Today, the House Armed Services Committee was marking up the FY 2010 budget for the Defense Department. The liveliest debate was over Congressman Turner’s (R-OH) amendment to re-insert $120 million to fund the remaining 14 ground-based interceptors. For the past several years, the plan was to have 44 interceptors dispersed among California and Alaska bases. As of right now, we have 30. Because the House Armed Services Committee rejected Congressman Turner’s amendment, the Department of Defense will stop any further deployment of the 14 interceptors. Defense Secretary Gates spurred the …
This is what happens when Congress passes bills that nobody has time to read. As it turns out, on the last page of the recently passed “Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009” was language that clarified the end date for E-Verify. There has been much confusion regarding whether the Department of Homeland Security could continue operating E-Verify to September 30, 2009 or would have had to shut it down yesterday. While DHS felt that they could extend E-Verify until September the different end dates for the program in the FY 2009 appropriations …
The authorization for E-Verify ends today but the future of the program is still up in the air. E-Verify is an online system that allows employers to check whether or not there new employees are eligible to work in the United States. There are 80,000 employers currently participating in this voluntary program, with the exception of employers in Arizona and the U.S. government. Though Congress failed to re-authorize E-Verify in time, the FY 2009 appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security had conflicting language about the true end date …
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation held a hearing today on container security. The bottom line was that 100 percent scanning of containers is not possible or practical much to the surprise of Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ). This conclusion was made after the Department of Homeland Security finished their report on the pilot program Secure Freight Initiative, where they employed scanners at three selected ports. Simply put, 100 percent scanning is not possible because the technology doesn’t exist. Not all shipments go through a gate at a …
Arizona which has been a national leader in state-directed initiatives to combat illegal migration is now trying to address the other half of the problem–getting the economy the workers it needs. There are an estimated 600,000 to 800,000 illegal immigrants working on American farms, but only 75,000 legal H-2A workers according to the Department of Labor. Federal regulatory measures are overly bureaucratic and in need of major reform. As a result, the state of Arizona has recently suggested taking matters into its own hands and proposed the idea of a …
According to recent Gallup polling, a record 47% of Americans believe the U.S. national defense is not strong enough. A quick look at the average age of the planes in our Air Force shows they are definitely on to something. In 1973 the average age of the fleet was 9 years old. Today the average plane used by the Air Force is 24 years old. Secretary of Air Force Michael W. Wynne took his concern on the issue to Capitol Hill last month, telling the House Armed Services Committee: Sir, …
Recent Defense Department reports on Chinese computer network operations in 2007 should be a clear indication that the United States needs to step up its cyber defense policy to address a growing threat to its national security. As reported by Heritage’s John Tkacik back in December, “the Department of Homeland Security received 37,000 reports of attempted breaches on government and private systems…and more than 80,000 attempted attacks on Department of Defense computer network systems.” Although it is difficult to pinpoint where many of these cyber attacks originate from, there is …
In 2007, 26 San Diego County residents were kidnapped and held for ransom in Tijuana, Roarito Beach and Ensenada. Some were recovered, some were hurt, and some were killed. Kidnappings are a popular tactic among organized, well finances and violent kidnapping cells. These kidnapping are sophisticated operations similar to terrorist cells. This line of business is not about terrorizing people or retaliating, it is about making money. Due to the rapid increase in crime in Mexico, U.S. citizens are warned to be cautious when vacationing or doing business. Local and …
NATO’s mission in Afghanistan is beginning to see the support of member states wane in the face of casualties, a resurgent Taliban and additional costs associated with war. The L.A. Times notes that with over 40 nations participating in the International Security Assistance Force, many nations are reluctant to commit additional forces, especially to the dangerous Kandahar region of the south, where Canadian forces are fighting determined Taliban and insurgent forces resulting in 78 Canadian fatalities to date. Canada has threatened to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan unless its NATO …
On February 4, the Hormcliff, on charter to fruit giant Del Monte, arrived at Falmouth Dock with a 300 mm hole on the port side. The hole was caused by a container that was lost overboard. A total of 58 refrigerated 40ft containers were lost at sea during a storm. Only 41 remained on board, including four that were badly damaged. Unfortunately, containers are not as secure as one may think. Security analysts warn that terrorists may use a cargo container to smuggle a nuclear bomb and detonate it in …
