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Domestic terrorismGrowing concerns in U.S., U.K. about domestic terrorism
Law enforcement and intelligence in the United States and the United Kingdom are concerned with increased intensity on the extremist fringe: the number extremist groups is rising, their ranks are swelling, their rhetoric is becoming more vituperative, and there has been an increase in violent activities
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Domestic terrorismA series of attacks on government buildings focuses attention on federal building security
The recent shooting at the Pentagon, which followed a February plane crash at Internal Revenue Service offices in Austin and a January shooting at the federal courthouse in Las Vegas, has prompted renewed attention from lawmakers regarding the security of U.S. government buildings
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Debate revived over the security threat small planes pose
There are about 200,000 small and medium-size aircraft in the United States, using 19,000 airports, most of them small; last Thursday's suicide attack on an office building in Austin, Texas revives debate over the security threat small planes pose, and how strict the security measures applied to general aviation should be
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How real is the threat of cyberattack on the United States?
Some experts compare the economic impact of a major cyberincident to the 2003 Northeast blackout, which cut service to fifty million people in the United States and Canada for up to four days; economists place the cost of that event between $4.5 [billion] and $10 billion -- which they regard as a blip in the $14.2 trillion U.S. economy
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Farmers, ranchers urged to be aware of agroterrorism
South Dakota's U.S. Attorney Brendan Johnson says all aspects of agriculture can be targets of terrorists, but Johnson said meat production is the most vulnerable; "Livestock are the number one target for terrorists attacking the agriculture system…. If you want to get a bunch of cattle sick at once, it's not rocket science on how to do it"
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A nuclear Iran may be good for U.S. defense industry
A defense expert says that the emergence of a nuclear-armed Iran will lead to growth in exports of American weapons systems, training, and advice to U.S. Middle Eastern allies; this would give the American defense industry a needed shot in the arm; Boeing has been making noise about shifting out of the defense industry, which would mean lost American jobs and would also put the United States in a difficult position should it be threatened by a rising military power like China; “a nuclear Iran could forestall such a catastrophe”
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Free U.S. access to European financial data may end
In the wake of 9/11, the EU gave the U.S. government free access to European bank and financial data under the SWIFT agreement; the Civil Liberties Committee of European MPs has just recommended that the EU reject renewal of the treaty; for the United States such access is essential to the fight against terrorists and their finances
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Homeland security challenges for the Washington D.C. police, II
Cathy Lanier, the chief of the Washington, D.C. police, says the one thought that keeps her awake at night is the threat that has not occurred to anyone -- the failure of imagination as to what may come next; “What is it that we haven’t thought of that could happen?...That still scares me because I know it is there”
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U.S. conducts scientific research to find more effective interrogation techniques
Denis Blair, director of national intelligence, told legislators that the U.S. intelligence community is conducting “scientific research” to find better, more effective research techniques to use on terrorists
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Terrorists hack gambling Web sites to finance operations
Terrorists hack gambling Web sites to finance terrorist operations; one group of al Qaeda sympathizers made more than $3.5 million in fraudulent charges using credit card accounts stolen via online phishing scams and the distribution of Trojans; the group conducted 350 transactions at 43 different online gambling sites, using more than 130 compromised credit cards
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U.S., Canada link up on Olympic security
The United States and Canada have established a pilot project to enhance security in the waters of Puget Sound and off the Pacific Coast, in which the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the U.S. Coast Guard will cross-train, share resources and utilize each others' vessels
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AnalysisObama offers strategic redefinition, expansion of DHS mission
In July 2002, nearly a year before DHS was created under former president George W. Bush, a handful of advisers hastily drafted in private a 90-page national homeland security strategy; that document was later criticized for being partially responsible -- by overemphasizing terrorism at the expense of natural disasters -- for the Bush administration’s botched response to Hurricane Katrina; in October 2007 the Bush administration updated its homeland security strategy; the Obama administration has now revised and expanded Bush’s 2007 changes; the new strategy states that preventing terrorism remains the cornerstone of homeland security, but it expands the definition of homeland security to include other hazards, among them mass cyberattacks, pandemics, natural disasters, illegal trafficking, and transnational crime
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Super Bowl, Winter Olympics, soccer World Cup take extra security measures
The organizers of three big sporting events – the Super Bowl, the Winter Olympics, and the soccer World Cup – are taking extra security measures to ensure the safety of participants and spectators; The Winter Olympics’ security budget initially projected at $175 million now tops $900 million, and the force for the games will include more than 15,000 people, a surveillance blimp hovering over Vancouver, and more than 900 surveillance cameras monitoring competition venues and crowd-attracting public areas; at the Super Bowl, nearly everyone entering the stadium will be subjected to a pat-down search; exceptions would be a police officer in uniform, a player in uniform, and the president of the United States
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Suicide bombingIslamic suicide bombing in historical perspective
The suicide bombing campaign by al Qaeda and its Sunni Arab allies in Iraq is second only to the Japanese Kamikaze campaign during the closing stages of the Second World in the number of suicide bombers it employed; the Islamic suicide bombers, though, managed to kill more people; the Kamikaze sank 34 U.A. and Allied ships and damage 368 others; about 4,900 Allied sailors died; the Islamic suicide bombers in Iraq killed 216 U.S. military personnel, 2,500 Iraqi troops and police, and more than 10,000 Iraqi civilian
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Declassified report details intelligence failures leading up to failed terrorist attack
The report criticizes the U.S. counterterrorism (CT)community for not connecting the dots related to the Christmas Day plot; "Unfortunately, despite several opportunities that might have allowed the CT community to put these pieces together in this case, and despite the tireless effort and best intentions of individuals at every level of the CT community, that was not done"
More Headlines
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As he looked at the radar screen Captain Andrey Nozhkin immediately feared the worst. A small vessel was closing fast from the stern
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The Long View
Insight into the news // Ben FrankelSudan attack demonstrates new U.S.-Israel counter-Iran policy
Israeli aircraft, with U.S. logistical and intelligence support, attack and destroy an Iranian arms convoy in Sudan; arms were part of an effort by Iran to resupply Hamas's forces in Gaza
Country watch: Moribund MexicoMexican drug cartels employ more foot soldiers than Mexican army
Mexico is spinning out of control; narco-terrorists have infiltrated the Mexican government, creating a shadow regime that complicates efforts to contain and destroy the drug cartels; Mexico ranks behind only Pakistan and Iran as a top U.S. national security concern -- but above Afghanistan and Iraq
India's private security companies flourish
As a result of the Mumbai attacks, the Indian private security industry has been growing by leaps and bounds; already the country's private security force numbers 5 million, 1.3 million more than India's police forces
Eye on AfghanistanAfghan war should last until 2025
Lt. Gen. (Ret.) David Barno, the former head of coalition forces in Afghanistan, says Afghan war will last until 2025; testimony before a congressional panel opens window to Obama administration's counterinsurgency approach to war
As I Was Saying // Ben FrankelNew U.S. strategy begins to take shape in Pakistan
The U.S. military and elements in the Pakistani national security establishments collaborate much more closely than in the past; the strategy of General David Patreus and the new Obama administration is to recognize that Pakistan is a fractured, divided country, and to work with those elements closer to us
Eye on Afghanistan -- Analysis // Ben FrankelLatest U.S. UAV strike in Pakistan signals change of strategy
A 7 February UAV strike on targets inside Pakistan killed 30; it was the fifth such attack since the beginning of the year -- and the second since Obama took office; there were two things different about this attack: Its main target was a Pakistani insurgent leader, and it was launched from inside Pakistan
Experts urge strategy change in Afghanistan
Security experts say U.S. and NATO forces are not likely to defeat the Taliban and other insurgent groups on their own; closer cooperation with Afghan tribes and local organizations is essential
