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U.K. government: Best cyber defense is cyber offense
New National Security Strategy document includes, for the first time, a public cyber security strategy; unnamed high government source: “We don’t want to engage in cyber war but we can’t remain a target for criminals to take a pop at”
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Bangladesh in SMS cyclone alert system trial
Thousands of people in Bangladesh die each year as a result of cyclones; the government is testing am SMS disaster warning system
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Lockheed Martin in management contract continuation of FBI database
Lockheed martin wins $47 million, five-year contract to continue to manage the FBI’s criminal justice database; the contract calls for converting paper fingerprint, palm print, and photo records into high-quality electronic records for the FBI
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Drug smuggling becomes more sophisticated, II
Drug smugglers now use semi-submersibles which are 60 foot long and 12 feet wide fiberglass boats powered by a diesel engine, with a very low freeboard and a small “conning tower” providing the crew (usually of four) and engine with fresh air, and permitting the crew to navigate the boat
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U.S. bolsters Hawaii's missile defense
North Korea is expected to fire a missile toward Hawaii around 4 July; the Pentagon places additional interceptors, and radar is prepared
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U.S. cybersecurity chief says there is a lucrative market in malware
Philip Reitinger: “There is an entire community of people who are involved, organized crime is involved” in cybercrime underground market economy
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Knives: Rescue tools or edged weapons?
Few agencies have written policies regarding the use of knives as weapons; they need such policies, and they need training, because deploying a knife and cutting or stabbing another human being have significant ramifications to the officer; there are physical, psychological, and legal issues to consider
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DHS announces $1.8 billion in federal preparedness grants
Grants to states and localities aim to protect, prevent, respond, and recover from potential calamities this fiscal year
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Locating VoIP callers in emergencies
Callers who use VoIP to call 999 (the U.K. equivalent of the U.S. 911) run the risk of making it difficult, if not impossible, for the police, paramedics, and fire crews to attend emergencies promptly; a system is being developed to locate Internet phones
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Mystery surrounds detection of North Korea's nuclear test
Detecting radionuclide evidence in the form of radioactive gas is the “smoking gun” — proving that a nuclear explosion has occurred; seismologists say they are comfortable that explosion in North Korea two weeks ago was a nuclear test — but sensors have not been able to pick up radionuclide evidence
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What's past is prologue: Israel's covert campaign against Iran's nuclear program
During the past four-and-a-half decades, Israel has used a combination of ruthless covert operations and overt military means to prevent three Arab countries — Egypt, Iraq, and Syria — from acquiring the capability to build nuclear weapons; as Iran approaches the home stretch of its nuclear weapons program, it may want to reflect on this history
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Texas cop uses Taser gun on 72-year old combative granny
Kathryn Winkfein, 72, was stopped for doing 60 mph in a 45 mph zone; when she began to argue with the cop, he tased her
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Motorola: Cellphones could offer a unified disaster alerts broadcasts
Motorola envisages using cellphones for emergency alerts even if most of a cellphone network is down; a new generation of cellphones that can rapidly form a peer-to-peer network when an emergency alert is broadcast
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Technology to prevent police friendly-fire accidents "nonviable"
Following a recent killing of a plain clothes policeman by fellow officers, the NYPD asked the Pacific Northwestern Laboratory to look into the possibility of developing a technology which would prevent such accidents in the future; PNL says such technology is currently nonviable
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Drug traffickers turn to self-propelled semi-submersibles
Trying to stay ahead of U.S. drug interdiction efforts, Colombian drug traffickers are looking to build remote-controlled SPSSs to smuggle drugs risk-free from Colombia into the United States
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The long view
Russia’s hostile measures threaten Europe: Report
A new RAND report examines current Russian hostile measures in Europe and forecasts how Russia might threaten Europe using these measures over the next few years. “Whatever the U.S. response, preparation for involvement in a wide range of conflicts can help reduce the risk of mismanagement, miscalculation, and escalation,” the report’s authos say.
Keeping the lights on during and after a disaster
The threat of an inevitable earthquake is the uncomfortable truth we all face in the Cascadia Subduction Zone, which stretches from Alaska to California. Because the last major earthquake in the area was in the 1700s, our infrastructure developed without an appreciation and understanding of earthquake resilience. That means the next major earthquake will likely devastate our buildings, roads, bridges, and utility providers, posing immediate risks for the health and safety of those who live in the region. And later, there will be long-term economic aftershocks.