Infrastructure protection

DHS releases 2007 state and municipal grant funding levels
Urban Areas Security Initiative and Citizen Corps Program receive mild funding boosts; other programs see minor losses; DHS gives risk assessment the old college try
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Coast Guard suggests driver's licenses for boaters
Program would help authorities keep track of small boats; idea challenged by state planners already upset by REAL-ID Act; uniformity of IDs could lead to uniformity of sporting laws; Coast Guard concerned about smuggling, critical infrastructure
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Restrictions imposed on Nokia-Siemens deal
One result of last year’s storm over the DPW deal is the greater scrutiny now being imposed on deals involving sensitive U.S. technologies and companies; CFIUS is showing growing assertiveness in scrutinizing and imposing restrictions on deals involving communication infrastructure companies
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UPDATE: NNSA chief fired for Los Alamos security lapses
Linton Brooks gets the axe after a series of breaches expose the weakness of lab cyber-security; failure to do away with removable storage devices in weapons-related computers cited; Energy Department starts the hunt for a replacement
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Coast Guard struggles with maritime surveillance program
Port of Miami once again provides a sorry case study; Maritime Domain Awareness program confuses waves for boats; Coast Guard stops following the radar after too many problems; Automated Identification System a cause for criticism
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DHS increases TWIC issuance fees
Ballooning card production costs force a $10 increase in initial charges, with a $24 increase for replacements; TWIC program looks to manage finances while it sorts out technological challenges
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GW University launches mall guard anti-terror course
DC school teams up with International Council of Shopping Centers to improve security guard training; students learn about WMDs and how to identify suicide bombers; critics say high industry turn-over rates doom the project to failure; do malls really qualify as critical infrastructure?
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New York architects test two new bollard devices
Rogers Marvel tries to drum up NYSE interest in a turntable model for Broad Street; system rotates 90 degrees to permit passage of authorized vehicles; alternative Tiger Trap system already a big hit in Battery Park; unique construction supports pedestrian weight but collapses underneath trucks
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DHS moves on chemical plant safety regulations
In a one-punch, DHS moves on rules governing chemical plants safety two weeks after formulaitng rules to governs the rail transportation of hazardous chemicals; Democrats will controll both houses of Congress next year, and they say both sets of rules are too weak, and will be strengthened
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NY/NJ Port Authority offers national port security recommendations
Suggestions include minimum mandatory cargo inspection standards, a federal port and cargo policy director, and a port security user fee to offset security costs
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Buffalo physicist announces new blast protection technology
New computer simulations that test blast-proof infrastructure without the expense of physical modelling and test explosions; interstitial grains control energy propagation through a tapered chain; buildings, tanks, and bulletproof vests could benefit from discovery
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U.S. water utility buys Magal's DreamBox solution
Security company Magal is gaining traction in the U.S. market; after a year-long marketing efforts, order begin to come in
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Dayton positions itself as a sensor center
Ohio’s Third Frontier Commission awards $28 million for the development of a sensor technology research center; business partners include Woolpert, General Dynamics, UES, YSI, and L-3 Communications Cincinnati Electronics
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RemoteReality receives $7.3 million in VC funding
Battelle Ventures and Chart Venture partners pick up the tab; company a DoD favorite for its 360-degree video analytics technology; USS Cole and USS Greenville incidents drive demand for on-board surveillance and monitoring
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Otto Hoernig launches new sensor networking firm
Hoernig previously sold SpaceLink International for $150 million; Trace Systems, based in Virginai, will pursue business with DHS and DoD; market for wireless sensors to reach $1 billion by 2009
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