Homeland Security - Related

Significant Cyber Events

ian — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

A list of significant cyber events since 2006.

Last modified on January 19, 2012.

Needed: A National Economic Security Lens

ecurran — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Last October, a U.S. intelligence report to Congress revealed that foreign economic espionage worth billions of dollars is being driven by China and Russia and represents a “significant and growing” threat to the nation’s prosperity and security.

Critical Questions for 2012

ian — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

From international security and regional study to global challenges, CSIS experts will address many of the world's most difficult policy concerns and critical questions in 2012. To kick off the new year, we asked 25 of our scholars to identity what worries them most and what are the biggest opportunities in their respective areas of study.

CQ HOMELAND SECURITY—Homeland Security Experts Weigh In

ian — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Reprinted with permission.

With the New Year beginning, CQ has asked dozens of homeland security experts in the public, private, and academic sectors to weigh in on the lessons of 2011 and what 2012 holds in store. The answers provided by Rick “Ozzie” Nelson of CSIS are excerpted here.

Jemaah Islamiyah

jdunton — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) was created by Abdullah Sungkar and Abu Bakar Ba’asyir, two Indonesian extremists who fled to Malaysia in 1985. In exile, the two men began dispatching fighters to join the growing ranks of international Muslim volunteers seeking to repel the Red Army from Afghanistan.

PacNet #61 - China in the G20: a Balancer and a Responsible Contributor

bMizuno — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The upcoming G20 Summit in Cannes will undoubtedly attract the world’s attention, as many look to see whether the G20 can play a positive role in the global economic recovery.

The New Executive Order on Information Security: Managing the Balance between Sharing and Safeguarding

sherry — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

On Friday, October 7, the White House released a new Executive Order, “Structural Reforms to Improve the Security of Classified Networks and the Responsible Sharing and Safeguarding of Classified Information.” This order, signed by the president and carrying the force of law, seeks to improve the governance of classified systems and reduce network vulnerabilities to ensure that the

TSA PreCheck Screening Initiative

sherry — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

On October 4, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced a new pilot program to pre-screen domestic airline passengers. The TSA PreCheck Initiative will provide expedited screening to individuals who voluntarily provide information about themselves to security officials.

Pay to Play Leadership: Why Investment in the Multilateral Development Banks Is Critical to U.S. National Security

ian — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The Obama administration has made a request to Congress for an extraordinary contribution to a number of the multilateral development banks (MDBs).

Information Sharing in Security and Counterterrorism

ian — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

This fall, the CSIS Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Program continues its second year-long series on information sharing in security and counterterrorism, sponsored by IBM.

The Lessons and Challenges of September 2011 – the New "9/11"

sherry — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Every American has their own story about 9/11. Mine is that I live a mile from the Pentagon, and had a meeting there cancelled the night before the attack. I came into my office in Washington early, and saw the Twin towers collapse before the aircraft hit the Pentagon. I missed the actual attack, but not the smell of electrical fires in the building.

Confronting an Uncertain Threat

jdunton — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Al Qaeda and associated movements (AQAM) have become an increasingly diffuse security threat. Although the Afghanistan-Pakistan borderlands may have represented the epicenter of global terrorism in the past decade, al Qaeda’s various regional affiliates are growing in prominence.

International Standardization of Air Passenger and Cargo Screening

sherry — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Despite efforts by the United States and other nations to strengthen passenger and cargo screening procedures and technology, civil aviation remains a favored target of international terrorists.

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula

jdunton — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) emerged in January 2009 from the union of two preexisting militant groups: al Qaeda in Yemen (AQY) and al Qaeda in Saudi Arabia.1 Both organizations included several combatants that fought against the Soviets in Afghanistan with Osama bin Laden.

DHS Contract Spending and the Supporting Industrial Base

jdunton — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400

This report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) examines the contracting practices of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the contractor base that supports it.

Issues & Insights Vol. 11 - No. 8

bMizuno — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Let me talk to you a little bit tonight about the topic of the future of power. Not just because it’s the title of the book that I have just written but because it really represents something that all those young global leaders that you saw are going to have to cope with which is there are two huge shifts going on in power in this century.

Al Shabaab

jdunton — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Al Shabaab is an al Qaeda-affiliated organization that has risen rapidly to prominence in the midst of Somalia’s decades-long anarchy. The group has experienced two dramatic transformations in its short history.

Information Sharing in 2011 and Beyond: Remaining Challenges and Opportunities

sherry — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400

This summer, the CSIS Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Program begins its second annual year-long series on information sharing in security and counterterrorism, sponsored by IBM. Last year’s events examined information sharing from a range of perspectives.

Al Qaeda in Iraq

jdunton — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Founded in October 2004, al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) emerged from a transnational terrorist group created and led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. The original iteration of the group, Bayat al Imam, began in Jordan in the early 1990s. The group first associated with al Qaeda’s senior leadership in 1999 and fought alongside al Qaeda core and the Taliban during the U.S.

Continuing to Do More with Less? DHS and the FY2012 Budget

sherry — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Last Thursday, the House of Representatives passed a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations bill for the coming fiscal year. By some estimates, H.R. 2017 would cut around $1 billion in DHS funding from FY2011 levels.

Natural Disasters: Strategic Rhetoric and Practical Action In The EU, U.S., and Transatlantic Partnership

ian — Tue, 24 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The human costs of natural disasters are well-known. The January 2010 Haiti earthquake has
accounted for around 250,000 fatalities, drawing comparisons to the equally-tragic 2004 Indian Ocean
tsunami, which killed more than 230,000 people. And natural disasters do not merely strike poor or
developing countries; the 2010 Chilean earthquake killed more than 500 people, and more than 1,800

Mexico's 2012 Presidential Election and U.S.-Mexico Relations

mentman — Thu, 19 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The U.S.-Mexico bilateral relationship in recent months has been plagued by a series of highly sensitive issues. In December, Wikileaks postings revealed U.S. embassy dispatches critical of Mexico’s war on drug cartels and characterizing prospective presidential candidates from the National Action Party as weak. That led to a breakdown of trust between U.S.

The FY2011 Budget and Homeland Security Grant Funding

sherry — Thu, 19 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Congress recently passed a budget that cuts billions in spending through the end of the 2011 fiscal year. Among the federal departments and agencies that must make do with less is the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

What Bin Laden's death means for U.S. policy

mentman — Tue, 03 May 2011 00:00:00 -0400

For most of the past decade, Osama bin Laden defined U.S. national security policy. Now that the man behind the 11 September 2001 attacks has finally been brought to justice, President Barack Obama has an opportunity to re-shape the direction of his foreign policy.

Saudi Stability in a Time of Change

mentman — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The MENA region has begun a process of political change and turmoil that will take years to play out, and which could destabilize some MENA countries for a decade or more as a worst case. There is a tangible risk that Saudi Arabia will be affected in the short term, and it will take continued leadership and vision for Saudi Arab to deal with its longer-term internal challenges.

Endgame in Côte d’Ivoire

mentman — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The protracted election crisis in Côte d’Ivoire has taken a decisive turn. Armed forces professing loyalty to the winner of November’s presidential election, Alassane Ouattara, made their move following months of deadlock caused by the incumbent Laurent Gbagbo’s refusal to leave office.

Risk Management in Non-DoD U.S. Government Agencies and the International Community

jdunton — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0400

As part of ongoing efforts by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy to develop an enterprise-wide risk management framework to guide Department of Defense (DoD) decisionmaking, the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy contracted a CSIS study team to identify risk management lessons learned and best practices among non-DoD U.S.

PacNet #11 - Answering the Questions About Smart Power

bMizuno — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500

The US State Department has put forth a strategic vision embodied in its first Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR). Modeled after the Defense Department’s own four-year planning effort, the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR), the QDDR describes the priorities of State and the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

A Threat Transformed

jdunton — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500

Assessing Impact across Policy Domains

mentman — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500

On December 2, 2010, the Center for Strategic and International Studies hosted a workshop attended by approximately forty experts in impact assessment and performance measurement. By intention this group represented a diverse range of policy focus—from defense and security issues to international development, intelligence, education, and health care.

National Information Sharing Initiatives and the Department of State:

mentman — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

On December 25, 2009, a 23-year old Nigerian named Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab unsuccessfully tried to detonate an improvised explosive device aboard a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit. The so-called “Christmas Day plot” put counterterrorism-related information sharing in the national spotlight once again. A May 2010 report on the incident by the U.S.

Global Migration, Border Security, and Information Sharing

ian — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) established the United States Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology (US-VISIT) Program in 2003. US-VISIT underpins DHS’s immigration management and border control efforts by collecting biometric information, such as digital fingerprints and photographs, on most non-U.S.

A Human Capital Crisis in Cybersecurity

ecurran — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500

"The cyber threat to the United States affects all aspects of society, business, and government, but there is neither a broad cadre of cyber experts nor an established cyber career field to build upon, particularly within the Federal government."

The End of SBInet?

mentman — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Q1: There was growing evidence last week that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will scrap plans for a “virtual fence” along the U.S.-Mexico border. Why?

An Ambitious Approach to Information Sharing

mentman — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0400

In the midst of two major wars and international counterterrorism operations, it may be difficult to recall that the September 11, 2001, attacks had roots not only in Afghanistan but also in Florida and Minnesota. That is a point stressed by developers of the Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) Initiative, or the NSI.Policymakers have spent the last few years shaping the NSI.

Border Security in a Time of Transformation

jdunton — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The September 11, 2001, attacks transformed American and international conceptions of border control. The U.S. government, for instance, had traditionally viewed border control as a mostly customs- and immigration-based challenge. But after 9/11, policymakers and officials increasingly viewed borders as potential points of entry for would-be terrorists.

Surprise Is Inevitable; Vulnerability Is Not

jdunton — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The Department of Defense’s (DoD’s) mission to protect the nation necessitates its leaders’ concern about the military’s readiness for a vast and expanding range of missions. These concerns are heightened in the midst of two ongoing campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan and within the context of a world that is increasingly complex.

Department of Defense, State Department, USAID, and NSC Reporting on the Afghan War

amausner — Wed, 19 May 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Eight years into the war in Afghanistan, and at a time our country is still involved in two wars, the US government still has failed to establish both transparency and credibility in the way it is conducting either conflict.

The Electrical Grid as a Target for Cyber Attack

dzheng — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The electrical power grid has gotten much attention in the last few yars as a potential target for cyber attack. This paper reviews the reasons why.

Issues in International Political Economy - Mexico-U.S. Non-Discussion of Migration - March 2010 - Number 123

adyne — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400

In a world of sovereign states, nations are free to determine which foreigners, and how many, they will allow to enter their country and how long they will be permitted to stay. Recommendations that these decisions should be negotiated between sending and receiving countries are therefore unlikely to be accepted by receiving countries unless they want more foreign workers.

A Growing Terrorist Threat?

jdunton — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Five events during the fall of 2009 thrust concerns over “homegrown” terrorism—or extremist violence perpetrated by U.S. legal residents and citizens1 —into public view:

El trafico ilicito en el corredor mesoamericano

jdunton — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Spanish translation of Trafficking in the Mesoamerican Corridor (CSIS, November 2009).

The First Quadrennial Homeland Security Review

sherry — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Q1: What is the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review?

Comments on the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review

ian — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Let me first take an opportunity to congratulate my many friends and former colleagues in the Department of Defense (DoD) on surviving and succeeding in the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) process. It’s an immense undertaking.

Technical Challenges Associated With the New U.S. Nuclear Agenda

jwarden — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

As President Obama leads the campaign to work toward a world without nuclear weapons, ongoing activities in Iran and North Korea suggest that the world may be headed in the opposite direction.

Homegrown Terrorism Fact Sheet

ian — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Five events during the fall of 2009 thrust concerns over “homegrown extremism”—or terrorist activity perpetrated by U.S. legal residents and citizens—into public view:

The Global Forum on Biorisks

jdunton — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0500

For more than 15 years, policymakers and security analysts have been concerned that governments, terrorists, or even a crazed individual would misuse the rapid advances in the life sciences to cause widespread death and disruption.

Trafficking in the Mesoamerican Corridor

jdunton — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

To facilitate discussion among the diverse law enforcement, advocacy and research sectors that play roles in surveillance, prevention, and control of trafficking involving Mexico, Central America, and the United States, the CSIS Americas Program convened a one-day meeting on September 24, 2009, at CSIS in Washington, D.C.

PacNet #42 - A Theme for President Obama’s Speech in Cairo: Reach for the Stars

dfernandez — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400

President Obama has an opportunity to launch a major diplomatic initiative when he speaks in Cairo this week: his goal should be to convince allies and adversaries alike that America is ready to take the lead in creating a more positive and mutually rewarding political and economic relationship between the U.S.

The Other-White-Meat Flu

Fri, 01 May 2009 00:00:00 -0400

The 100-day president is going through some tough times: a crashed economy, two foreign wars, and now an outbreak of influenza that is on the verge of being declared a pandemic.