• State Department issues RFI for WHTI PASS card system

    Agency provides detail on benefits of RFID cards; 17 November meeting with industry to be followed by request for proposals; fixed price contract desired

  • The Netherlands selects ePassport authentication system from 3M

    The use of biometrics for identifying people is gaining ground by the day; the Netherlands has just selected ePassport readers from 3M to verify the identity of the more than 40 million travelers who pass through Amsterdam Schiphol Airport each year; the government will place the readers at other border crossings as well

  • GD to implement Safefreight's hazardous tracking solution

    There are more than 800,000 hazardous materials and dangerous waste shipments in the United States per day; if even one of these shipments were to be seized by terrorists and used as a weapon, results could be catastrophic; GD selects a fleet-tracking solution from a Canadian company for implementation and demonstration as part of a TSA project to improve the safety of hauling dangerous materials

  • TSA again delays deadline for passenger-airplane cargo security measures

    About 7,500 tons of cargo is transported each day in the U.S. on passenger planes;about 50,000 employees, agents, and shippers have unescorted access to that cargo; TSA wants these employees to undergo rigorous background and criminal checks, but the airline industry keeps failing to meet the agency’s deadlines

  • The U.S. and Israel will deepen cooperation on civilian aircraft protection

    Israel was the first victim of a systematic terror campaign against its aviation (by the PLO in the late 1960s), so it has learned a thing or two about protecting passenger aircraft; the U.S. and Israel will now collaborate more closely in such protective efforts

  • RAND puts ferries at the top of the list of emerging terrorist threats

    With their wide decks, slow-moving ferries are extremely vulnerable to even the slightest explosions; suicide bombers, mines, and boat-borne IEDs among likely methods of attack; screening ferry crews and increased wharf surveillance are best responses

  • DHS finds major staffing problems at TSA

    Report notes inconsistent screener/administrator ratios; staffing decisions are being made without regard to the size of the airport; inspector general recommends adjustments and singles out Hawaii for special notice

  • CBS exposes cargo security weakness with a dummy bomb

    Known Shipper program failed to prevent an unknown television producer from transporting a lead-line case in the hold of an American airlines flight; CBS was even able to dictate which flight would carry the cargo; although the box was invulnerable to canine or mechanical inspection, nobody tried to open it

  • NJ Transit tests DriveCam bus surveillance system

    Windshield-mounted cameras record data inside and outside the vehicle; at a cost of $25,000 per unit, the cost is steep, but agency hopes to make up the difference by reducing driver error and lowering liability exposure

  • U.S. Navy, DHS seek proposal for laser weapons

    U.S. defense and homeland security agencies want information on building a laser weapon capable of thwarting a demanding range of threats, among them ” Jet Skis, small-boat swarm attacks, rockets, mortars, artillery rounds, shoulder-fired missiles, electro-optic sensors, and soft, unmanned aerial vehicles,” and more

  • Coast Guard looks at threats from non-conatinerized cargo

    Break bulk and roll on/roll off cargo present a unique challenge awaiting a solution; cars, cotton bales, and turbine equipment cannot be easily moved through a portal radiation screener; a dirty bomb in a car trunk is just one of the horrifying scenerios

  • EDO to develop very-shallow-water mine-neutralizer system

    Defending shallow coastal waters against terrorists who would lay mines in order to disrupt commerce and inflict damage is becoming a big issue for the world navies; the U.S. Navy has its Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program, and a New York company now wins a contract to develop mine sweeping operations in support of the LCS project

  • Airline industry objects to new passenger flight data proposals

    DHS may ask airlines to provide flight manifests an hour before departure; industry says change from 15 minutes will result in economic hardship and offers a 30 minute compromise; controversy is also building over revised definition of “departure”

  • GAO hammers TWIC program management

    TSA officials said to be unaware of own progress; when biometric readers are installed, sometimes no electricity is available to power them; maritime reliability remains a glaring problem; cost overruns and delays are expected

  • Saflink downsizes and refocuses on Registered Traveler program

    Following losses, the company will lay off half of its employees and attempt to grab Registered Traveler market share; competition will be stiff, but Saflink is playing to its strengths