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ON LAND, IN THE AIR AND ON THE SEA SSI MEANS SECURITY.
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March 2009 |
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Your Bi-monthly Homeland Security News Source |
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FBI Director Warns of Terror Attacks on U.S. Cities
FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III today warned that extremists "with large agendas and little money can use rudimentary weapons" to sow terror, raising the specter that recent attacks in Mumbai that killed 170 people last year could embolden terrorists seeking to attack U.S. cities.
At a speech to the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, Mueller said that the bureau is expanding its focus beyond al-Qaeda and into splinter groups, radicals who try to enter the country through the visa waiver program and "home-grown terrorists."
"The universe of crime and terrorism stretches out infinitely before us, and we too are working to find what we believe to be out there but cannot always see," Mueller said.
One particular concern, the FBI director said, springs from the country's background as a "nation of immigrants." Federal officials worry about pockets of possible radicals among melting-pot communities in the United States such as Seattle, San Diego, Miami or New York.
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NLC Creates Emergency Management Training Program
 The National League of Cities (NLC) created the NLC-Emergency Management Training Program to provide in-depth emergency management training to local officials. The International City/County Management Association (ICMA) is collaborating with NLC on the project, with support from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
A series of pilot seminars will begin March 14 - 15 in Washington. Subsequent pilot seminars are scheduled for May 8 - 9 in Chicago; July 13 - 14 in Mobile, Ala.; and Sept. 21 - 22 in Bismarck, N.D. The program is expected to offer several more seminars in 2010, focusing on metropolitan, rural and collaborative leadership.
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Hill Targets Mexico Drug Feuds
 Shaun Waterman
Kidnappings in Phoenix tied to cartels
Congress will address the spiraling drug violence in Mexico and its affect on the border during a hearing in the District next month as well as one in April in Arizona, Sen. Joe Lieberman said.
Lawmakers in both chambers Thursday announced hearings on the cross-border impact of spiraling drug violence in Mexico, amid concerns that it is spilling over into the United States.
Sen. Joe Lieberman, Connecticut independent and chairman of the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, said in a statement that a hearing next month in Washington would be followed by one in April in Arizona.
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Napolitano Treads Carefully at Homeland Security
In her first appearance before Congress as head of Homeland Security, Secretary Janet Nap olitano was lambasted by New York Republican Rep. Pete King for failing to use the word "terrorism" in her remarks. Then she was quizzed by San Jose Democrat Rep. Zoe Lofgren over a surprise immigration raid Tuesday in Bellingham, Wash.
The bi-partisan questioning reflects the tightrope Napolitano must walk between the demands of the law-and-order crowd and those of the civil rights folks. It's a balancing act she became accustomed to as governor of Arizona, where she combined toughness and compassion in her approach to illegal immigration.
At Homeland Security she may be poised to shift the way immigration enforcement is carried out, though she's not tipping her hand yet. She is certainly adopting a new tone on terrorism than her Republican predecessors.
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Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Leaders Introduce FEMA Independence Bill
 A bill to re-establish the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as an independent, cabinet-level agency has been introduced by Rep. James L. Oberstar (Minn.), the chairman of the House of Representatives' Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. H.R. 1174, the FEMA Independence Act of 2009, seeks to move FEMA out of the Department of Homeland Security and requires the FEMA Administrator to report directly to the President.
Oberstar was joined as an original cosponsor by Rep. John Mica (Fla.), the Full Committee's Ranking Member, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D.C.), chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management, and Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (Fla.), the Subcommittee's Ranking Member.
Read On...
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August 17-21, 2009
Approved for Academic Credit through Saint Leo University |
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DHS Secretary Discusses Department's IT Programs
By Ben Bain
 Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano today indicated that the Homeland Security Department would not meet a deadline of 2012 that requires DHS to scan all cargo bound for U.S. seaports with non-intrusive imaging and radiation detection equipment before the cargo leaves for the United States. Napolitano also told a House panel that DHS would focus on improving intelligence sharing with state and local authorities.
The 100 percent scanning requirement has raised logistical, technological and diplomatic concerns from shippers, carriers, port and terminal operators, and foreign governments. The requirement was part of a 2007 law that allows the homeland security secretary to extend that deadline.
"My initial review is that the 2012 deadline is not going to work and we're going to have to work on what we do beyond that," Napolitano told the House Homeland Security Committee.
Read On...
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Omni has been providing a full line of explosives and explosives related supplies in furtherance of all Homeland Security and Anti-Terrorist Programs for 25 years.
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Senate Report Finds FEMA Unprepared for Another Katrina
 As Facing South reported yesterday, a report released Thursday by the Senate Natural Disaster Recovery subcommittee says that the Federal Emergency Management Authority doesn't have a comprehensive disaster housing plan and is still not prepared to handle the housing needs of millions if another disaster like Hurricane Katrina hits the United States. The subcommittee concluded that the new administration needs to look at overhauling the agency.
The subcommittee found "eight fundamental problems" with FEMA's post-Katrina housing response:
FEMA had no operational catastrophic disaster plan, FEMA's programs were insufficient to meet housing needs in post-catastrophic events, FEMA decisions to reject other options resulted in heavy reliance on costly trailers and mobile homes, legal interpretations eliminated housing options, FEMA's programs were marked by frequent changes and errors, FEMA had insufficient and poorly trained staff, the needs of renters were not met and flawed FEMA public assistance programs blocked state and local governments from restoring public services needed for housing recovery.
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The scope of this training is to teach SWAT team members how to conduct an operation with the special characteristics peculiar to terrorist incidents and accomplish the mission, whether there are hostages involved, IED's, booby traps, or suicide terrorists with maximum safety for: citizens, team members and surrounding assets. By nature, the operation may become more similar to a military operation because, as mentioned above, this is a criminal act with a strategic goal. It is part of an ideological struggle against a state or population and may be carried out by a professional team of well equipped terrorist subjects.
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FEMA Sending Texas $60 Million for Ike Response
The Associated Press
 AUSTIN, Texas -- The federal government is giving $60 million to Texas' emergency management division for costs incurred during Hurricane Ike. The grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency are to help pay for 600 evacuee shelters, ambulance staging areas, the National Guard, equipment, buses, food, water, ice and generators. U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's office announced the FEMA grants to the Governor's Division of Emergency Management on Thursday. The Associated Press reported this week that the state has $134 million in unpaid bills from Ike to companies and governments that provided services. Gov. Rick Perry blamed the delay on paying the bills on FEMA, but lawmakers said the state had the money to pay the bills and seek federal reimbursement.
Read On...
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Kentucky's Damages from January Ice Storm Top $185 Million
 Kentucky and federal officials say damage estimates from the January ice storm will likely top $185 million.
Kentucky's Emergency Management director, Brig. Gen. John W. Heltzel, says the damages were primarily related to the state's electric utilities. A statement from the joint field office, which includes FEMA officials, says the final figure will be higher.
Teams of recovery specialists have been calculating the damage estimates since a Feb. 5 federal disaster declaration by President Barack Obama for 93 Kentucky counties. The order allows local governments and nonprofit organizations to be reimbursed for disaster-related expenses.
The USDA also said in a statement that it will spend $900,000 on storm cleanup in Kentucky.
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No Terror Talk: Homeland Security Head's New Tone By Eileen Sullivan and Matt Apuzzo
 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano avoids the terms "terrorism" or "9/11" in remarks prepared for her first congressional testimony since taking office, signaling a sharp change in tone from her predecessors.
Napolitano is the first homeland security secretary to drop the term "terror" and "vulnerability" from remarks prepared for delivery to the House Homeland Security Committee, according to a copy obtained by The Associated Press.
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Obama's First Budget Proposes More Funds for Homeland Security  Washington (CNN)
The Department of Homeland Security will get more money so it can find and expel illegal immigrants who commit crimes, under proposals outlined Thursday in President Barack Obama's first budget.
The following are some of the key homeland security figures and proposals in the budget:
- $42.7 billion in funding for the department, up from $40.1 billion in fiscal year 2009
- This is in addition to the $2.8 billion in homeland security funding from the stimulus package, which is separate from the budget
- An increase in the Aviation Passenger Security Fee, which every air traveler pays, beginning in 2012. The administration says that the current fee covers only 36 percent of the cost of aviation security
Read On...
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