Tag Archive for Department of Homeland Security

Infrastructure Protection Report: Stadiums and Arenas

There are more than 1,300 stadiums and arenas in the United States. They are located in every region and state; in most, if not all, major municipalities; in many smaller localities; and often on university and high school campuses. Arenas and stadiums range in size from on-campus field houses and high school football stadiums that can accommodate a few hundred people to downtown sports arenas, large indoor/outdoor stadiums, and automobile racetracks that can accommodate over 100,000 spectators.

Infrastructure Protection Report: Mail and Package Handling Facilities

The Postal and Shipping Sector receives, processes, transports, and distributes billions of letters and parcels annually. It consists of both private and public components. The Postal and Shipping Sector is mainly composed of four large integrated carriers. These carriers, operating 93% of the sector’s assets, systems, networks, and functions, are the United States Postal Service (USPS), United Parcel Service of America, Inc. (UPS), Federal Express (FedEx), and DHL International (DHL).

Hartford Urban Area Security Strategy

This Urban Area Security Strategy (UASS) describes the Connecticut Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (DEMHS) Region 3 strategy for developing capabilities to prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from natural or man made events (all hazards). It will specifically address how activities implemented under the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) will support terrorism preparedness by building or enhancing the necessary capabilities.

DHS Federal Medical Readiness Responsibilities and Capabilities

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has the responsibility to prevent, protect, respond to, and recover from major terrorist attacks or natural disasters, but currently lacks a clearly-defined and unified medical capability to support this mission. Additionally, it lacks the capability to properly support DHS personnel operating in field units and hazardous conditions by providing little or no medical support.

GISAC Fire, Haz Mat, and EMS Intelligence Bulletin

A news article from July 18, 2009 highlights a new medication has been developed which reportedly can protect people exposed to normally lethal doses of radiation from a nuclear or a “dirty” bomb.
The article cited tests involving 650 monkeys exposed to radiation equivalent to that recorded during the Chernobyl nuclear reactor disaster in 1986, 70 per cent died while the rest suffered serious maladies, the newspaper Yediot Achronot said yesterday.

Homeland Security Advisory System Increased to Orange for Mass Transit and Passenger Rail

Federal Departments and Agencies, State Homeland Security Advisors, Security Managers, State and Local Law Enforcement, and Information Sharing and Analysis Centers (ISACs). Secondary release, dissemination or sharing of this product is authorized by Federal Departments and Agencies within their respective departments and agencies, and by State Homeland Security Advisors within their state and local jurisdictions to authorized homeland security partners, that have an official valid need-to-know.

DHS/CBP Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS)

Provides Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), operations, maintenance, technical support, pilots, and sensor operators to surveil the Southwest border of the United States. Over the next several years UAV border surveillance will improve sensor/video surveillance capabilities of the current, monitored base system through persistent 24 hours per day / 7 days per week surveillance; integrate new surveillance technologies (aerial sensor suites), and increase interoperability with other law enforcement agencies and initiatives.

FY 2006 Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) Award for the Las Vegas Area

DHS defines risk by three principal variables: threat, or the likelihood of a type of attack that might be attempted, vulnerability, or the likelihood that an attacker would succeed with a particular attack type, and consequence, or the potential impact of a particular attack. The risk model used to allocate HSGP funds includes both asset-based and geographically-based terrorist risk calculations. DHS combines these complementary risk calculations to produce an estimate of the relative risk of terrorism faced by a given area.

Securing the Chemical Sector

Of the 3 major areas of activity; this briefing focuses on Field Operations:

* Development of the Regulation and supporting tools, rules, guidelines, etc.;
* Development of an organizational/program structure to include Field
* Operations that can implement the Regulation; and
* Development of administrative structures that are necessary to support the regulatory environment established within the sector.

Mortuary Affairs – Is USNORTHCOM and the Department of Homeland Security Positioned for Contaminated Mass Fatality Management?

The Global War on Terrorism has emphasized homeland defense and security as a priority for the Nation. U.S. Northern command (USNORTHCOM) recently attained its initial operational capability as the Department of Defense executive agent for Homeland Defense. Terrorists have demonstrated the ability and willingness to obtain and use Weapons of Mass destruction to further their goals.

National Planning Scenarios

The Federal interagency community has developed fifteen all-hazards planning scenarios (the National Planning Scenarios or Scenarios) for use in national, Federal, State, and local homeland security preparedness activities. The Scenarios are planning tools and are representative of the range of potential terrorist attacks and natural disasters and the related impacts that face our nation. The objective was to develop a minimum number of credible scenarios in order to establish the range of response requirements to facilitate preparedness planning.

The Department of Homeland Security Intelligence Enterprise: Operational Overview and Oversight Challenges for Congress

A primary mission of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS, Department) is to “prevent terrorist attacks within the United States, reduce the vulnerability of the United States to terrorism, and minimize the damage, and assist in the recovery from terrorist attacks that do occur in the United States.” Since its inception in 2003, DHS has had an intelligence component to support this mission and has been a member of the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC).

Recent Terrorist Plots Highlight Insider Threat

Information from several recent planned or thwarted terrorist plots shows the importance of the use of insiders to gain access to targets and collect preoperational information. Al-Qa‘ida planner Dhiren Barot, whom UK authorities arrested in 2006, had tasked a member of his group to secure employment at a hotel in the United Kingdom to learn how to deactivate fire and security systems.

Alaska State Homeland Security Strategy 2009

Through this State Homeland Security Strategy (SHSS), Alaska will improve its protection of the people, its economy, and its culture. The State of Alaska will reduce vulnerabilities to terrorist attacks, major disasters, or emergencies. This vital mission requires coordination, cooperation, and a focused effort throughout the state, federal agencies (military and civilian), State agencies, local jurisdictions, tribal, private, and non–profit organizations.