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3,000 life-saving radios go unused in Chicago
Motorola supplies city with sophisticated emergency radios, but aging radio towers can not take heavy digital equipment, so emergency communication upgrades must wait
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Analyzing intentions and behavior from afar
Security firms working on devices to spot would-be terrorists in crowd; emphasis on analyzing behavior and physiology from afar
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DHS increases size of Nanomix grant
In January DHS awarded a grant to a specialist in nanoelectronic detection; the department liked the company’s progress, and increased the amount of the grant
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Bush administration upholds phone ban in Qualcomm patent dispute
Bush administration upholds import ban on phones which contain Qualcomm chips; DHS review finds no justification to oppose the ban on public safety grounds
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Proxy demonstrates cooperative UAV performance
Maryland UAV specialist, USAF offers the first successful demonstration of multiple UAVs performing fully autonomous cooperative flight
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Metamaterials make levitation thinkable
Purdue University researchers have created a metmaterial that bends infrared light with a wavelength of 813 nm; such metameterials make two things possible: Invisibility cloak and quantum levitation
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Armed robots deployed to Iraq
Three armed robots — called SWORDS — have been deployed to Iraq; Army hopes that safety and control improvements will make the robots an effective urban fighting tool
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Researcher offers new method for analyzing pictures, videos
New error-level analytical techniques allows for detecting authenticity of pictures and videos — for example, those released by al Qaeda; retouched and added images may indicate coded messages to operatives
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New source of energy: People-powered "crowd farms"
These boots are made for walking: Two MIT students propose harvesting the energy of human movement in urban settings
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Versar awarded ISO 9000 certification for its protective suits
The market for personal protective gear is growing, and Versar receives important certification for its PPE products
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Hyderabad University issues certificates with digital chip
Seeking better jobs, thousands of Indians turn to forged school graduation certificate and college degrees; one university makes its certificate tamper-proof
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New fingerprinting technique reveals more
New method offers law enforcement information about the suspect’s gender, dietary habits, and substances he or she were in touch with recently
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Terrorists use online reality games to rehearse attacks
As terrorists find it more difficult to train in camps which can be monitored and attacked, they turn to online games to practice money laundering, identity theft, and attacks
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Senate passes $40.6 billion DHS budget
Ignoring White House veto threat, Senate adds $5.2 billion to DHS budget; House already passed $36.3 billion DHS appropriation
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U.K. unveils broad counterterrorism measures
Prime Minister Gordon Brown unvelis broad counter-terrorism measures, including unified border police, electronic exit controls at U.K. borders, biometric visas, better critical infrastructure protection, and more
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The long view
Technology Evolves the Tactics: Preparing for the Rise of Terrorist AI Harms
Terrorist groups, like the societies they emerge from, adapt to new technologies. As AI capabilities evolve, so too do the tactics of extremist actors. While the full effects may take years to observe, as the technologies continue to develop, we are starting to see them directly alter extremism tradecraft.
Bookshelf: A Tale of American Lawyers and Chinese Engineers
The U.S. and China have fundamental differences, a new book argues. China would be an “engineering state” whereas the U.S. is a “lawyerly society.” Most Chinese Communist Party leaders have been engineers focused on building mega projects such as highways, bridges, fast trains. and airports. In recent decades the U.S. has become a “lawyerly society” as the country’s elite, dominated by lawyers, focused on procedure and process rather than getting things done.
Europe’s Banks Quietly Mobilize for Economic Warfare
For years, banks treated defense as a reputational issue, as well as an environmental, social and governance risk, often lumping it with tobacco or fossil fuels as something to be managed at arm’s length. That era is ending. Russia’s war in Ukraine, China’s coercive trade tactics and the United States’ pressure on Europe to shoulder more of its defense burden have exposed the limits of moralistic restraint. Financial mobilization is the new norm.
A New Generation of Industries Emerges in Texas as Feds Push to Mine More Rare Minerals
The U.S. doesn’t produce the minerals and metals needed for renewable energy, microchips or military technology. Major oil companies are drilling in East Texas again, but not for oil. This time, they’re after lithium for batteries and other rare elements.
U.S. and Australia Deepen Critical-Minerals Engagement to Counter China
Engagement between Australia and the United States on critical minerals has matured from technical cooperation into a strategic partnership, aligning resource security with clean energy and defense priorities.
Bookshelf: Critical Mineral Dilemmas
Whoever controls the production and processing of lithium, copper and other critical minerals could dominate the 21st century economy, much as producers of fossil fuels defined the 20th century, writes Ernest Scheyder in a new book.