National News

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Six Arrested in Plot to Kill Soldiers at Fort Dix (Newark, NJ, Star-Ledger; Atlantic City [NJ] Press) “Six men charged with plotting the slaughter of U.S. soldiers in an armed assault on Fort Dix were held without bail” Tuesday, reports the Star-Ledger. The men were “identified by authorities as homegrown Islamic terrorists inspired by Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda network … Federal agents, backed by state police, arrested the men [Monday] night after two of the suspects met a confidential informant in Cherry Hill to buy AK-47 and M16 automatic” weapons. “The men intended to ‘kill as many soldiers as possible,’ the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.” The government’s investigation “began more than a year ago when an unidentified clerk at a Circuit City electronics store tipped off authorities to a video showing 10 men shooting weapons at a firing range and calling for jihad,” reports the Associated Press. [View Star-Ledger article] [View AP article]

U.S. Homegrown Terrorists Multiply (MSNBC) “The US is seeing a growth in the number of ‘home-grown’ terrorist plots that have no connection with overseas groups such as al-Qaeda, says Robert Mueller, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” according to the Financial Times. He “said the number of such plots had risen ‘in recent years,’” referring to “12 high-profile home-grown plots that the FBI has announced since the attacks of September 11 2001.” (See the Quote of the Week.) [View article]

Pentagon Heeds Guard Commission but Balks at Giving Governors More Control (Government Executive) “Defense Secretary Robert Gates has rejected a proposal to let governors command active duty troops responding to disasters,” reports the Associated Press, but “the Pentagon will grant National Guard leaders more authority to coordinate with other military and homeland security agencies. Gates told Congress Wednesday he had approved 20 of the 23 changes recommended recently by an independent commission in an effort to improve Guard funding, equipment and coordination in emergencies.” (See the March 2 newsletter.) [View article]

The Rise of Low-Tech Terrorism (Washington Post) “In August 1978, four Shiite revolutionaries locked the doors of the Cinema Rex in the Iranian city of Abadan and set the theater on fire,” writes Daniel Byman, director of Georgetown University’s Center for Peace and Security Studies and Brookings Institution fellow, in the Washington Post. “… At least 377 people—perhaps many more—were burned alive.” This kind of terrorism, which can include “low-tech bombs, hostage-taking and arson [has] tremendous appeal to jihadists.… the State Department’s annual survey on terrorism [see the May 4 Stats of the Week], released last week, notes that ‘in 2006 most attacks were perpetrated by terrorists applying conventional fighting methods that included using bombs and weapons, such as small arms.’” Unfortunately, “it doesn’t take that much skill to kill dozens of people—as the shootings at Virginia Tech so tragically demonstrate [see the April 20 newsletter]. Attacks such as the Cinema Rex fire are easily repeated.” Using “better defenses can solve only part of the problem.… Perhaps the best way to fight low-tech terrorists is through community support.” [View commentary]

Convergence of Physical and IT Security Is Becoming Necessary (Government Computer News) “Physical attacks increasingly will be accompanied by cyber attacks that will magnify the impact of the assault or hamper response, according to analysts with the U.S. Cyber Consequences Unit,” reports Government Computer News. “‘In the future, we will see that cyber vulnerabilities will determine where physical attacks will take place,’ [said] Scott Borg, director and chief economist of the” unit. “Combining physical and IT security will be necessary to provide adequate protection to the nation’s critical infrastructure, he said.” The unit “is a government-funded independent research organization.” [View article]

U.S. Drops Charges Against Posada (BBC) “A US federal judge has dismissed immigration charges against Cuban exile Luis Posada Carriles, a man convicted of blowing up a Cuban airliner in 1976,” reports the British Broadcasting Corporation. (See the April 27 newsletter.) U.S. district judge Kathleen Cardone “accused the US government of ‘fraud, deceit, and trickery’ in its handling of the case. Posada, 79, was detained in May 2005 after entering the US illegally. A former CIA employee, he is wanted in Venezuela and Cuba over the downing of a Cuban airliner in 1976 in which 73 people died. He denies involvement. The judge’s surprise decision leaves Posada’s fate in doubt, though US authorities have ruled out returning him to Cuba or Venezuela.… US authorities are [reportedly] investigating whether Posada was involved in the bombing of a Havana hotel, in 1997, that killed an Italian tourist.” [View article]

Churches Plan to Offer Sanctuary to Illegal Aliens (Washington Times) “Churches in five large U.S. cities”—Chicago, San Diego, Los Angeles, New York, and Seattle—“plan to protect illegal aliens from deportation, offering sanctuary if need be, as they pressure lawmakers to create a path to citizenship for the nation’s estimated 12 million to 20 million illegals,” reports the Associated Press. [View article]

Film Attempts Empathy With a Suicide Bomber (New York Times) The movie Day Night Day Night is a “gripping minimalist portrait of an unidentified 19-year-old suicide bomber planning to blow up Times Square,” says New York Times reviewer Stephen Holden. “… The movie, written and directed by Julia Loktev, … wants to imprison you in a terrorist mind-set and play cat-and-mouse games with your hopes and expectations.… Because no details are given or motives offered, ‘Day [Night] Day Night’ is ostensibly apolitical. But the deliberate withholding of a political agenda in a movie about a suicide bomber has unavoidable political implications. It suggests that the motives matter less than the self-destructive act itself. The more you identify with [the main] character, the more deeply you are implicated in her decision.” [View article]

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International News

Four More Arrested for 2005 London Subway Bombings (BBC) Hasina Patel—“the wife of 7 July bomber Mohammad Sidique Khan”—and three others were “arrested in connection with the 2005 attacks, which killed 52 people,” reports the British Broadcasting Corporation. Also arrested were her brother Arshad Patel, Khalid Khaliq, and Imran Motala. “They are being quizzed in London on suspicion of commissioning, preparing or instigating acts of terrorism.” [View article]

German Police Raid Anti-G-8 Plotters (New York Times) “Four weeks before leaders of the world’s big industrial nations are to gather at a Baltic Sea resort in northern Germany, the police conducted sweeping raids on Wednesday on the offices and homes of left-wing campaigners whom they suspected of planning to disrupt the meeting,” reports the New York Times. “The raids, in which 900 police officers searched 40 sites in half a dozen cities, amounted to a show of force against potentially violent protesters at the meeting of the Group of 8.… Federal prosecutors said they were investigating 18 people suspected of belonging to a group that they said was planning fire-bombings and other attacks to disrupt the meeting in Heiligendamm.” [View article]

Disabled Do Deadly Work for Taliban (Toronto Globe and Mail) “‘Almost 90 per cent of [suicide bombers in Afghanistan] are people with some form of disability,’ forensic expert Yusuf Yadgari said,” according to the Globe and Mail. “Every bomber’s body in Kabul-based attacks passes through Dr. Yadgari’s morgue. He has so far detected such disabilities as muscular dystrophy, amputated toes, blindness, skin diseases and signs of mental illness in the bodies of suicide bombers.… Disabled people are a significant portion of Afghanistan’s population, but they live on the margins of its society.… Money for suicide bombings is offered to families of the bombers, so they can live a better life.” [View article]

From China to Panama, a Trail of Poisoned Medicine (New York Times; Toronto Globe and Mail) “Toxic syrup has figured in at least eight mass poisonings around the world in the past two decades,” reports the New York Times. “Researchers estimate that thousands have died.” In one instance, “counterfeit glycerin passed through three trading companies on three continents, yet not one of them tested the syrup to confirm what was on the label. Along the way, a certificate falsely attesting to the purity of the shipment was repeatedly altered, eliminating the name of the manufacturer and previous owner. As a result, traders bought the syrup without knowing where it came from, or who made it.” This “poorly policed chain of traders in country after country allows counterfeit medicine to contaminate the global market.” In China, “safety regulations have lagged behind its growing role as low-cost supplier to the world”—yet “the power to prosecute the counterfeiters is now in the hands of the Chinese.” China on Wednesday announced “a nationwide crackdown on contaminated and unsafe food and drugs,” reports the Associated Press. [View NY Times article] [View AP article]

Hezbollah Builds a Western Base (MSNBC) “The Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia has taken root in South America, fostering a well-financed force of Islamist radicals boiling with hatred for the United States and ready to die to prove it,” reports NBC News. “From its Western base in a remote region divided by the borders of Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina known as the Tri-border, or the Triple Frontier, Hezbollah has mined the frustrations of many Muslims among about 25,000 Arab residents whose families immigrated mainly from Lebanon in two waves, after” two wars. “U.S. officials fear that poorly patrolled borders and rampant corruption in the Tri-border region could make it easy for Hezbollah terrorists to infiltrate the southern U.S. border.” [View article]

Kenya Gets U.S. Antiterror Funds (BBC) “The US government has announced new funding to Kenya’s security forces aimed at countering ‘terrorist activities’ in the Horn of Africa,” reports the British Broadcasting Corporation. Some of the $14 million “worth of training and equipment … will be used to construct a maritime security camp, boost coastline patrols and set up a cyber forensic laboratory.” [View article]

Secure Freight Initiative Begins Radiation Scanning in Pakistan In partnership with the government of Pakistan, the Secure Freight Initiative last week began transmitting data from a new radiation scanning system at Port Qasim in Karachi, Pakistan. The system will scan 100% of all cargo bound for the United States with radiation detection and non-intrusive imaging equipment. [View press release]

Eight More Countries Will Join Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism Cape Verde, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Georgia, Montenegro, the Netherlands, and Spain have announced their decisions to become partner nations of the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism, which is led by the United States and Russia. [View press release]

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New this week in the Journal of Homeland Security In Curse of the Narrows, Laura M. Mac Donald has written a vivid piece of history describing the Halifax explosion of 1917 and its aftermath. (See the Homeland Security Newsletter Website of the Week for December 16, 2005.) Although the disaster occurred 90 years ago, the response to the catastrophe holds lessons for today. Analytic Services senior editor Steve Dunham reviews the book.

United Nations News

Attacks on Aid Workers in Pakistan The United Nations has suspended its activities and closed its offices for two weeks in the Bagh subdistrict in Pakistani-administered Kashmir following a spate of security incidents involving humanitarian workers assisting with recovery from the Oct. 8, 2005, earthquake. Some workers were beaten and one worker’s home was torched. [View press release]

Iran and UN Launch Regional Seismic Risk Reduction Center A regional center to reduce the damage from seismic threats was launched in Iran this week by the government and the United Nations Strategy for Disaster Reduction. The Asian Centre on Seismic Risk Reduction will build awareness and provide training to improve construction urban planning standards, develop appropriate early warning systems, and enhance disaster management and encourage a “culture of safety.” [View press release]

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DHS News

TSA Data Missing on 100,000 Employees (Federal Computer Week; Government Executive) “The Transportation Security Administration is investigating the possible loss or theft of an external hard drive that contained the payroll data of about 100,000 current and former employees, including their Social Security numbers and bank account and routing information,” reports Federal Computer Week. “The records affect individuals employed by TSA from January 2002 until August 2005 … The hard drive was discovered missing from a controlled area at the TSA headquarters’ Office of Human Capital in Arlington, Va.” The American Federation of Government Employees “filed a class action lawsuit Tuesday against the Homeland Security Department and its Transportation Security Administration, charging that the government acted recklessly when it lost [the] sensitive personal data,” reports Government Executive. TSA “has implemented a benefits package for those affected,” according to Government Executive’s FedBlog. It “includes free credit monitoring for up to a year, ID theft insurance up to $25,000, fraud alerts and access to identity restoration specialists in the event an employee is a victim of identity theft.” [View FCW article] [View Gov. Exec. article] [View FedBlog]

DHS Transformation Is ‘High Risk,’ Says GAO “The transformation of the” Homeland Security Department is “high risk,” according to the Government Accountability Office, continuing an assessment it has maintained for four years. The department’s enterprise architecture (“a corporate blueprint that serves as an authoritative frame of reference for information technology investment decision making”) “has evolved beyond prior versions, but missing architecture content and limited stakeholder input constrain its usability.” [View abstract]

Federal Homeland Security Information-Sharing Networks Need to Be Coordinated With State and Local Ones “The Departments of Homeland Security and Justice have 17 major networks that support their homeland security missions, including sharing information with state and local governments,” according to the Government Accountability Office. “… 8 are used within the department and by other federal, state, and local agencies … effective information sharing is not occurring and [the] Homeland Security Information Network may be duplicating state and local capabilities.” [View abstract]

Problems Persist With Border and Immigration Units (Government Executive) “Two Homeland Security Department agencies responsible for enforcing customs and immigration laws still face significant problems with information sharing and limited resources—sometimes leading to sloppy investigations, government inspectors conclude in a report released” on May 4, according to CongressDaily. “The Homeland Security Department’s inspector general assessed current relations between Customs and Border Protection, which enforces laws along the border, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which enforces laws inside the country.… ‘At times, CBP and ICE would find that both were investigating the same targets, but neither would know of this beforehand,’ the [Inspector General] wrote.” [View article] [View report]

DHS Grants $445 Million for Transit and Port Security (Boston Herald) “The Bush administration on Thursday divvied up $445 million in grants to protect commuters, shipping ports, and transit systems from attacks—a boost of more than 10 percent from last year,” reports the Associated Press. “The Department of Homeland Security devoted most of the money to seaports and mass transit: $202 million for ports, $155 million in grants to bus and rail lines, and $48.5 million for critical infrastructure around the United States. Smaller amounts were distributed to protect the nation’s passenger rail carrier Amtrak, and bus services like Greyhound and Trailways, as well as trucking and passenger ferry services.” [View article]

DHS Pursues Facial-Recognition Technology (USA Today) “Homeland Security leaders are exploring futuristic and possibly privacy-invading technology aimed at finding terrorists and criminals by using digital surveillance photos that analyze facial characteristics,” reports USA Today. “The government is paying for some of the most advanced research into controversial face-recognition technology, which converts photos into numerical sequences that can be instantly compared with millions of photos in a database.… The technology has been tested at Boston’s Logan International Airport, in busy city centers and at the 2001 Super Bowl in Tampa.” [View article]

DHS Launches Project Portal for First Responders (Federal Computer Week) “The Homeland Security Department is offering to use as much as $8 million on projects that first responders specifically request,” reports Federal Computer Week. “Under the Science and Technology Directorate’s TechSolutions portal launched last month, fire, police, emergency medical services and other first responders can submit a question, problem, challenge or technology to address mission capability gaps.” [View article]

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Other Federal News

National Security and Homeland Security Presidential Directive On Wednesday, President Bush issued National Security Presidential Directive 51, which is also Homeland Security Presidential Directive 20, establishing a national policy on the continuity of federal government structures and operations and a single National Continuity Coordinator. [View press release]

CDC on Use of Facemasks and Respirators During an Epidemic The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week offered advice to the public about the use of facemasks and respirators in public settings during a flu pandemic. People should consider wearing a facemask if they are sick with the flu and think they might come within 6 feet of other people. They should consider wearing a respirator if they are well and might come within 6 feet of people who are sick with the flu. [View press release]

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State and Local News

California Nuclear Lab to Stay in Similar Hands (Government Executive) “A team led by the University of California is getting the management contract for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Northern California, despite past problems at the lab while under [the university’s] management,” reports the Associated Press. (See the March 2 newsletter.) “… The decision comes after a series of financial and security gaffes at the nation’s premier nuclear weapons labs—Lawrence Livermore and Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico—led the federal government to require competitive bidding for their management contracts.… Following a string of accounting, security and safety lapses at the Los Alamos and Livermore labs, the Energy Department decided in 2003 to seek new bids for [the university’s] contracts to run those labs and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.” [View article]

Feds Offer $1 Billion for Crisis Communications (Stateline) “The nation’s switchover to digital television in 2009 soon will yield benefits to states still scurrying to enable firefighters, police and other local and federal emergency officials to communicate during a crisis,” reports Stateline. “States can start applying in mid-July for the first small slice of $1 billion that will be set aside from the Federal Communication Commission’s upcoming sale of licenses for the public airwaves that currently carry free, over-the-air television signals. Those TV frequencies will be turned over to new uses as the nation switches to all-digital TV broadcasts by a Feb. 17, 2009, deadline set by Congress. The extra $1 billion in new federal funds will be targeted at helping state and local governments upgrade their public communications networks so that first responders can talk to each other and to other key players during an emergency.” [View article]

Confused 911 Calls Didn’t Faze Dispatchers in Highway Meltdown (San Francisco Chronicle) “Motorists gave 911 operators conflicting information after a gasoline tanker truck overturned and ignited a fire that brought down part of the MacArthur Maze—yet emergency dispatchers remained calm in the chaotic moments,” reports the San Francisco Chronicle. “… It was unclear in the first few minutes after the crash whether part of the freeway, a building—or possibly both—were on fire.… The chaos apparent in the recordings underscore how difficult it is for many people to accurately describe where something is happening, especially during a traumatic event” but “even though there was conflicting information provided by motorists initially, it’s difficult to gauge whether it contributed to any delay by emergency personnel.” [View article]

12 States Compete for Biodefense Lab (Washington Post) “A dozen states are competing for a government research lab full of killer germs like anthrax, avian flu and foot-and-mouth disease,” reports the Associated Press. They “are bidding for a proposed 520,000-square-foot National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility that will cost at least $450 million to build. It would replace an aging, smaller lab at Plum Island, N.Y. … states bidding for the site are” Texas, “California, Georgia, Kansas, Oklahoma, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina,” Wisconsin, Kentucky, and Tennessee. “In June, officials will narrow down their options to three to five sites. The winner should be announced in October 2008, with the lab operating by 2014.” [View article]

Natl. Guard, Short of Equipment, Responds to Disasters in Three States (DefenseLink; Los Angeles Times) This week the National Guard responded to disasters in Florida, Missouri, and South Dakota, reports American Forces Press Service. “In Florida, 50 National Guardsmen used two” helicopters to drop more than 100,000 gallons of water on “a fire that has ravaged thousands of acres in three” counties. “In Missouri, more than 100 National Guardsmen have assisted in flood-response efforts,” while “in South Dakota, 47 soldiers are on state active duty in support of local emergency management agencies in ongoing flood-relief efforts.” But “The Pentagon … acknowledged Wednesday that Army National Guard units had only 56% of their required equipment,” reports the Los Angeles Times. “… after a tornado flattened nearly all of Greensburg, Kan. Guard shortfalls delayed the state’s emergency response.” [View DefenseLink article] [View LA Times article]

Santa Clarita Transit picture

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Dual-Benefit Solutions

Pentagon Sets Up Civilian Foreign Language Corps (Government Executive) “The Pentagon is setting up a civilian Language Corps, a cadre of some 1,000 foreign-language speakers who can help the government in times of war and national emergencies,” reports the Associated Press. “In a three-year pilot program, the Defense Department will recruit volunteers and do testing to see if such a program would work.” [View article]

Dual-benefit news archive

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Education The Homeland Security Institute lists these education programs as a service to readers who may be interested; it does not endorse them or their courses. New education listings are posted for four weeks. Mirror Image (May 20-25; Moyock, NC) Mirror Image is an intensive classroom and field training program, designed to realistically simulate terrorist recruiting, training techniques, and operational tactics. Participants will receive insight into the mindset and rationale of the terrorist through hands-on experience with the methods and means they use, plus education about the ideologies that motivate them and cultural dimensions that influence their decision making. [View course website] Building Security Certified Professional Seminar (May 22-23; Portland, OR) This is a new multidisciplinary certification program for licensed engineers, architects, landscape architects, certified protection professionals, and physical security professionals, sponsored by the Building Security Council. It offers 13 professional development hours and is intended to prepare candidates by addressing all seven domains that the examination covers: project process, risk assessment, site considerations, building envelope, interior space, facility operations, and rating system. The three-hour test is now available by computer at more than 250 locations across the United States. [View seminar website] U.S. Public Health Service Scientific and Training Symposium (June 3-7; Cincinnati) The theme of this year’s Symposium is “The Many Faces of Public Health.” It offers continuing education seminars on the latest trends and innovations in public health care delivery, administration, and research. [View symposium website] Emergency Preparedness for Government Facilities (June 4-5; Arlington, VA) This course provides “strategic resources to prepare for, and recover from, any emergency or disaster.” It will help the students create or improve their organization-wide emergency management plan to ensure that all procedures are in place and that all equipment and personnel needs are addressed so that they can respond to an emergency quickly and instinctively. [View course website] Hospital Security Preparedness (June 5-8; Washington, DC) The ER One Institute at the Washington Hospital Center is offering an immersion course for hospital protective services and law enforcement. It uses hands-on training, live drills, and classroom instruction from faculty with extensive security and counterterrorism experience. The course goal is to achieve competency in handling all hazards to hospital security, from routine situations to mass-casualty incidents and terrorist attacks against the facility. For more information, call Lisa Rizzolo at (202) 877-7453. [View course website] Terrorism: Threats, Training, Tactics and Technology (June 11-13, Boston) Nationally renowned experts will discuss terrorism, emerging threats, training, tactics, and technology. Participants will have the opportunity to explore some of the challenges and gain a comprehensive understanding of issues related to terrorism. [View course website] Teaching About Terrorism for Institutions Serving Minorities (June 16–24; Atlanta) The Homeland Security Department’s Science and Technology Directorate Office of University Programs is sponsoring a Summer Workshop on Teaching Terrorism for faculty and graduate students at institutions serving minorities. It will be held at Morehouse College and will offer an intensive short course on the fundamentals of terrorism, introduce academics to new and innovative techniques utilized to teach terrorism, and provide access to high-level officials working in the intelligence and counter-terrorism fields. [View course website] Physical Infrastructure Technologies in Homeland Security (June 20; Washington, DC) This course will discuss evaluating and implementing technologies and techniques for sustainability and integration, with a special emphasis on information technology convergence, surveillance, and inspection. [View course website] Managing Today’s Threats to Homeland Security (June 27; Washington, DC) With a special focus on chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive weapons, this class will give attendees a quick snapshot of how government and industry are addressing the threat, from policy decisions through recent research and technology development. [View course website] Discounts for sworn officers and security professionals (online) Ellis College, a fully accredited online college for working professionals, has a new tuition discount program for active and retired sworn officers in law enforcement, corrections, probation, and parole, along with security professionals. It also offers discounted tuition to active, retired, and veteran military personnel. [View press release] Security Leadership Essentials with Knowledge Compression (July 30–Aug. 4; Charlottesville, VA) This course is designed to empower senior and advancing managers who want to get up to speed fast on information security issues and terminology. It will help students meet the requirements of Department of Defense Directive 8570 and includes a test pass guarantee. [Register online] Security Essentials Bootcamp Style (August 6-11; Virginia Beach, VA) Students will learn the language and underlying theory of computer security and gain essential, up-to-the-minute knowledge and skills required for effective performance if they are given the responsibility for securing systems and/or organizations. The course will help students meet the requirements of Department of Defense Directive 8570 and includes a test pass guarantee. [Register online] Introduction to the Incident Command System The National Wildfire Coordination Group and the U.S. Fire Administration have jointly developed and implemented a new online course that will enable firefighters, incident responders, and others to learn and understand the basics of the Incident Command System. It is available on the National Wildfire Coordination Group’s training website. [View press release] [View course website]

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New Upcoming Events (After four weeks, new events will be moved to the Upcoming Events page) Building US/Israeli Partnerships for Counter-terrorism Solutions (May 14; Los Angeles) Leading Israeli and American academic and counter-terrorism experts will discuss risk and decision analysis, the global jihadi terrorist threat, Hezbollah and the emerging threat of Shiite terrorism to the United States, the probability of CBRN terrorism, terrorist networks, threat assessment methodology, and emerging terrorism challenges to U.S. interests and security. [View conference website] Contract Security Summit & Hill Day (May 15–16; Washington, DC) This event focuses on the contract security business and provides an opportunity to network with colleagues from across the country and directly interact with Congressional leaders and staff. [View conference website] Building International Partnerships to Combat Weapons of Mass Destruction (May 16-17; Washington, DC) The symposium will examine the opportunities and challenges. [View conference website] ACE Exchange IV and V (May 21-23, Laredo, TX; June 4-6, Buffalo, NY) The Automated Commercial Environment is the commercial trade processing system being developed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection to facilitate legitimate trade while strengthening border security. The ACE Exchanges will provide information on ACE and allow an open forum of communication between Customs and Border Protection and the trade community. The conferences will educate the trade community on the benefits of ACE, its impact on business operations, and legal policy changes under way, such as the new mandatory electronic manifest policy. [View conference website] Biodefense Vaccines and Therapeutics (June 4-6; Washington, DC) The theme of this year’s conference is policy, funding, and development. The conference is a place where government and industry come together to share their strategic plans and discuss industry’s participation in the government’s biodefense efforts. [View conference website] Sensors Expo and Conference (June 11-13; Rosemont, IL) This event focuses exclusively on sensors and sensor-integrated systems. The program will cover measurement and detection, emerging technologies and applications, systems and embedded intelligence, wireless sensing, and low-power sensing. [View conference website] Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism–International Nuclear Terrorism Law Enforcement Conference (June 11-13; Miami) The conference will feature 2½ days of industry exhibits and “will be attended by policy, program and tactical levels from participating agencies and an international contingent of” U.S. partner nations. [View conference website] CRTI Summer Symposium (June 11-15; Gatineau, Quebec) Canada’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Research and Technology Initiative summer symposium will focus on building resiliency from concept to operations. CRTI is responsible for building new science and technology necessary for response and preparedness. [View conference website] (June 26-28; Washington, DC) This conference offers a “solutions-oriented dialogue” to define the real communication problems faced and the capabilities needed to address them, identify interoperability and information-sharing needs and requirements, work towards aligning missions among federal, state, local, and non-governmental actors, and create the social and technical networks necessary for collaboration with a diverse array of participants. [View conference website] 17th World Conference on Disaster Management (July 8-11; Toronto) A venue for disaster management professionals from around the world to present, network, and learn. It comprises over 80 educational sessions and 16 half-day workshops and seminars. [View conference website] Heartland Security Conference & Exhibition (July 9-11; Minneapolis) The National Defense Industrial Association and the Defense Alliance of Minnesota will address the urgent and long-range system and technology needs of homeland security and national defense, focusing on threat awareness, preparedness, and responsiveness. [View conference website] NACCHO 2007 (July 11-13; Columbus, OH) Local health officials and their public health partners will examine strategies, share ideas, and plan actions designed to address issues of health inequity and environmental public health from local to global perspectives. [View conference website] (July 17-19; Oak Brook, IL) This is a multidisciplinary conference of public health professionals involved in bioterrorism planning and response, including public health administration, environmental health, nursing, communicable disease, laboratory services, food protection, immunization, hospital emergency services, and allied health. The conference includes over 30 concurrent and plenary sessions, roundtable discussions, a networking reception, and an exhibit hall. [View conference website]

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