Security
US Secret Service moves tiny town to virtual tiny town
Chemical releases, suicide bombers, air and subsurface threats: the U.S. Secret Service needs to be prepared to handle these real-life incidents. Training to respond to such incidents, however, has been more theoretical than practical.
No…
URI geologist develops improved seismic model for monitoring nuclear explosions in Middle East
KINGSTON, R.I. — December 16, 2010 — Geologists from the University of Rhode Island and Princeton University, in collaboration with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, have taken an important step toward helping the United States government…
New study calls for greater awareness of food supply for children with diabetes
Cincinnati, OH, December 2, 2010 — Managing diabetes in a child requires a careful balance of insulin, diet, and exercise. Buying essential medical supplies, such as needles and testing strips, adds a financial burden to families. According to a …
NIST finalizes initial set of smart grid cyber security guidelines
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued its first Guidelines for Smart Grid Cyber Security, which includes high-level security requirements, a framework for assessing risks, an evaluation of privacy issues at personal re…
Facial recognition technology aimed at spotting terrorists
Rapid improvements in facial-recognition software mean airport security workers might one day know with near certainty whether they’re looking at a stressed-out tourist or staring a terrorist in the eye.
A research team led by Dr. Alice O’Toole, a…
New CCTV technology helps prevent terror attacks
Numerous CCTV systems are in use in public places which have the capacity to gather large amounts of image material. For the time being, however, there are no effective ways to analyze the mass of video data automatically and recognize potential risk…
WMD in Wrong Hands is ‘Greatest Security Risk’ This Decade
Weapons of mass destruction in the wrong hands is the “greatest security risk of this decade,” said deputy defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz during a symposium at the third annual Conference on Counterproliferation May 13. The United States will continue to have a requirement for a “robust WMD elimination capability” even after the discovery and the destruction of Iraq’s WMD capabilities, he noted.
Homeland Security and DOE Deliver Used Radiological Detection Equipment
The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Energy have formally transferred a shipment of refurbished radiological detection equipment to the Los Angeles Fire Department Hazardous Waste Unit, the Los Angeles Port Authority and the San Francisco Health Department. The equipment, with a replacement value of approximately $60,000, is being provided to these emergency responder agencies under a DHS/DOE pilot project called the Homeland Defense Equipment Reuse (HDER) Program.
Bush requests $36B for Homeland Security
Citing a need to reduce America’s vulnerability to terrorism and minimize the damage and help recovery from attacks that do occur, U.S. President George Bush has requested a $36.2 billion budget for the new Office of Homeland Security. This represents a 7.4 percent increase in funding over FY2003, and a 64 percent increase ($14.1 billion) over FY2002, with over 60 thousand staff added to protect the country. The consolidation of numerous entities from Border Patrol to Coast Guard into the new Department is the largest federal reorganization in more than 50 years.