MMS Gulf of Mexico Offshore Environmental Studies Program Plan 2008-2010

In managing Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) activity, the Minerals Management Service (MMS) has two core responsibilities, safe offshore operations and environmental protection. Our safety goal is to ensure incident free minerals exploration and development on Federal offshore leases. Our environmental responsibilities are to ensure that all activities on the OCS are conducted with appropriate environmental protection and impact mitigation. The MMS New Orleans Regional Office conducts all leasing and resource management functions on the OCS for the Gulf of Mexico Region (GOMR) and the Atlantic Region OCS areas, a total of 415 million acres in seven planning areas (see map in Section 1.2).

MMS Deepwater Gulf of Mexico 2009 Report

This is the ninth publication that the Minerals Management Service has released chronicling deepwater exploration, development, and production activities in the Gulf of Mexico. For this report, deep water is considered to be water depths of 1,000 feet (305 meters) or greater. Leasing activity in the deepwater Gulf remains strong. Central Sale 206, held on March 19, 2008, attracted approximately $3.7 billion in high bids—the most since Federal offshore leasing began in 1954.

Department of Homeland Security Monitors Public Intelligence

Under the “BP Oil Spill Response Social Media Event Monitoring Initiative” the Department of Homeland Security’s National Operations Center (NOC) monitors “publicly available online forums, blogs, public websites, and message boards” in order to provide “situational awareness and establish a common operating picture for the federal government, and for those state, local, and tribal governments, as appropriate, assisting with the security, safety, and emergency response associated with the oil spill”. According to a “Privacy Impact Assessment” from April 29, 2010 available on the DHS website, Public Intelligence is included in the list of sites monitored by NOC analysts.

New York Fusion Center Requests Identity of Public Intelligence Sources

Public Intelligence has received a message from Captain Douglas R. Keyer, Jr. of the New York State Police requesting the removal of a fourteen-page “Gang Intelligence Newsletter” from November 2009 that is labeled “For Official Use Only” and “Law Enforcement Sensitive”. The document, which was published March 31, is evidently part of a series of monthly “Gang Intelligence Newsletters” that are issued to law enforcement personnel around the country. The newsletter contains brief profiles of the Aryan Brotherhood, National Socialist Movement, as well as some information on identifying gang tattoos and graffiti. This is also the second notice we have received that specifically requests us to identify the source of our information.

INternational Distributed Unified Reporting Environment (INDURE) User Guide

The International Distributed Uniform Reporting Environment (INDURE) software application provides both a data repository and the reporting tools to interact with that repository in a user-friendly manner. Users are able to insert information into the data repository using a wide variety of reports and make that data available to an international audience. Furthermore, users can query all the data within INDURE and export that data to a variety of external formats and programs. The purpose of INDURE is to provide a data repository into which non DoD communities like NGO’s, USAID and others involved in civil capacity, socio cultural information, events of significance and engagement data can all can input, share, extract and analyze data in concert with DoD entities. INDURE provides these communities with standardized reporting tools that span significant activities (SIGACTS), Civil Capacity information, Socio Cultural and Engagement disciplines.

INternational Distributed Unified Reporting Environment (INDURE) V1.1 Concept of Operations

This Concept of Operations (CONOPS) identifies and describes the use of International Distributed Unified Reporting Environment (INDURE) Version 1.1 on the World Wide Web Internet domain. Under the guidance of the United States Central Command (USCENTCOM) Theater and Under Secretary Defense – Intelligence (USD-I), the need for INDURE was scoped and funded. INDURE will be fully interoperable with the Combined Information Data Network Exchange (CIDNE) (which resides on Secret and higher classification networks) and will be able to exchange data with CIDNE. The Secret-to-Unclassified exchange will require data to be air-gapped between the systems due to the classification of the information domain CIDNE resides on and will require FDO and/or release authority to move data between domains.

Alaska Conducts Disturbing Vigilant Guard 2010 Exercise

The Alaska National Guard, in coordination with nearly 50 organizations and more than 4,000 participants, conducted their state’s portion of the annual Vigilant Guard exercise from April 26 – May 1, 2010. Local governments, the State of Alaska, Alaska National Guard and Joint Task Force Alaska conducted a state-wide exercise that was designed to “increase emergency response capabilities” to earthquakes and natural disasters. The exercise scenario involved an earthquake affecting South Central Alaska and combined the state’s Alaska Shield exercise, National Guard’s Vigilant Guard exercise, and Joint Task Force Alaska’s Arctic Edge exercise. A major component of the exercise involved the expertise of the National Guard CBRNE Enhanced Response Force Package, which deals with chemical, biological, and radiological disaster response.

(U//FOUO) FBI Times Square “Destructuve Device” Bulletin

(U//FOUO) At approximately 1830 hours on 1 May 2010, a sports utility vehicle (SUV) laden with a destructive device was observed parked at 45th Street and Broadway in Times Square, New York City. Eyewitness reports described the vehicle as smoking, and popping noises were heard emanating from it but no detonation occurred. Law enforcement investigation of the SUV revealed the following: three 20lb propane tanks; two five gallon gasoline canisters; one container containing a black powder material; one large, sealed, vault-like container with visible wires connecting to two analog alarm clocks; and one fuse.

(SBU) DHS TRIPwire: Times Square Vehicle Incendiary Device Attack

In the evening of May 1, 2010, a vehicle with a large incendiary device was discovered and rendered safe in Times Square, New York City. The vehicle was parked at 1515 7th Ave. in Times Square, according to local police officials. The vehicle did not detonate as designed, and there were no casualties. The investigation into the attempted bombing is still ongoing. According to open sources, the vehicle was a blue Nissan Pathfinder spotted by a street vendor who noticed smoke emanating from the vehicle about 6:30pm EST. It is believed the vehicle was abandoned just after 6:00pm, and had its hazard lights flashing and its engine still running. A firefighter who arrived on the scene shortly after being notified reported seeing a “flash” and heard a “popping sound” from the trunk of the vehicle. Theatres, hotels and all foot traffic in the area were cleared and streets were cordoned off by police.

(U//FOUO) DHS Times Square Attempted Bombing Snapshot

(U) Times Square:

–(U) At 6:34pm, a 1993 Nissan Pathfinder bearing Connecticut license plates was discovered in front of 45thStreet and Broadway, the Times Square area of New York City, with smoke in the cabin. Eyewitnesses report seeing smoke and hearing popping sounds coming from inside the vehicle, and people were observed running from the scene. A mounted NYPD Patrol Officer responded, evacuated the area, and notified the bomb squad.

(U) On 2 May, at approximately 1330, Al-Jazeera reported that a group claiming to be Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan had claimed responsibility for the attack in a one-minute long video posted on a video-sharing Website. It has yet to be determined if the tape is authentic, and if so, if the group played any role in the attack.

Operation Partnership: Law Enforcement and Private Security Collaborations

The law enforcement-private security (LE-PS) partnerships featured here were formed or expanded to address a range of critical needs: to avert or respond to a terrorist attack, support urban downtown revitalization, marshal resources to combat financial crimes, compensate for law enforcement budget cuts, improve safety at special events, improve security for the nation’s infrastructure, and bring community policing approaches and new resources to bear on crimes against residents and businesses. Many of the partnerships have been able to measure success not only by meetings and exchanges of information but also by crimes prevented and solved.

Regional Organized Crime Information Center Jamaat ul-Fuqra Report

Over the past two decades, a terrorist group known as Jamaat ul-Fuqra, or “Community of the Impoverished,” has been linked to multiple murders, bombings, and various other felonies throughout the United States and Canada. In 1980, a Pakistani cleric named Sheikh Mubarak Ali Gilani began preaching against Western culture at a Muslim mosque in Brooklyn, NY. He promoted Islam as the path to a better life and called for fighters to join his holy war against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan.

Regional Organized Crime Information Center Terrorist Indicators Guide

ANALYSIS of terrorist preparations for past attacks overseas and in the United States suggests that preoperational indicators may be present in the days or weeks prior to an attack. Indicators may point to possible terrorist planning. Alone, an indicator can result from legitimate commercial activity or criminal activity not related to terrorism; however, multiple indicators can suggest a terrorist threat.