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UAV updateFlying ambulance: UAV will extract wounded soldiers from the battlefield
There is one more mission being added to the ever-expanding list of operational, intelligence, surveillance, law-enforcement, first response, and disaster recovery missions assigned to UAVs: evacuating critically injured casualties directly from the battlefield to the hospital
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Update: The FBI caps nearly 90 years of use of biometrics with its Biometric Center of Excellence
The FBI has been using various forms of biometric identification since its earliest days -- from photographs and fingerprints in its first years (and assuming responsibility for managing the U.S. fingerprint collection in 1924), to applying handwriting analysis in the Lindbergh kidnapping case in 1932, to its laboratory's pioneering work on raising latent finger, palm, and other soft tissue prints from evidence, to today's development of DNA analysis as a means of genetic fingerprinting
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Seeing through the Earth's crust, clearlyUnderground intelligence satellite navigation will work off lightning strikes
The U.S. ubiquitous eye-in-the-sky satellites have driven more and more people and things of interest to disappear underground (just think Iran's nuclear weapons program); deep tunnel complex shields an organization from the prying eyes of satellites, and it is also good protection against a sudden bombing raid; the U.S. military wants to be able to peek and conduct operations underground
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Washington State, federal officials in dam-related disaster resilience exercises
Officials from the Tri-Cities area of Washington State, neighboring areas, and federal agencies participate in a exercise aiming to develop a strategy to improve disaster resilience and preparedness in the event of severe flooding along the Columbia River, flooding which leads to overtopping and subsequent breaching of levees in the Tri-Cities area
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World's first practical jetpack commercially available for $75,000
Kiwi company Martin Aircraft is offering the world's first commercial jetpacks; the machine is expected to revolutionize the military and be taken up by emergency services; the jetpack travels for about 30 minutes on a five-gallon tank of premium gasoline, has top speeds of 60 mph, and reaches heights of 2,400 meters (about 1.5 miles)
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Tiny sensor "listens" to gunshots to identify source of fire and type of weapon
The sensor, developed by a Dutch company, is smaller than the head of a match, made of two 200-nanometer-thick, 10-micrometer-wide platinum strips that are heated to 200 degrees Celsius; the sensor does not truly “listen” to sounds; rather, it senses air particles that flow past the platinum strips and cool them unevenly
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Toronto police to buy encrypted radios
The Toronto police will spend CAN$35 million on encrypted radios; new system may shut out public eavesdroppers -- by tow-truck drivers, the media, scanning enthusiasts -- starting with the June 2010 G20 summit
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Seeing through the Earth's crust, clearlyThe last frontier: DARPA wants to make the Earth's crust transparent
Seeing through the Earth's would allow the development of tools to protect civilian populations from the ravages of natural disasters; these same tools could be used for military purposes against enemies -- detecting, targeting, and destroying hard and buried underground facility (UGF) targets
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Seeing through the Earth's crust, clearlyGeospatial Corporation maps the world under the Earth's crust
Pennsylvania-based Geospatial Corporation -- company's motto: "Mapping the underground / Managing the global infrastructure" -- offers a solution which creates detailed 3D maps of underground regions; the Pentagon has already contracted Geospatial to create 3D maps of the deep earth beneath their "critical facilities"
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Wireless communication solutions for emergency situations
At one time, traditional broadcast networks -- radio and TV -- were adequate for alert services and information dissemination during disasters and emergencies; these means do not allow communication among individuals; modern mobile devices might prove increasingly resilient in emergencies and could be the most accessible platform for the majority of people
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Russia brings back armored trains to fight terrorists
The war in Chechnya is officially over, but attacks on the railway system in neighboring Dagestan have become a major problem; the Russian military brings back the armored train to protect the region's railway system
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Theater of the absurdIsraeli military cancel operation after Facebook disclosure
An Israeli combat solider posted the details of a pending combat operation on Facebook; he disclosed the name of the combat unit, the place of the operation, and the time it will take place; Facebook friends then reported him to military authorities; the operation was canceled and the soldier was court-martialed and sentenced to ten days in the brig
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In the trenchesDARPA looking for military iPhone and Android apps
Pentagon's research arm is looking for apps to be written for the iPhone or for handsets running Google's Android OS -- "with potential relevance to the military specifically and the national security community more generally"
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FCC's new public safety proposal receives mixed response
FCC relaunches the 700 MHz public/private safety initiative; original 2008 auction for Block D failed to reach its reserve price; new FCC plan puts up to $16 billion and more spectrum behind the proposals; public safety organizations disappointed, carrier community remains undecided
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U.S. Army looking for robots to extract wounded soldiers from battlefield
Rescuing wounded soldiers under fire is itself a major cause of military death and injury; the U.S. Army asks inventors to come with idea for a Robotic Combat Casualty Extraction device; the robot should not only be strong and dexterous, but should also be capable of planning an approach and escape route without prior knowledge of the local terrain and geography
The Long View
U.S. intelligence chief: Mexico not on brink of collapse
There is a debate among different U.S. intelligent services about how close to a collapse Mexico is; Dennis Blair, director of national intelligence, says the drug cartels' escalating violence is a product of their weakening state not their strength
Country watch: Moribund MexicoMexican drug cartels employ more foot soldiers than Mexican army
Mexico is spinning out of control; narco-terrorists have infiltrated the Mexican government, creating a shadow regime that complicates efforts to contain and destroy the drug cartels; Mexico ranks behind only Pakistan and Iran as a top U.S. national security concern -- but above Afghanistan and Iraq
India's private security companies flourish
As a result of the Mumbai attacks, the Indian private security industry has been growing by leaps and bounds; already the country's private security force numbers 5 million, 1.3 million more than India's police forces
Close Quarters Combat // Tzviel (BK) BlankchteinEdged weapon defenses in extremely close proximity
Defending against an edged weapon is always difficult -- even more so in small and confined spaces such as elevators or bathrooms; often injury cannot be avoided, only minimized
U.S. faces lethal combination of transnational terrorism and criminal gangs
Sometime in the near future a lethal combination of transnational terrorism and criminal gangs is going to cross the U.S. border in force
Trend: Private security companies grow Growing crime in Central America boon to private security companies
A combination of a dramatic increase in crime -- from drug-related murders to kidnapping for ransom -- and a growing perception that government agencies cannot or would not do much about it, have led to a boom for private security companies in Central and Latin America
As I Was Saying // Ben FrankelCountdown toward Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities has begun
Iran has launched its first domestically made satellite into orbit; missile carrying satellite can be used to carry nuclear warheads to Israel -- and to Europe; the world has not found a way to stop or slow down Iran's nuclear weapons program; this means an Israeli attack on Iran is becoming more likely
