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ON LAND, IN THE AIR AND ON THE SEA SSI MEANS SECURITY.
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January 2010 |
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Your Bi-monthly Homeland Security News Source |
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US Struggles Anew to Ensure Safety as Gaps Are Revealed
by Eric Lipton
Airline passengers are now increasingly being patted down, and carry-ons are being double-checked since a self-proclaimed terrorist tried to bring down a passenger jet headed to Detroit on Christmas Day. Canine teams are out in force, sniffing for explosives.
Starting this past weekend, more international flights bound for the United States have had plainclothes air marshals mixed in with passengers. Extra teams of specially trained security officers have been roaming airports looking for tells among the passengers - furtive glances or people who nervously open and close bags repeatedly.
In ways large and small, the Department of Homeland Security, once again, is struggling to strengthen an aviation security system it has already spent $40 billion rebuilding since the terror attacks of 2001.
This latest round follows years of effort that has created a security net that is much stronger in key areas, from simple things like secure cockpit doors to the routine inspections now done on checked baggage.
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The United States is in the midst of numerous terror related issues such as:
· Five Americans held in Pakistan
· Chicago Businessman charged with planning the attacks in Mumbai
· Denver man charged with terror plot
· American Somali Terrorist Connections
· Radicalized Americans such as the Fort Hood attacker
· And the possibility of Guantanamo detainees being brought to the United States
It is now more than ever that homeland security professionals at the local level must be armed with the skills and knowledge to protect us.
SSI has courses already scheduled in 2010 to provide this knowledge:
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Iran to hold 'large-scale military exercise' next month
From CNN
Iran will hold a "large-scale military exercise" next month in order to prepare its forces to repel an offensive by the nation's enemies, government-funded Press TV reported, citing a top military official.
Brig. Gen. Ahmad-Reza Pourdastan, commander of Iran's ground forces, told a meeting of servicemen in  Tehran Saturday the joint drill will be conducted by ground forces and some units of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps and aimed at improving "the force's defensive capabilities," Press TV said. The exercise will also "boost the region's security," he said.
"Both the United States and its close ally Israel have refused to rule out the possibility of a military attack" against Iran, Press TV reported. "Iran has not initiated a war with any country for more than a century."
The report did not provide specifics on when the military exercise would take place.
U.S. officials have said that time is running out for Iran to address international concerns regarding its nuclear program. And Israel has called Iran's nuclear program the major threat facing its nation.
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Feds halt more cash en route to Mexico
by Dennis Wagner
Seizures of cash bound primarily for Mexico's violent drug cartels more than quadrupled this year along the Arizona border thanks to beefed up screening at U.S. checkpoints.
In fiscal 2008, inspectors intercepted $1.1 million heading into Mexico. This year, they netted nearly $4.9 million. 
Brian Levin, a spokesman for Customs and Border Protection, said the surge in seizures is a direct result of the Obama administration's decision to send more manpower, high-tech equipment and cash-sniffing dogs to monitor traffic on southbound lanes at ports along the Arizona-Sonora line.
"We've put a lot more resources on southbound vehicles," Levin said.
Although the amount confiscated is just a fraction of the millions of dollars in drug- and human-smuggling profits funneled back to Mexican syndicates each year, Levin said the seizures reflect a new focus in the smuggling clampdown and the U.S. efforts to help Mexico fight its bloody drug war.
Since President Felipe Calderón declared a war on drugs in 2006, more than 13,000 people have been killed in Mexico. Drug-related crimes are spilling across the border into the U.S., including Arizona.
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For more information on hosting an SSI SWAT CTU OPS Course for your agency, please contact Sol Bradman at (305) 302-2790.
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Obama outlines security steps to protect US skies
by Kathleen Gray
President Barack Obama sought to reassure Americans today that the federal government is doing everything to keep them safe in light of an attempted terrorist attack on a Christmas Day flight from Amsterdam to Detroit. 
"We do not yet have all the answers of this latest attempt, but the United States will not only strengthen our defense, but we will continue to use every element of our national power to disrupt, dismantle and defeat the violent extremists who threaten us," Obama said from his holiday vacation in Hawaii.
His speech marked his first public statement about the air terror incident.
Obama has ordered several broad reviews as a result of the attempted attack in the skies over Detroit: a thorough investigation of the nation's watch list system, and security screening measures to determine how a passenger can get onto a U.S.-bound flight carrying explosives.
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Growing Al Qaeda Threat from Yemen
The arrest of alleged terrorist Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, and the young Nigerian man's links to Yemen, have brought a new focus on the fight against rising extremism in a country where al Qaeda has clearly become more comfortable. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is an increasingly powerful, increasingly dangerous organization, and it's operating beyond the control of Yemen's weak, beleaguered central government.  Yemen is fighting two wars; a civil war in the north and one against al Qaeda. Increasingly, the U.S. is training Yemeni troops in counterterrorism and providing them with weapons.
"For many years now, al Qaeda has had a presence in Yemen," says Peter Clarke, the former head of counterterrorism for London's Metropolitan Police and a CBS News consultant. "The internal conflict and instability there give it an operating base and a training base, and we've seen just how dangerous this can be."
For a time, the government, based in the Yemeni capital of Sana'a, effectively had a truce with the local branch of al Qaeda, welcoming many home after the end of a 1990's war against the Soviets in Afghanistan. Skilled fighters, they were useful in combating rebellion in the south.
By the end of the decade, however, that truce had come to an end as more militant leadership took over the group.
It was the Yemen-based branch of al Qaeda which claimed responsibility for training and equipping Abdulmuttalab, and the government has now confirmed he was twice issued visas to study in the country, and he spent a number of months there prior to the Christmas attempt.
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Remote border crossing programs pose 'security concerns' by The Canadian Press
Heightened security concerns in the post-9-11 era have prompted the federal government to rethink programs intended to help people in remote communities easily cross the border into Canada.
An internal Canada Border Services Agency review says officials have already decided to scrap one of the programs and likely will revamp three others at a significant cost.
The programs were established years ago, before the 2001 terrorist attacks, to smooth the legitimate passage of travellers and commercial traffic in remote areas.
"However, in the current context of the border, the programs raise a number of security concerns," the evaluation states.
The review also found inconsistencies between the programs, inadequate training of personnel delivering them, and sketchy data on how often they're used.
The recently released evaluation, completed in July, looked at four programs: Canpass Remote Area Border Crossing, Canpass Remote Ports, Canpass Private Boats Plus, and Q19.
The Canpass RABC program, the largest of the four, has some 14,000 pre-screened individuals who cross the border into isolated areas of northern Ontario, mostly for leisure, access to cottages or to save travel time.
The Canpass Private Boats Plus program allows access to Canada via certain Quebec waterways.
Members of these two programs currently do not have to report crossings unless they have goods to declare - an exemption the evaluation says undermines border integrity.
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May 10-12, 2010
Hosted by MBTA (Quincy, MA)
In a fascinating, insightful and packed three-day program, you are taken through the formative phases of the Islamic religion and will understand the different branches of Islam, understand how these were formed and on what ideology they are based. You are taken through a journey up to the present time, to really understand how  extremism is organized in Radical Islam. You will also get practical hands-on information on recognizing Suicide Bombers, planning and changing protocols to respond to acts of terror, the detection of terrorists through fake ID's and the basics of their tools such as IED and VBIED's.
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Somali pirates hijack second British-flagged ship by Tristan McConnell
Somali pirates have seized another British-flagged ship, this time deep in the Indian Ocean, only days after a British chemical tanker was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden.
Two other vessels have also been hijacked in the past week despite the presence of dozens of  international warships and the heavy seas and high winds of the current monsoon season which usually bring a lull in piracy.
The 14,000-tonne Asian Glory was hijacked in the Indian Ocean 620 miles off the coast of Somalia on Friday evening.
It marked a difficult start to the year for Zodiac Maritime Agencies, the London-based shipping company that owns Asian Glory and St James Park, the British tanker seized on December 28.
"The Asian Glory was taken by pirates while on passage and 620 miles off the Somali coast," the company said in a statement. "It has been confirmed that all crew members are safe and unharmed.
"She is now proceeding towards Somalia and owners are in contact with all the appropriate authorities to secure the early and safe release of the crew and ship."
There are no Britons among the 25 crew of the Asian Glory, which ismade up of ten Ukrainians, eight Bulgarians, five Indians and two Romanians.
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Tel Aviv, Israel - May 7-15th, 2010
A brand new program, global expertise and global best practices.
Security Solutions International, SSI, is proud to announce that our CEO and Global Counter Terrorism Operations Director, Sol Bradman, is taking over our Training in Israel Mission, with an exciting new program, locations and experts.
Join the more than 300 Homeland Security Professionals that have selected SSI's training in Israel program over 15 missions from 2005 to 2009 (making it the most successful program for overseas training in Homeland Security) on an exciting advanced workshop and get the benefit of featured International speakers.
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Serious about Security: Americans are losing faith in the Democrats' ability to fight terrorism
by Karlyn Bowman
In the wake of the attempted Christmas Day bombing of a Northwest Airlines plane, Republicans are again accusing President Obama and the Democrats of being weak on security. Do Americans agree?
In mid-December, two pollsters asked Americans about their fears of terrorism with virtually identical results. Thirty-nine percent told Gallup interviewers they were worried that they or someone in their family would become the victim of a terrorist attack. Forty-two percent in a Kaiser Family Foundation survey gave that response. 
Kaiser's poll is especially useful because it puts concerns about terrorism in perspective by asking Americans about other worries they have. Concern about being a victim of terrorism was on par with being a victim of a violent crime (42%). But concerns about terrorism paled in comparison to concerns about the economy. Seventy-five percent said they were worried about having to pay more for their health care or health insurance, 72% that their income would not keep up with rising prices, 65% about not having enough money for retirement, and 53% of those who were employed were worried about losing a job.
Even though terrorism isn't their top concern right now, Americans think the threat is a real one and expect another attack at some point on American soil. In a Pew Research Center Global Attitudes poll taken last fall, 52% said the danger of attack was greater now than 10 years ago, 35% said the danger was about the same and 10% said the danger is less now than a decade ago.
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New Product from SSI: BlastSax®
Security Solutions International is proud to introduce BlastSax® TMD (Transportable Mitigation Device). The patent pending BlastSax® devices are engineered for the military, private industry and public safety to save lives in the field during wartime, training, industrial construction and homeland terrorist attacks. BlastSax® are extremely lightweight, portable and always ready to deploy in seconds.
When dry, each is less than 1 lb. They activate in less than three minutes with water and deploy to a 50 lbs blast absorbing cushion. BlastSax® can provide protection against incendiary devices and can stop a variety of firearm rounds.
In addition to suppressing shock waves from an explosion, BlastSax® can assist in containing the flash, smoke and most importantly the fragmentation or "frag". A unique feature that was engineered into BlastSax® is its capability to "capture" and "cool" hot frag pieces to assist in forensic analysis for a more complete reconstruction of the device.
BlastSax® can assist to:
- Reduce demand on resources
- Considerably reduce blasts
- Contain blast frag pieces and contaminants
- Save lives & protect property from blasts or flood water (see FloodSax®)
Learn More... |
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Suicide bomber kills 30 on holiest Shi'ite day
A suicide bomber on Monday targeted Pakistan's largest procession of Shi'ite Muslims on their holiest day, killing at least 30 people and wounding dozens more in defiance of a major security crackdown.
The blast sparked riots in Karachi, the financial capital, where angry mourners went on the rampage, throwing stones at ambulances, torching cars and shops and firing bullets into the air, sparking appeals for calm. 
Pakistan had deployed tens of thousands of police and paramilitary forces, fearing sectarian clashes or militant attacks on Ashura processions, when Shi'ites whip themselves to mourn the seventh-century killing of Imam Hussein.
The latest bombing underscored the extent of the volatility in Pakistan, where militant attacks have killed more than 2760 people since July 2007 and which Washington has put on the frontline of its war on al-Qaeda.
"The blast was so huge that I felt my hearing had gone, but then I started hearing cries of injured people and saw pieces of human flesh and blood on the road," said Abbas Ali, 35, one of the mourners thrown to the ground.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik blamed Tehreek-e-Taliban, against which the military has been waging a major operation in near the Afghan border, and Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, another of Pakistan's most feared Islamist networks.
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US, UK close Yemen embassies over al-Qaida threats
by Ahmed Al-Haj and Lee Keath
The U.S. and Britain closed their embassies in Yemen on Sunday in the face of al-Qaida threats, after both countries announced an increase in aid to the government to fight the terror group linked to the failed attempt to bomb a U.S. airliner on Christmas.
The confrontation with al-Qaida's offshoot in Yemen has gained new urgency since the 23-year-old Nigerian accused in the attack, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, told American investigators he received training and instructions from the group's operatives in Yemen. President Barack Obama said Saturday that the al-Qaida offshoot was behind the attempt. 
White House counterterrorism chief John Brennan said the American Embassy, which was attacked twice in 2008, was shut Sunday because of "indications al-Qaida is planning to carry out an attack against a target inside of San'a, possibly our embassy."
"We're not going to take any chances" with the lives of embassy personnel, Brennan said. A statement on the embassy's Web site announcing the closure did not say how long it would remain closed.
In London, Britain's Foreign Office said its embassy was closed for security reasons. It said officials would decide later whether to reopen it on Monday.
The closure comes as Washington is dramatically stepping up aid to Yemen to fight al-Qaida, which has built up strongholds in remote parts of the impoverished, mountainous nation where government control outside the capital is weak.
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Security Solutions International, Kendall Tamiami Executive Airport, 14300 S.W. 129th Street, Suite 204, Miami, Fl. 33186
786-573-3999 Office, 786-573-2090 Fax
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