NDM Article - Security Beat

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May 2004

Security Beat

Homeland Defense Briefs

by Harold Kennedy

U.S. Beefs Up Security On Railway Systems
In the aftermath of the March terrorist attacks on Spanish rail and mass transit lines, the Department of Homeland Security is stepping up safeguards on U.S. rail systems. Many of these efforts began after 9/11, but they are getting more emphasis following the bombings in Madrid, officials said.

“On the railways, DHS now requires advance electronic information of commercial cargo, as we do for all modes of transport, and we screen high-risk rail containers through our National Targeting Center,” Secretary Tom Ridge told the American Association of Port Authorities.

The department also is preparing to use existing teams of explosive-sniffing dogs to develop a rapid-deployment, mass-transit K-9 program. Under this program, DHS quick-response K-9 teams would move across the country, when required, to assist local law-enforcement agencies.

In addition, DHS plans to offer training and assistance for local K-9 teams, and units from the Federal Protective Service—a part of DHS that provides security for government property—will be cross-trained for use in rail and transit systems.

In another program, the department is working with Amtrak and the Federal railroad Administration to test the feasibility of screening luggage and carry-on baggage at rail stations and aboard trains. The initial program will be implemented at one station with commuter rail service.

This pilot program would not resemble systems used at airports, officials said, but would test new technologies and screening concepts. Any program that is developed from the tests probably would not be implemented at all train or mass transit stations, but deployed in high-threat areas or in response to specific intelligence.

DHS will work with industry and the Federal Transit Administration to improve passenger and rail-employee awareness programs. The department’s Federal Law Enforcement Training Center also plans to accelerate security-training programs for transit law-enforcement personnel.

Since May 2003, DHS has awarded more than $115 million to state and local governments for improving rail and transit security in urban areas.

Budget Amendment Good News for DHS
A recently introduced amendment to the homeland security budget is poised to increase resources for domestic defense by more than $1.2 billion.

U.S. Rep. Jim Turner, ranking member of the House Select Committee on Homeland Security, proposed the amendment to the House Rules Committee.

“I am concerned that the budget resolution, as reported by the Budget Committee, will not result in the kind of commitment to homeland security that we truly need,” Turner said in a statement. “Not only does it fail to remedy some of the shortcomings in the president’s budget, but it even cuts funding from the president’s budget.”

Turner’s amendment would:

Make security improvements on passenger and transit rail systems.
Deploy radiation portal monitors.
Boost funding for state security grants and interoperable communications gear.
Increase port and airport security efforts and improve infrastructure at borders.

Air Force Adopts Biometrics Security Systems
U.S. Air Force bases will be installing biometrics security systems to help control access. Scott Air Force Base, Ill., is one of several facilities to employ the biometric HandReaders technology produced by IR Recognition Systems. HandReader functions in conjunction with a six-digit personal identification number. Security experts claim that the use of biometric equipment helps free up personnel for other duties.

HandReaders automatically take a three-dimensional reading of the size and shape of a hand and verify an individual’s identity in less than one second, according to the company. Hand geometry is the most commonly used technology for controlling access, time and attendance, according to Frost and Sullivan’s “World Biometrics Report.”

Scott Air Force Base is the headquarters for the U.S. Transportation Command, Air Mobility Command, 18th Air Force, Defense Information Systems Agency and Air Force Communication Agency.

Meanwhile, the Defense Department created a web site to document the latest developments in biometrics. The address is www.biometrics.dod.mil

Army Lends a Hand to Homeland Security
The U.S. Army’s research and development arm is looking for ways to facilitate technology transfer to homeland defense agencies, according to service officials. The Research Development and Engineering Command is developing a plan to support domestic agencies and share technology with the Department of Homeland Security.

The goal ultimately is to integrate all the first responder systems into one overarching architecture, according to Col. David Bongi, the RDECOM acting commander.

As a first step, RDECOM will attempt to identify which homeland defense technologies developed by the Army can be cascaded to first responders. Then, it will work to coordinate programs with the appropriate agencies.

Some of the technology areas where the Defense and Homeland Security Departments could collaborate include the networking of suites of sophisticated search and environmental surveillance sensors, biometrics site access control means and automated perimeter monitoring security systems, tailored personnel protection for first responders and lightweight armor technology.

Congressional Oversight Needed in Homeland Defense
The Department of Homeland Security needs a certain level of congressional oversight to function properly, according to James Jay Carafano, of the Heritage Foundation. Congress, for its part, needs to be properly organized to be able to provide that oversight, he said. The current fragmented jurisdiction for DHS programs is counter-productive, he argued.

DHS still has to take care of the nuts and bolts of a cabinet-level agency, he said. That includes implementing human capital, acquisition, and information technology programs; building security systems that match the national strategy, and guarding against terrorist attacks.

Oversight of these activities requires standing committees with the expertise and discipline to see the big picture and dig into the details, he said.

Carafano says the House Select Committee on Homeland Security already has demonstrated that “there could be value added in consolidating oversight in a single committee.

“Domestic security missions touch every federal agency and cut across national programs,” Carafano wrote. “Even today, a year after the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, virtually every federal department has responsibilities for protecting the nation.”

That means such responsibility cuts across the committees of Congress, he added. “Officials in the Department of Homeland Security will always find themselves—and rightly so—scurrying from committee room to committee room, testifying on their efforts to integrate a plethora of activities into a coherent, integrated national structure of systems and programs.”

Nearly $7 Billion Going to States and Cities
The Department of Homeland Security plans to issue $6.9 billion in grants to state and local governments in fiscal year 2004, according to a report by INPUT, a consulting service based in Reston, Va. That’s half a billion dollars less than the $7.4 billion that the department provided in 2003, INPUT said.

More than half of the 2004 money—$3.7 billion—will be distributed through four major DHS programs. These include State Homeland Security Grants I and II, Assistance to Firefighters and the Urban Areas Security Initiative.

The SHSG programs provide month for states to buy first-responder equipment, including:

Personal protective gear.
Medical and pharmaceutical supplies.
Chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, explosive-detection and decontamination equipment.
Software and other technologies that improve abilities to deter or respond to terrorist attacks.

The 10 states receiving the most funding in 2003 were: California, $259 million; New York, $170 million; Texas, $137.3 million; Florida, $135.9 million; Illinois, $108.9 million; Pennsylvania, $107.3 million; Ohio, $101.1 million; Michigan, $91.9 million; Georgia, $89.3 million, and New Jersey, $82 million.

Almost all of the $750 million allocated for assistance to firefighters in 2003 has been awarded to more than 8,500 local fire departments around the country. While awards continue to be made on the 2003 program, the department has begun receiving applications for the 2004 program.

The firefighters assistance is designed to provide aid to fire departments in four major areas—fire operations and fire safety, fire prevention, emergency medical services and acquisition of fire-fighting vehicles.

The UASI is a two-part grant program aimed at the development and support of homeland security strategies for heavily populated cities. The initiative’s goal is to help large urban areas address their specific planning, training and equipment needs in order to prepare for and respond to terrorist acts.

The initiative awarded $730 million in April of 2003 and another $550 million in July. An additional $725 million is available for 2004. A total of 80 percent of the amount awarded to the states must be passed on to localities within 60 days.

The 10 cities receiving the most funds in 2003 were: New York City, $175 million; Chicago, $58 million; Houston, $38.4 million; Los Angeles, $31.3 million; Seattle, $29.4 million; San Francisco, $29 million; Boston, $16.7 million; Denver, $15.6 million; Philadelphia, $14.2 million, and Miami, $13.2 million.