National News

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Govt. Is Big Employer of Illegal Aliens (Washington Times) “A 2006 audit showed [that] federal, state and local governments are among the biggest employers of the half-million persons in the U.S. illegally using ‘non-work’ Social Security numbers--numbers issued legally, but with specific instructions that the holders are not authorized to work in the U.S.,” reports the Washington Times. “… According to the 2006 audit by the Social Security inspector general, 17 of the 100 worst employers using employees with non-work numbers were government agencies: seven federal agencies, seven state agencies and three local governments.” [View article]

CIA Report Says It Was Unprepared for al-Qaeda Threat (New York Times) “The former head of the Central Intelligence Agency, George J. Tenet, recognized the danger posed by Al Qaeda well before the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, but failed to adequately prepare the C.I.A. to meet the threat, according to an internal agency report that was released in summary form” on Tuesday, reports the New York Times. “Mr. Tenet was sometimes too occupied with tactics instead of strategy, and he was lax in promoting an information-sharing environment within the C.I.A., the inspector general’s office of the agency says.” [View article] [View report summary (989 KB PDF)]

Foreign-Aid Workers Face Background Checks (Washington Post) “The Bush administration plans to screen thousands of people who work with charities and nonprofit organizations that receive U.S. Agency for International Development funds to ensure they are not connected with individuals or groups associated with terrorism,” reports the Washington Post. “… The plan would require the organizations to give the government detailed information about key personnel, including phone numbers, birth dates and e-mail addresses. But the government plans to shroud its use of that information in secrecy and does not intend to tell groups deemed unacceptable why they are rejected.” [View article]

Commission on Smart Power Inaugurated The Center for Strategic & International Studies has created a Commission on Smart Power to develop a blueprint for revitalizing America’s inspirational leadership and make recommendations for developing an integrated policy to strengthen U.S. influence, image, and effectiveness in the world. [View press release]

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International News

Iraqi Govt. Is Precarious, Says Natl. Intelligence Estimate (Yahoo! News) “The Iraqi government will become more precarious over the next six to 12 months and its security forces have not improved enough to operate without outside help, intelligence analysts conclude in a new National Intelligence Estimate,” reports the Associated Press. “… The report represents the collaborative judgments of all 16 U.S. intelligence agencies, including the CIA, Defense Intelligence Agency and the intelligence organization of each military service.… The assessment also expresses deep doubts that the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki can overcome sectarian divisions and meet benchmarks intended to promote political unity.” [View article] [View report]

Blasting Coalitions Is New al-Qaeda Goal (Washington Times) “U.S. military officials suspect [that] the bombings of Yazidi villages in Iraq last week are a sign that al Qaeda is shifting tactics in an effort to create civil unrest among the three prevalent groups in the region,” reports the Washington Times. “… Four massive truck bombs took the lives of nearly 500 Yazidi Kurdish villagers in an act that some officials think is part of al Qaeda’s attempt to cleanse the region of non-Muslim groups.… the reasons behind the recent attack are still under investigation, but increased violence against Kurdish groups may be a sign that al Qaeda is provoking political and social instability after losing significant strongholds to coalition and Iraqi forces.” [View article]

Pilots and Passengers Foil Hijacking of Turkish Jet (International Herald Tribune) “Two men tried to hijack a Turkish passenger p*** [on August 18] with 142 people aboard but failed after the pilots arranged an emergency landing in the Mediterranean resort of Antalya and the two [hijackers] lost control of the passengers,” reports the International Herald Tribune. Mehmet Resat Ozlu, from Turkey, and Abdulaziz Maliki, a Syrian, are under investigation for “allegations that [they] were linked to Al Qaeda or other organizations.” [View article]

Border Violence Pushes Into U.S. (Los Angeles Times) “Violent crime along the U.S.-Mexico border … is increasingly spilling northward into the cities of the American Southwest,” reports the Los Angeles Times. Even “with the Mexican government’s newly pledged war on the [drug] cartels, and an explosion of violence among rival networks, a new crime dynamic is emerging: The violence that has hit Mexican border towns is spreading deeper into the United States”--and “the enemy is better armed and more sophisticated than ever.” [View article]

India to Give Antiterror Lessons to Foreign Armies (Times of India) “With the ever-growing spectre of terrorism looming large over the globe, more and more countries now want to learn from the Indian Army’s substantial experience in dealing with militancy, insurgency and sub-conventional operations,” reports the Times News Network. “The 1.13-million Army, the third largest in the world, will hold as many as 10 joint military exercises with countries ranging from Maldives, Seychelles, Thailand and Mongolia to Russia, UK, China and, of course, the US, before the end of this year. The thrust in most of these exercises will be counter-terrorism, both in ‘urban and rural settings.’” [View article]

British University Offers Antiterror Courses in Australia (Australian) “Cranfield University will next month become Britain’s first institution of higher learning to establish a presence in Australia, setting up and teaching anti-terrorism courses in South Australia,” reports the Australian. “One of Britain’s top five research-intensive universities, Cranfield specialises in defence and security studies, covering a wide range of areas from an organisation’s vulnerability to terrorist attacks, to disaster management and explosives engineering.” [View article]

Terrorists Hit Back in Philippines (Australian) In the “southern Philippines the US-backed campaign to root out the local al-Qa’ida-linked Abu Sayyaf Group and their Jemaah Islamiah cronies hiding out in Sulu province is spiralling rapidly downwards,” reports the Australian. “… in recent weeks a resurgent Abu Sayyaf and their allies, made up of so-called ‘rogue elements’ of the separatist Moro National Liberation Front and Moro Islamic Liberation Front, have been slaughtering the Philippines armed forces by the dozen.” [View article]

Four Sentenced to Life for Cairo, Egypt, Attacks (Yahoo! News) “Four terror suspects were convicted by [an Egyptian] security court Monday and sentenced to life in prison for their involvement in attacks that killed two French tourists and an American in 2005,” reports the Associated Press. The suspects “had pleaded not guilty to charges that included collaborating in the attacks; unlicensed possession of weapons, ammunition and explosives; harboring fugitives and belonging to a banned group. Egyptian authorities have said the suspects had established an Islamic extremist group. Five other suspects, including two women, received jail sentences that ranged from one to 10 years in prison. The court acquitted four others over the lack of evidence … The hearing for one suspect was postponed.” [View article]

Hamas Indoctrinates Children in Jihad (Christian Science Monitor) “Like Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, which spawned Hamas, the group takes a patient approach to tapping religious conviction to build political support,” reports the Christian Science Monitor. “It is the movement’s youth focus, critics say, that sets it apart from Hamas’s rival, Fatah, which controls the West Bank and enjoys US and Israeli support. The basic unit of the Hamas organization isn’t cells or political committees--it’s families. The organization has shown that by introducing children early enough to Hamas’s hard-line Islamic thinking, it can recruit lifelong supporters.” [View article]

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United Nations News

New UN Group Helps Implement Biological Weapons Convention The United Nations Biological Weapons Convention Implementation Support Unit was formed Monday to provide administrative support, act as a focal point for states parties that submit information, as well as promoting confidence-building measures. It is also tasked with furthering support the ban on biological weapons and convincing non-adherents to join the convention. [View press release] [View Focus on Bioterrorism]

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DHS News

DHS Offers $260 Million in Supplemental Grants The Homeland Security Department is making $260 million available in additional fiscal year 2007 grants under the Port Security, Transit Security, and Emergency Management Performance grant programs. Grant applications must be made online at http://www.grants.gov. The application deadline is August 29. [View press release]

FEMA, Tribal Nations in Dakotas Discuss Emergency Response (KFYR-TV, Bismarck, ND) In an ongoing program, “Federal Emergency Management Agency representatives are working with” 12 tribal nations from North and South Dakota “to help them create or update their emergency response plans,” reports KFYR-TV. The tribes gathered at Standing Rock, ND, Aug. 6-9, with state, federal, and tribal emergency management personnel for intensive disaster training classes that included preparation for floods, snow storms, and other disasters. FEMA has “‘trained over 320 tribes and probably over 1000 students,’ says Tribal Liaison Officer Del Brewer. The goal is to get this training to all the tribes across the nation.” [View article]

TSA Increases Behavior Monitoring at Airports (New York Times) The Transportation Security Administration “has about 600 so-called behavioral detection officers … who have been trained in law enforcement techniques of sizing up behavior,” writes New York Times “On the Road” columnist Joe Sharkey. “… the agency expected to double that number in the next fiscal year and probably double it again the following year.… A well-trained eye and ear … can pick up signals a metal detector cannot.… ‘A good behavioral detection officer has developed the skills to separate normal airport anxieties from fundamental signs of “hostile intent,”’ [TSA Administrator Kip Hawley] said.” [View article]

Nexus Applications Go Online Travelers to and from Canada wishing to apply for Nexus privileges now can do so through a new, online system. Nexus is a joint frequent traveler program with Canada where applicants voluntarily undergo a background check, in-person interview, and fingerprinting and pay a $50 five-year membership fee. Under the new system, individuals can apply and pay the membership fee online at www.cbp.gov. [View press release]

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Other Federal News

Defense Dept. Will Declaw Talon (Federal Computer Week) The Defense Department will close the Threat and Local Observation Notice (Talon) “intelligence reporting database that had come under legal fire as a means of storing information about peaceful domestic critics of Bush administration policies,” reports Federal Computer Week. Talon “had become a lightning rod for criticism of military intelligence agencies’ monitoring of antiwar protestors. The decision to shut it down resonated with parallel litigation and debate about the legality of federal monitoring of international telecommunications.” [View article]

FBI Expands Access to Fingerprint Database (Federal Computer Week) “The FBI is going forward on all fronts to extend access to its Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) database to the Defense, Homeland Security and State departments,” reports Federal Computer Week. “… civilian agencies account for about 54 percent of the checks against IAFIS.… IAFIS was built to do about 62,000 fingerprint checks a day, but it is handling more than 115,000 a day.… that is the main reason the FBI is upgrading IAFIS to the Next Generation Identification” system. [View article]

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State and Local News

NJ Police Must Ask Whether Felony Suspects Are Citizens (Philadelphia Inquirer) “New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram [on Wednesday] ordered police officers to notify federal officials whenever an illegal immigrant is arrested for a serious offense,” reports the Inquirer. The guidelines “go into effect immediately.… Under the new rules, when a person is arrested for a serious crime, including driving while intoxicated, local police ‘shall inquire about the person’s citizenship, nationality and immigration status.’” An arresting officer who “has reason to believe the person is not legally in the United States” must notify Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which “could take action to further detain the suspect pending a deportation hearing.” [View article]

Va. Tech Panels Seek Reforms in Counseling and Security (Washington Post) “Virginia Tech needs to improve building security, enhance its campus-wide alert system and better monitor troubled students to prevent a tragedy similar to the April 16 massacre of 32 students and faculty [see the April 20 newsletter], according to a school review of the incident,” reports the Washington Post. “The report recommends that classrooms be equipped with electronic banners that would alert students to emergencies, that message boards be placed in hallways to provide critical information and that an electronic ‘people locator system’ be created so that students and others could inform people of their whereabouts. Soon after the massacre, the university came under fire for not better alerting students and others to the potential dangers they faced.… The report is different from another investigation into the shootings ordered by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine … expected to be released next week.” [View article][View report]

Vermont and DHS to Test Advanced Driver’s Licenses Vermont and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will launch a project to enhance the security of state driver’s licenses so that they could serve as acceptable alternative documents for crossing U.S. land and sea borders under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. [View press release]

Arellano, Illegal Immigrant and Activist, Deported From U.S. (MSNBC) “An illegal immigrant who took refuge in a Chicago church for a year to avoid being separated from her U.S.-born son has been deported to Mexico …” reports the Associated Press. “Elvira Arellano became an activist and a national symbol for illegal immigrant parents” and “has repeatedly called for a stop to immigration raids that break up families with some members who are in the U.S. legally and others illegally.” [View article]

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Private-Sector News

Garda World Security Fires Whistleblowers (Toronto Globe and Mail) “The private company in charge of checking passengers at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport has quietly fired three screening officers who blew the whistle on alleged security breaches, The Globe and Mail has learned. In February, the officers lodged a complaint with Canada’s Industrial Relations Board against Garda World Security Corp., alleging their managers took over security checkpoints at Pearson to rush passengers through screening. As a result, luggage and passengers boarded p***s without being checked, the screening officers said. Garda has repeatedly denied the allegations. The three officers were suspended last month. They received their dismissal notices last week. A fourth screening officer, who made the same allegations against Garda, was fired in April.” [View article]

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Dual-Benefit Solutions

Virtual Disease Offers Lessons for Real Pandemic (Time) “An unexpectedly virulent virtual disease called ‘Corrupted Blood,’ which swept through World of Warcraft’s online characters starting in September 2005 … ravaged the player population--despite administrators’ efforts to quarantine the infected--and gave World of Warcraft its first virtual-world pandemic,” reports Time. Articles in Lancet Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology documented the virtual epidemic and suggested that “virtual worlds will offer a chance to study” human variability, such as whether people will “ignore infection-control rules in the real world.” [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. Hospital Disaster Life Support II (September 10; Washington, DC) The ER One Institute at the Washington Hospital Center is holding a refresher course on hospital disaster management response principles for those who want to renew their Hospital Disaster Life Support certificate. The course combines classroom discussion of all-hazards response issues with a hands-on exercise simulation involving a complex mass-casualty incident in an emergency department setting. The course goal is to improve personnel expertise in responding to and coordinating hospital mass-casualty incident response. It provides 16 CNE/CEU and ACHE/CME credits. [View course website] Transit System Security Courses (November 2007–September 2008; various locations) The Federal Transit Administration’s training schedule for 2007-2008 offers courses and seminars at locations around the country, covering Transit System Security, Effectively Managing Transit Emergencies, Transit Explosives Incident Management, Transit System Security Design Review, and Transit Response to Bus and Rail Hijackings. [View course website] Command and General Staff Functions for Local Incident Management Teams (November 11-16; Emmitsburg, MD) The U.S. Fire Administration will train a designated team of fire, emergency medical services, public works, public health, and/or law enforcement personnel from a larger and generally more populated area, typically within a single jurisdiction (city, county, or region). They would be activated to manage an incident requiring a significant number of local and mutual aid resources. [View conference website]

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New Upcoming Events (After four weeks, new events will be moved to the Upcoming Events page) 2007 Homeland Security Symposium and Exhibition (September 5-7; Arlington, VA) This event, produced by the National Defense Industrial Association, will look at the future of homeland security, homeland defense, and related issues and highlight detailed updates of selected key homeland security programs. It will also provide an interactive forum on doing business with the Homeland Security Department and give the small business constituencies an opportunity to have their issues addressed. [View conference website] (September 11-13; Baltimore) The conference will examine biometric-based solutions for homeland security as well as the utilization of biometrics in other government and commercial applications. The Biometrics Research Symposium will be held again this year as part of the program in conjunction with the Biometrics Technology Expo. [View conference website] Detection Technologies 2007 (November 1-2; San Diego) This 11th conference for experts in technologies for detection and identification of biological and chemical agents and threats will explore the latest research and development as well as ready-to-market technologies and systems. [View conference website] (November 7-8; Baltimore) The Mid-Atlantic All Hazards Forum is a public-private partnership of Mid-Atlantic states and private corporations. Focusing on readiness, response, and recovery, the forum will help build communication and forge relationships between states in the Mid-Atlantic region. [View conference website] FireRescue Conference & Expo (November 7-10; Las Vegas, NV) This conference features training for leadership and an exhibit hall with the latest apparatus, equipment, product demonstrations, and national manufacturers. New this year are advanced leadership sessions and a healthy & safety education track. [View conference website] 2007 Preparing for Pandemic Influenza Training Conference (November 13-14; Arlington, VA) Medical and public health leaders will stress the importance of national, state, and local preparedness to respond to a pandemic so as to ensure the health and safety of our people. The conference will address three crucial areas: How real is the pandemic threat today, and how should you prepare to respond? How can an influenza impact your community or business, and what measures should you take to ensure business continuity? What is the best approach to properly communicate an outbreak to your staff, community, other agencies, organizations, and private institutions? [View conference website] Port Security 2007 (November 13-15; Los Angeles) The theme of this year’s conference is “Protecting the homeland’s ports by integrating force initiatives, technology and compliance standards.” Port officials will gather with their community, find out the latest mandates, and learn about new technology. [View conference website] 2007 Scientific Conference on Chemical & Biological Defense Research (November 13-15; Timonium, MD) This unclassified conference will consist of papers and poster presentations. Attendees will include government (military and civilian), academia, and industry representatives and will feature the Transformational Countermeasures Technology Initiative. [View conference website] EPA Region 4 Chemical Emergency Conference (November 15-16; Tampa, FL) This Environmental Protection Agency conference is co-located with Clean Gulf 2007. Topics will include EPA reimbursement of local government expenditures for chemical emergency cleanups under Superfund, Homeland Security Grants and NIMS compliance, the E-Plan, strengthening response through collaboration and partnerships, Hurricane Katrina lessons learned, and the EPA’s program for risk management plans under the Federal Clean Air Act, section 112(r). [View conference website] Maritime Security Expo (November 27-28; New York) This conference will cover the SAFE Port Act and the latest technology, products, and service in maritime, port, and intermodal security. [View conference website] Water Facility Security Conference (November 27-28; Arlington, VA) This conference will discuss pre- and post-disaster emergency preparedness and response. It will cover water protection methodologies and techniques, including ways to identify and mitigate problems. Industry experts will discuss how to respond and recover and how to best communicate to customers or staff. [View conference website]

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