricades guarded the entrances to hospitals to keep control over the crowds who would be expected to try to force their way inside during a real emergency. As of Wednesday, 6,508 "deaths" had been recorded as part of the fake outbreak. In Connecticut, authorities simulated a mustard gas attack. They confirmed nearly 200 mock deaths, more than 4,600 supposed injuries and some missing people. Three mock arrests were made based on FBI warrants. DHS crafts National Preparedness Goal The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has created the Interim National Preparedness Goal, designed to give all Americans guidance on effectively and efficiently strengthening preparedness for terrorist attacks, major disasters, and other emergencies. "There is no perfect solution to address every security concern," Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff says. "But by working together to analyze threats, understand our capabilities, and apply resources intelligently, we can manage risk." The Interim National Preparedness Goal establishes readiness priorities, targets, and metrics. The emphasis is on developing appropriate levels of capabilities to address a range of terrorist attacks and disaster scenarios. "We have to be ready to come together as a single, integrated system when the need arises," adds Matt Mayer, acting executive director of the Office of State and Local Government Coordination and Preparedness. The Goal includes seven priorities for national preparedness. The priorities fall into two categories: overarching priorities and priorities to build specific capabilities. The overarching priorities are to: * Implement the National Incident Management System and National Response Plan; * Expand regional collaboration; and * Implement the Interim National Infrastructure Protection Plan. The priorities for specific capabilities are to strengthen: * Information sharing and collaboration capabilities; * Interoperable communications capabilities; * Chemical, biological, radiation, nuclear, and explosive weapons (CBRNE) detection, response, and decontamination capabilities; and * Medical surge and mass prophylaxis capabilities. U.S. travelers to see tighter passport restrictions The Departments of Homeland Security and State have launched the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative to secure and expedite travel. The initiative will require all U.S. citizens, Canadians, citizens of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda, and citizens of Mexico to have a passport or other accepted secure document to enter or re-enter the United States by January 1, 2008. Currently, U.S. citizens, and some citizens of other countries are not required to present a passport to enter or re-enter the U.S. when traveling within the Western Hemisphere. "Our goal is to strengthen border security and expedite entry into the United States for U.S. citizens and legitimate foreign visitors," Homeland Security acting under secretary for border and transportation security Randy Beardsworth says. "By ensuring that travelers possess secure documents, such as a passport, Homeland Security will be able to conduct more effective and efficient interviews at our borders." DHS and DOS propose to roll out the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative in phases, providing as much advance notice as possible to the affected public to enable them to acquire the necessary documents before the deadline. Documents other than passports are also being examined to determine their acceptability for travel. The public will be notified of additional travel document options as those determinations are made. DHS research and development to take center stage at conference A conference will bring more than 500 research scientists and engineers working in government, the private sector, and the academic community together to present their ideas and work that will make the nation safer. The conference, "Working Together: R&D Partnerships in Homeland Security" is sponsored by Homeland Security's Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate, and will be held April 27-28, 2005, at the Seaport Hotel and World Trade Center in Boston, Mass. The conference will feature 30 technical and four poster sessions on research and development advances to better understand, counter and respond to high-consequence chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, explosives and cyber-terrorist threats. Keynote speakers include DHS under secretary for science and technology Chuck McQueary; assistant secretary Parney Albright; and Eric Mazur, the Gordon McKay Professor of Applied Physics at Harvard University. For more information and conference registration, visit www.homelandsecurityresearchconference.org. More on the Department of Homeland Security's R&D efforts will be featured in the April issue of GOVERNMENT SECURITY, coming soon. News You Can Use Technology equals savings for SBA $500,000 The approximate amount of money the U.S. Small Business Administration saved by implementing Web services to convert the process through which new business owners could apply for and obtain a state ID number and a Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN). More than 10,000 business owners have already used the application. Read more at govtsecurity.com, from our February article entitled Secure Collaboration Using Web Services Procurement Watch
Events April 13-14 DHS Cyber Security Research and Development Center Emerging Security Technology Forum SRI International, Arlington, VA Organizer: DHS and SRI International Information: 650-859-6485 www.hsarpacyber.com/forum.html April 18-19 April 25-28 April 26-28 April 26-28 April 27=28 May 1-4 May 2-6 May 3-4 May 3-5 New Announcements from GOVERNMENT SECURITY magazine Now on www.govtsecurity.com February 2005 Browse our latest issue at your leisure Coming in April's GOVERNMENT SECURITY Encryption Examining the age-old technology |
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