Transportation

DHS announces Real ID grants
DHS released grant guidelines to assist states in applying for $35 million to begin implementing Real ID requirements for handling personal information associated with driver’s licenses
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DHS moves forward on data exchange project; business groups object
DHS wants to create Global Trade Exchange (GTX) — a data warehouse which would collect large volumes of commercial-transaction data from all parties involved in the production and movement of international shipments; trade groups say sharing confidential business data with foreign governments in the exchange would be a problem not only in terms of protecting U.S. competitiveness but also for national security reasons
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BAE tests counter-missile system on American Airlines aircraft
DHS awards BAE $29 million to test laser jamming systems on American passenger planes; test was initially limited to cargo planes, but Congress wants to see whether system is suitable for passenger planes
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TSA, Texas prison collaborate on dog training
TSA will allow inmates in Travis County State Jail in Austin to take care of puppies who will ultimately serve as explosives detection dogs within TSA’s National Explosives Detection Canine Team Program
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Somali pirates demand $1 million ransom for Japanese tanker
One way to make money in Somalia — perhaps the only way — is old-fashion piracy; in the latest episode, pirates demand $1 million for a Japanese tanker, threatening to kill the crew unless their demands are met
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Philippine government buys hovercrafts for coastal security
As law enforcement authorities look for versatile machines to help them deal with changing threat environment, hovercraft manufacturers may be rewarded
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Border Patrol takes possession of Project 28
Six months after the 13 June deadline, Boeing hands over keys to Project 28, the system of towers and surveillance cameras on the Arizona-Mexico border, to Customs and Border Patrol; border patrol agents will test the system for forty-five days
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Growing unease with DHS Terror Watch Lists
As DHS’s consolidated Terrorism Watch List grows — there are now about 800,000 names on it — criticism by individuals who find themselves on the list for no reason, and by privacy and advocacy groups, grow as well; DHS established Travelers Redress Inquiry Program to allow individuals to have their inclusion on the list examined, but problems persist
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New T-ray source would improve airport security, cancer detection
Terahertz radiation does not have sufficient energy to “ionize” an atom by knocking loose one of its electrons, which is good news, because this ionization causes the cellular damage that can lead to radiation sickness or cancer; T-ray absorption patterns could not only detect but also identify a much wider variety of hazardous or illegal substances than X-ray
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Unmanned aircraft will challenge air traffic control
The rapid growth in the number of UAVs flying the skies for a variety of purposes leads to serious discussion of a UAV air-traffic control system to monitor their flight and prevent accidents
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Boeing may not be paid for SBInet until system is usable
Legislators are upset with continuing technical difficulties afflicting Project 28 — and with what they regard as DHS’s and Boeing’s spin of these difficulties (both now describe Project 28 as mere “test bed” for border protection technologies)
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UAVs to be used for mid-air refueling
U.S. Air Force, Boeing conducts tests to see whether a UAV can perform mid-air refueling
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DSC receives Home Office funding for improved explosive detector
U.K. company has developed technology to produce from vapor single crystals of the compound semiconductor cadmium telluride, which can be used as detectors of X-rays and gamma rays
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Continental first in nation to use paperless boarding
Continental passengers at Houston airport can now board planes by showing their cell phones or PDAs to security checkers; checkers scan rectangular bars on the cell phones’ or PDAs’ screens, which contain passengers personal and travel information
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Terrorists smuggle 8 Chinese missiles into Saudi Arabia
Last week the Saudi authorities said they arrested 208 al-Qaeda-linked militants in six separate arrests in recent months; members of one of the cells were found to have Chinese missiles with them
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