• Detecting a silent bridge-killer

    New York State failed to make ultrasonic test of concrete piers, which could have avoided Champlain Bridge closure; a $10,000 high-tech ultrasonic test of the piers could have provided an early warning of lurking rot and given time to make repairs to stabilize the piers before the bridge became unsafe

  • Calls Come for 'Programmatic' P3 Approach

    Stakeholders in the market push for programmatic, rather than project-by-project, approach to financing infrastructure through public-private partnerships; “The cycle of infrastructure investment is ongoing since aging toll roads, hospitals, airports, and energy facilities need to be maintained and eventually replaced,” said Jennifer Tennant, assistant vice president for Moody’s

  • Raytheon's insider threat solution receives federal validation

    Raytheon’s SureView product is now FIPS 1402 Level 1 complaint; validation means that Raytheon’s enterprise monitoring and investigation tools may now be used by government agencies, including the Department of Defense, to protect sensitive government data in computer and telecommunication systems

  • Raytheon-led team to provide the Pentagon with network-security early warning system

    A team including Raytheon, General Dynamics, SAIC, Eye Street Software, and BCMC receives a $28 million contract to provide the Pentagon with an early-warning system for defense against cyber attacks on military networks

  • Fort Lauderdale attorney took extra security measures

    Under-investigation Fort Lauderdale attorney Scott Rothstein surrounded himself with elaborate security measures which included dozens of hidden microphones stashed in the ceiling along with security cameras, surveillance cameras at his home, double-doors, private elevators, and private security detail for his family; he also paid for a security guard at his favorite restaurant (Bova Prime on Las Olas Boulevard), and carried a gun in an ankle holster underneath his tailored pants

  • SRI opens Virginia facility

    SRI International opened a new facility for its Center for Advanced Drug Research (CADRE); scientists at the new facility will work on developing vaccines, more quickly diagnosing infections, and developing new treatments

  • Tighter immigration control spells troubles for the border economy

    There are many facets to the debate about the best way to handle illegal immigration into the United States, but for the 210 U.S. border counties, where the economy and immigration are tied closely together, tighter immigration control means slowdown in business activity

  • Winter Olympic private security force raises concerns

    A Canadian company has been awarded the contract to find 5,000 security guards for the Winter Olympics which open in Vancouver in 100 days; security experts say that “‘Certain facets of security screening can be overlooked in a rush”

  • Iraqis use "magic wand" at checkpoints to detect explosives; U.S. officer: this is "laughable"

    The Iraqi government has spent tens of millions of U.S. aid dollars to buy thousands of “magic wands” which are supposed to detect explosives at checkpoints; one American officer says the device works “on the same principle as a Ouija board”; another officer says that to believe the claims of the British company which is selling the device, and of the Iraqi authorities that swear by it, “would be laughable” — except that people are dying as a result; “[the company and Iraqi government have] crossed an insupportable line into moral depravity” he says

  • Gait-recognition biometric technology to help soldiers manning checkpoints

    SET Corporation is developing a technology which directs low-power radar beams at people — who can be 50 yards or more away; early research indicates that this method could one day be augmented with video-analysis software that spots bombers by discerning subtle differences in gait that occur when people carry heavy objects

  • Clorox announces plans to transition U.S. operations to high-strength bleach

    In an important step toward better chemical plant safety, Clorox says it will begin modifying manufacturing processes in its U.S. bleach operations; the company will move from chlorine to high-strength bleach as a raw material for making its namesake bleach

  • Black-market cigarettes could fund terrorism, RCMP fear

    Canadian authorities worry that the booming black market trade in cigarettes could be used to finance terrorism; many Indian reservations are used as bases for the illicit trade

  • First space hotel taking bookings for 2012 opening

    Space tourism is nearing, with the first space hotel set to open in 2012; the Barcelona-based company is already taking bookings; the cost of three nights (plus a two-month training course on a Caribbean island beforehand) will be $4.4 million per guest

  • CBP orders advanced cargo and customs screening from OSI

    OSI’s Security division, Rapiscan Systems, has received approximately $29 million in orders from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to provide multiple units of its cargo and vehicle inspection solutions

  • CSC wins DHS IT infrastructure and cyber security task order

    CSC won a contract to provide information technology infrastructure and cyber support to the National Protection and Programs Directorate’s Office of Cyber Security and Communications; among other things, the company will design and build an expanded watch floor that will integrate national security capabilities from the U.S. Computer Emergency Response Team (US CERT) and the National Coordinating Center of the National Communications System