HSToday Welcomes FBI Special Agents Thomas O’Connor and Jerri Williams as Columnists
Homeland Security Today announced this afternoon two tremendous additions to its panel of law enforcement experts from the Federal Bureau of Investigation: Special Agent Thomas O’Connor and Special Agent Jerri Williams (ret). Keep Reading
Climate Change Creating ‘Mix of Direct and Indirect Threats,’ Says Intelligence Assessment
While NOAA ranked 2020 as the second-hottest year on record, a separate NASA analysis concluded that 2020 tied with 2016 as the warmest year on record. Keep Reading
ISIS Cyber Group Warns of Tracking Through Bitcoin Use
The Electronic Horizons Foundation, which functions as an IT help desk for ISIS supporters, advised "our brothers to follow the maximum possible security measures" and warned against "using common methods in financial transactions." Keep Reading
PERSPECTIVE: Cyber and Physical Threats to the U.S. Power Grid and Keeping the Lights on
Perhaps the most vulnerable aspect of the U.S. power grid is the high-voltage transformers that allow efficient transmission from power plants to distribution substations. Keep Reading
PERSPECTIVE: Securing the Software Supply Chain from Process Risks
Government agencies are rethinking the ways they approach risk management, especially when it comes to protecting the software supply chain. Keep Reading
Vice Adm. Linda Fagan Nominated to Be Coast Guard Vice Commandant, First USCG Female 4-Star Admiral
Pending confirmation, Fagan is expected to relieve current Vice Commandant of the Coast Guard Adm. Charles W. Ray on June 18. Keep Reading
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26 Years After Bombing, ‘the Terror Perpetrated by People Like Timothy McVeigh Is Still with Us’
"Just last month, the FBI warned of the ongoing and heightened threat posed by domestic violent extremists," said Attorney General Merrick Garland. "Those of us who were in Oklahoma in April 1995 do not need any warning." Keep Reading
Coronavirus
Intelligence Community Works to Get Vaccinated as Assessment Warns of COVID-19 Fallout
Leaders of U.S. intelligence services reported uneven but increasing vaccination rates among the IC workforce as the 2021 Annual Threat Assessment warned that "the economic and political aftershocks" from the COVID-19 pandemic "will be felt for years." Keep Reading
Biden Starts to Walk the Walk on Climate Resilience
Perhaps President Biden’s clearest message on climate to date, and one that is of particular interest to the security community, is his executive order, signed on his seventh day of office, that made climate change a national security priority. Keep Reading
COLUMN: Terrorism Is a Choice, Not an Ideology
Just because someone is of a particular religion, ethnicity, or other demographic doesn’t mean that this particular identity caused them to choose violence. Keep Reading
PERSPECTIVE: Transparency About the Hazards Helps the Public Better Prepare
While it’s true that volcanoes can blast hazardous material tens of thousands of feet in the air, none of the debris coming from the volcano is smoke. Keep Reading
Can the Aviation Community Stop a Cyber Attack from Taking Off?
Today, the aviation sector plays a vital role transporting not only people and traditional freight, but also vaccines – representing the largest single transport challenge in its history. It is highly likely that aviation networks and other sectors associated with the vaccine distribution supply chain will be subject to a significant volume of targeted, adversarial cyber activities during this period. Keep Reading
Leading with Character: Adapt, Adjust, and Be Agile
During Hurricane Harvey, there existed no national emergency call system for the social media realm. The commandant of the Coast Guard was quickly notified of the crisis. Keep Reading
New Interactive Tracker to Provide Real-Time Updates on Federal Biodefense Actions
The Commission is urging the Administration and Congress to take further action now to avoid another pandemic or biological attack. Keep Reading
Capitol Police Officer Will Not Be Charged for Shooting Ashli Babbitt During Riot
As members of the mob continued to strike the glass doors, Babbitt attempted to climb through one of the doors where glass was broken out. An officer inside the Speaker’s Lobby fired one round from his service pistol. Keep Reading
Biden Nominates Former DoD Official as First Woman to Lead National Counterterrorism Center
Christine Abizaid spent nearly a decade as a counterterrorism intelligence officer at the Defense Intelligence Agency before transitioning to the National Security Council. Keep Reading
GAO: Border Security Improvement Plan Was Late and Incomplete
GAO found that the plan does not include many of the required elements, such as a detailed implementation schedule linked to services, program management capabilities, or life cycle cost estimates; and an estimate of planned obligation of funds for fiscal years 2019-2027. Keep Reading
PERSPECTIVE: Which Lessons Learned from the War on Terror Can Help Us Confront Domestic Terrorism?
In light of the recent Capitol Hill riots, there has been a growing realization that domestic terrorism is now a greater threat to the homeland than internationally linked militant jihadist threats from groups like ISIS, al Qaeda, al Shabaab, etc. Keep Reading
Biden Unveils Picks to Lead CBP and USCIS, Along with a No. 2 for DHS
Police Chief Chris Magnus of Tucson, Ariz., was selected to lead Customs and Border Protection while Ur Jaddou, the former director of DHS Watch, was selected for USCIS and John Tien was nominated for deputy DHS secretary. Keep Reading
Biden Beefs Up Cyber Team with NSA, DHS Veterans in Key Roles at White House, CISA, DHS
Former NSA Deputy Director Chris Inglis picked to be the first national cyber director, former NSA deputy for counterterrorism Jen Easterly picked to lead CISA, and Rob Silvers, former assistant secretary for cyber policy at DHS, chosen as DHS undersecretary for policy. Keep Reading