Emergency Response and Network Congestion – A Matter of Bandwidth
As the East Coast is cleaning up from the effects of Hurricane Irene, pundits have not been shy in expressing opinions about the use (mostly about the benefits) of social media tools like Facebook and Twitter to get information...
DetailsA Positive Feel after an Earth-Moving Experience
I’m back in my office building after the great DC Shake of 2011. The earthquake that struck Virginia and surrounding areas was a surreal experience, one I’ve never had and one I don’t care to repeat any time soon....
DetailsPost VA, DC Earthquake, After Action Report Required
One of the best descriptions of what it is like to work in Washington, DC, can be summed up with the old canard, “After all is said and done, there will be a lot more said than done.” I...
DetailsCongress Needs to Reexamine its One-sided Approach to Water Security
In response to a recent DHS report citing concerns about the ability of insiders to cause significant damage at water utilities, Sen. Chuck Schumer is set to introduce legislation that would mandate FBI background checks for employees at drinking...
Details9/11 Conspiracy, Clarke Comments Generate Response
My recent post on Richard Clarke has generated a lot of interest in discussion. I was fortunate to get a response from the people behind the controversial interview with Mr. Clarke, including a link to a YouTube video of...
Details9/11 Conspiracy Theories and the End of Richard Clarke
The homeland security and national security community is full of all types of personalities, and there are few personalities as polarizing as Richard Clarke. As a former senior official, he made quite the reputation for himself. Clarke has never...
DetailsOslo Terrorist Attacks: Terrorism with a different face, in a different place
I recently published a piece on the terrorist attacks in Oslo, Norway, which killed 76 people. Similar to the Alfred P. Murrah Federal building bombing in Oklahoma in 1995, after the attacks in Oslo, many believed it was the...
DetailsDoing Homeland Security at the Speed of Bureaucracy
It is all but impossible for DHS to fulfill its mission of protecting the homeland when the bureaucratic processes they must work with fail to recognize that sometimes a partial solution is better than a delayed solution. Last week...
DetailsSpace Life After “Wheels Stop” – Shuttle Atlantis Makes Final Landing
“Wheels stop.” With those two words, the era of the Space Shuttle officially closed. Those two words are traditionally spoken by the Shuttle Commander as the orbiter comes to a complete stop. Today’s space shuttle landing means 6,300 people...
DetailsBusiness, Government Finding the Edges and Opportunities in Transportation Infrastructure
There was a time when the United States’ transportation infrastructure was the envy of the world. Times are changing and U.S. infrastructure isn’t. This poses a significant threat to America’s profitability, economic recovery and international competitiveness. Recognizing this, the...
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