Last week, NASA observed the largest solar flare of the year. The coronal mass ejection was one “powerful enough to cause a brief radio blackout.” Indeed, there were some small instances of radio interference last week following the solar flare. While the event made for some spectacular photographs, it also …
Last week, a hacker turned cybersecurity expert, Marc Maiffret, published an enlightening op-ed in The New York Times, arguing the private sector can and should do more to improve the nation’s cybersecurity. This is especially true since the private sector produces the hardware and software for every device we use. …
A recent National Journal article discussed the likelihood of an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) over the United States with skepticism, asking whether such activists and politicians are “[d]oomsday preppers or congressional visionaries” and claiming that the “the debate over the urgency remains stuck in a theoretical realm.” But the EMP threat …
Today, the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is holding a hearing titled, “Counterterrorism Policies and Priorities: Addressing the Evolving Threat.” The hearing has just three witnesses, not one of whom represents state and local law enforcement counterterrorism equities. That omission really is par for the course, as too often …
The House Committee on Energy and Commerce will hold a hearing on Thursday on the progress made in the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program over the past six months. CFATS was once considered a great success in security and government regulations. In late 2011, however, a leaked Department of …
At the end of February, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) certified that another six states are REAL ID compliant. Nearly eight years after Congress first passed the REAL ID Act—which calls on the states to implement minimum security standards in issuing driver’s licenses and state IDs—progress is finally being …
Last week, Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee released a report outlining what they believe the consequences of sequestration will be if it goes into effect. Following its release, Homeland Security Today published an article highlighting the report’s findings on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) specifically. In short, the …
In the increasingly politicized environment surrounding President Obama’s attempt to pass comprehensive immigration reform, border security again became the focus. In an attempt to take the issue of border security off the table, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano claimed that “the border is secure. I believe the …
