-
Briefly noted
Smart cluster bomb hunts down targets… Anthrax-case documents reveal bizarre Ivins’s behavior… New FISMA bill receives committee OK… L-1 in $5.9 million Mississippi driver’s license contract…
-
-
NATO in major anti-terror drill
NATO will hold a two-week comprehensive anti-terrorrism drill in Sardinia; 15 nations, 10 agencies will coordinate land, air, sea, space assets in an effort to smooth communication, information sharing, and operational execution
-
-
Briefly noted
Aussie cyber security needs work… D.C. policy carry iPhones… Surveillance radar in Indonesian straits… HUD awards Iowa critical infrastructure funds…
-
-
Alternatives to the H-1B visa, pt. 1: O-1 "Extraordinary ability"
The U.S. immigration services received more than 163,000 petitions for the 65,000 regular H-1B visas allocated for FY2009; the homeland security, hi-tech, and services sectors, as well as academic and research institutions, need another way to bring to the United States qualified foreign workers and researchers; one such way is the O-1 “Extraordinary Ability” visa
-
-
Neither presidential campaign has contacted DHS about transition
DHS has set up transition teams to facilitate a smooth and effective transmission of information and transition of authority to the new administration, but neither the McCain or the Obama campaign has contacted the teams
-
-
India eases foreign borrowing rules to aid infrastructure
The U.S. infrastructure is often described as “aging” or “crumbling”; in india they refer to the country’s “ramshackle infrastructure”; the Indian government, as part of a move to have $500 billion invested in improving the country’s infrastructure, eases borrowing rule, allowing Indian companies involved in infrastructure improvement to borrow more money abroad
-
-
Infrared lie detector
Rather than measure what are taken to be the symptoms of lying — increased heart and respiration rate, perspiration — new infrared detector measures brain activity
-
-
USPS to deploy IPv6-capable video surveillance
The U.S. Postal Services wants to increase security inside the more than 40,000 post offices around the country; it will install IPv6-capable CCTV systems — complying with the federal government encouragment of agnecies to migrate to IPv6
-
-
FAST-certified trucker tries to smuggle drugs into U.S.
The Free And Secure Trade (FAST) program allows truckers who drive back and forth across the U.S. border to pre-register with Customs, thus giving them the status of low-risk traveler; one FAST-certified driver used status to smuggle drugs
-
-
Treasury grants cannot be used for chemical detection
The federal government told the Boston transit authority and other municipal transportation agencies that they cannot use anti-terrorism grants to install chemical threat detection systems at subway stations
-
-
Lockheed Martin team delivers first littoral combat ship to U.S. Navy
Dealing with terrorist threats from the sea, and with other threats in the shallows, the Navy requires a different type of equipment, the and the littoral combat ship is part of the answer
-
-
Chinese dairies add organic base found in plastics and resins to products
Lab tests in Hong Kong find that Chinese company’s dairy offerings, including milk, ice cream, and yogurt, were contaminated with melamine — an organic base usually found in plastics and resins, and banned in food
-
-
Colorado to remove Social Security numbers from public Web sites
Colorado attorney general asks counties to remove documents containing Social Security numbers from public Web sites, saying that the “The availability of this information online increases the possibility of Colorado citizens becoming the victims of identity theft”
-
-
Senators skeptical about FBI's anthrax attacks conclusions
Senators of both voice doubt about the FBI’s conclusion that Bruce Ivins was the sole culprit in the 2001 anthrax attacks; criticize the FBI for its handling of the case
-
-
China, INTERPOL celebrate security success during Summer Games
The Summer Games and the Paralympics passed without any major security incident; China says this highlights the success of security efforts for the Games, in particular the collaboration between China and INTERPOL
-
The long view
Diversity as National Security: Why Retreating from DEI Risks Repeating Pre-9/11 Failures
One of often overlooked lessons of the 9/11 intelligence failure is that diversity — linguistic, cultural, experiential — was not simply a “nice to have” in intelligence work. It was essential infrastructure. The absence of diversity in America’s national security workforce thus represented more than a demographic imbalance; it represented a structural blind spot.
Online Mobilization and Violence in the United States
Even before the Charlie Kirk assassination, the United States was facing a resurgence of politically motivated violence that is deeply intertwined with the digital sphere. Extremists across the ideological spectrum exploit acts of violence to recruit followers, justify their ideologies, and sustain propaganda networks.
Nick Fuentes Is a Master of Exploiting the Current Social Media Opportunities for Extremism
That the antisemitic white nationalist Nick Fuentes and his followers have managed to get what their 20th-century predecessors could not — widespread awareness and political influence — reveals how fringe ideologies operate differently today compared to the mid-20th century, when institutional gatekeepers –political parties, law enforcement, the media –could more effectively contain extremist movements.
White Nationalism Fuels Tolerance for Political Violence Nationwide
Political violence is certainly not new in American society, but current patterns differ in key ways. We found that, today, white nationalism is a key driver of support for political violence –a sign that white nationalism poses substantial danger to U.S. political stability.
Political Violence Offers Extremist “Trigger Events” for Recruiting Supporters
Extremists are exploiting political violence by using online platforms to recruit new people to their causes and amplify the use of violence for political goals. High-profile incidents of political violence are useful trigger events for justifying extremist ideologies and calls for retaliation.
Fake survey Answers from AI Could Quietly Sway Election Predictions
Public opinion polls and other surveys rely on data to understand human behavior. New research reveals that artificial intelligence can now corrupt public opinion surveys at scale—passing every quality check, mimicking real humans, and manipulating results without leaving a trace.