ooBdoo Government and Politics News

Security Debrief Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:11:39 +0100 Former top-ranking DEA official links narcotics trade to terror groups CQ Homeland Security If the United States wants to erode the power of Iran’s militant groups, Congress needs to pump more money into operations that combine efforts to stifle the international drug trade with countering terrorism, a former Drug Enforcement Administration official told lawmakers Thursday. After the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, militant Islamic group [...] Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:50:17 +0000 Napolitano’s Announcement Omits Cyber Threat to Global Supply Chain By Michael Balboni In an op-ed for Newsday, I examined Secretary Napolitano’s announcement of a National Strategy for Supply Chain Security, noting that it only mentioned the importance of physical security. Surprisingly, cyber threats were left completely off the table, though it is crucial to recognize that both these threats are actually inexorably intertwined. Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:39:32 +0000 Intelligence Led Policing – What’s in a Name? I had the privilege of recently attending a two-day seminar on Intelligence Led Policing (ILP). Law enforcement officials and academics educated participants on the tenets of ILP and how to better equip officers to begin to use ILP in their police departments. Regardless of what it’s called – be it ILP, smart policing or predictive analytics – the best practice comes down to this: Police gather information, they evaluate and analyze that information, and they create a threat assessment. That information and resulting analysis drive the agency’s strategy and its actions. Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:20:12 +0000 Syria’s Chemical Weapons in the Hands of Hizballah? There have been a number of media reports that address heightened concerns in Israel with respect to the possibility that the ongoing strife in Syria may result in Syria transferring chemical weapons and other significant military hardware to Lebanon for safekeeping with Hizballah. The weapons systems could include long-range missiles, anti-aircraft systems and missiles with chemical warheads. It is thought that these weapons are currently securely under the control of elements of the Syrian military loyal to Bashar Assad, but it is unclear as to what might happen should the regime be on the verge of collapse. Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:09:15 +0000 Social Media Surveillance – It’s Here to Stay For better or worse, social media is the billboard of our lives in today’s digital world. Recent news stories detailing how the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was monitoring media outlets, news sites, and other social networking platforms have raised some eyebrows, but it would be completely irresponsible for DHS, intelligence, or law enforcement authorities to ignore these valuable resources and the information and insights they can provide. Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:00:16 +0000