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House panel votes for mandating safer technology at chemical plants
In a setback to the chemical industry, the House Homeland Security Committee approved a bill yesterday that could make chemical facilities use safer technologies and open them to civil lawsuits when they violate regulations
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Licensing cybersecurity professionals, I
There is a move in Congress to require the Commerce Department to develop or coordinate and integrate a national licensing, certification, and periodic recertification program for cybersecurity professionals
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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.K. government to give up on massive Internet snoop scheme
The Home Office admits that its IMP (Interception Modernization Program) — the cost of which was to be £2 billion over ten years — cannot be realized because the technology does not yet exist
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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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Philadelphia airport enjoys stimulus package funds
DHS secretary Napolitano announces $26 million in stimulus package funding for screening technology at Philadelphia International Airport
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DOE awards $9 million to encourage nuclear power eduction
Funds will benefit nuclear science and engineering students and university research infrastructure
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U.K. appoints a new "C"
Outsider Sir John Sawers appointed new head of MI6, the U.K. Secret Intelligence Service; by tradition, the head of MI6 is called “C” (for “Chief”), and he writes all internal memos in green ink
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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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Fallows questions DHS raison d'être
Atlantic’s James Fallows says DHS has not lived up to the expectations that accompanied its creation; abolishing it now would create more problems than it would solve; instead, he suggests changing the department’s name to Department of Civil Security, and broaden the definition of civil security
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Hathaway describes administration's cybersecurity response plan
The U.S, infrastructure is being challenged and attacked not by amateurs, but by professional criminals and spies backed with substantial resources; yet, there are no coordinated plans for protecting the critical infrastructure or responding to incidents, either by government or the private sector; the Obama administration plans to change that
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Real ID 2.0 introduced in Congress
Many states saw the provisions of the The Real ID Act of 2005 as onerous — and the price tag of $12 billion as prohibitive; legislators revamp the original act to accommodate the preferences of states
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The long view
Conflicts Between States Highest Level Since World War II
A new report documents eight interstate conflicts in 2025 – twice as many as the previous year and the highest number recorded since 1946.
Will Generative AI Fundamentally Change Terrorist Threats?
Does generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) represent a genuine transformation in terrorist capability, or are its risks being overstated within contemporary security discourse? Gen AI tools, particularly large language models, can improve the efficiency, accessibility, and scale of certain terrorist activities, but there remains limited evidence that they fundamentally alter the nature of terrorism or significantly enhance operational capability.
The Paranoid Style in American Oversight, Part I
Senator Grassley’s account of how and why the FBI investigated Trump’s role in the false electors plot is a feat of political conspiracy.
The Paranoid Style in American Oversight, Part II
The criticism of the techniques used in the FBI’s investigation of the false electors plot, much like the critiques of how it was opened, do not bear scrutiny. The days of the FBI trying to speak only through indictments are apparently over, and Director Kash Patel’s willingness to endlessly provide piecemeal documents, without any explanation, annotation, or context to the bureau’s most vituperative critics is just one more sign not that a page has merely been turned, but that it has been ripped out of the book entirely and burned to cinders.
Presidential Discretion and the Insurrection Act
The Supreme Court, in Trump v. Illinois, further diminished the president’s ability to use § 12406 to federalize the National Guard in order to directly interfere in domestic activities in pursuit of his most controversial policies. With § 12406 now unavailable, the likelihood of the current president resorting to the Insurrection Act, the statute affording him the most oppressive domestic suppression capabilities, has only increased.
More States Restrict 3D-Printed Firearms
For decades, making an untraceable firearm required specialized tools, technical expertise and hours of work. Today, it can start with a downloaded file and a consumer-grade 3D printer. At least six states this year have outlawed or imposed regulations on such guns.