Transportation

DHS adds $30 million for border security operations
DHS secretary Janet Napolitano announced the addition of $30 million in Operation Stonegarden grants; these funds supplement the $60 million in Operation Stonegarden grants announced by Napolitano in June
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Second part of Secure Flight is phased in beginning Saturday
Starting Saturday, some travelers will begin providing their birth date and sex when booking their airline reservations; Secure Flight aims to match passengers’ names against the government’s terrorism watch list
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Study highlights air cargo security failings
New study: “these weak spots [in air cargo security] increase the security risk of worldwide transport, which can result in the disruption of logistical processes with considerable economic losses”
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TSA conducting scanning tech evaluation
TSA tests both millimeter wave and backscatter imaging technologies to address privacy concerns; the aim is to reduce concerns about privacy while strengthening the ability to detect metallic and non-metallic threats
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TSA approves biometric security for flight crews
The Transportation Security Administration launches a pilot program that accelerates flight crew security screening in airports
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U.K. MPs have doubts about a biometrics IT system for screening students
The Home Affairs Committee looked at the role of the National Biometric Identity Service (NBIS) in student visa applications as part of a report into migration processes; universities have already voiced their concerns that the enrollment of students will depend on the untested NBIS, and the MPs say they share this concern
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Millimeter-wave imaging comes to Cleveland, Houston airports
TSA expands its testing of millimeter wave and backscatter imaging systems, deploying them in Cleveland and Houston; TSA claims passengers’ privacy is guaranteed, but passengers can opt out of being screened and choose body pat instead
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$7.7 million in stimulus funds for airport surveillance announced
The stimulus package committed more than $3 billion for homeland security projects through DHS and GSA; of the $1 billion allocated to TSA for aviation security projects, $700 million is dedicated to screening checked baggage and $300 million is allocated for checkpoint explosives detection technology
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Coast Guards interdicts smugglers' semi-submersible
Latin American drug lords now rely on semi-submersibles to smuggle drugs into the United States; the other day, the USCG interdicts one semi-submersible in the Eastern Pacific
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TSA's new lab tests new bomb detection technologies
The Transportation Security Laboratory in Atlantic City uses the latest intelligence from the military, CIA, FBI, and friendly foreign governments to manufacture improvised explosive devices like those being built by terrorists — in order to defeat them
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Israel successfully tests anti-ship missile defense
During the summer 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war, the Shi’ia organization almost sank an Israeli ship with an advanced Iran-made anti-ship missile; Israel has now successfully tested a sophisticated defense against anti-ship missile — a defensive system which should be of interest to U.S. Navy ships on patrol at the Persian Gulf
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Concerns over E-Verify effectiveness as illegal immigration detentions drop
The Obama administration has mandated that by 8 September, all contractors who do work with the federal government must use E-Verify to ensure their prospective employees can legally work in the United States; senators say it is too easy to fool the current E-Verify system
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EADS wins large Saudi border protection deal
EADS’s win of the massive Saudi border fencing contract, valued at $2.3-2.8 billion, is part of the defense contractors effort to use homeland security projects as a means to bolster its revenues
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The business aspects of get-tough immigration policy
The post-9/11 get-tough policy toward immigration has meant booming business for private prison-management companies; the building of prisons and detention centers is now a much-needed source of income for cash-strapped rural communities
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Border security: Some sectors benefit, others suffer
HSNW has put together a special report on border security; the report notes growing concerns about border security have contributed to the growth of sectors such as biometrics, surveillance, and prison management, but have hobbled those sectors heavily dependent on cross-border commerce
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