StormWarning’s Counterterrorism

Of all the audacious "beans and stuff!"   Vicente Fox’  Foreign Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez has said that the wall will damage U.S.-Mexican relations and trade.  Derbez said if the full Congress approves the wall, Mexico will send a letter strongly condemning the measure. Asked by a reporter if that meant the government would try to "dissuade" Bush from signing the bill into law, he replied, "Without a doubt."

The same article says, "Congress has abandoned Mexico’s top priority: an immigration accord that would have allowed more Mexicans to work legally in the United States. Bush had proposed a temporary worker program that would have given out three-year work visas to those with jobs lined up in the U.S.

Instead, U.S. lawmakers have focused on increasing security along the border. The added security has angered Mexico, which sees the actions as a militarization of the two countries’ common frontier."

This one is even better…Mexican government warns U.S. border fence will harm relations  Mexico’s Foreign Relations Department warned Thursday that a U.S. proposal to build hundreds of miles of border fencing, which is working its way through the Senate, will damage the United States’ relation with its southern neighbor.

The department said in a news release that it was “deeply worried” about the proposal, adding it will “increase tension in border communities.”

“These measures will harm the bilateral relationship. They are against the spirit of co-operation that is needed to guarantee security on the common border,” it said.

So instead of fixing their own damn country…instead of improving the standard of living, the economy, creating jobs, improving the educational system, and generally making Mexico a better place to live by improving the standard of living, the outgoing Fox government (and we could expect the new Calderon government to continue this position) is telling us that only comprehensive reform of our immigration laws is the only way to stop thousands of Mexicans from entering the United States illegally.

HOGWASH!  Are we going to allow Mexico to dictate our National security policies?  I hope not.

Current Affairs, Federal Policy, International Issues, National Security, Opinions

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Once again, thanks to my daily email from the Homeland Security Daily Newswire.

Contamination of leafy vegetables spurs new research

Children may have a good excuse these days not to eat their greens, and indeed any mother who insisted this week that their child eat spinach was certainly guilty of child endangerment, if not malicious assault. The recent discovery of E. coli in spinach has spurned new research into leafy vegetables as carriers of bacteria — a departure from the standard research course of investigating beef manufacturing processes. As anyone who has ever tried to wash spinach or lettuce knows, thorough cleaning can be difficult. (Orthodox Jews, however, concerned that their greens might contain unkosher insects, seem to manage the task). A new U.S. Department of Agriculture-funded (USDA) study at Ohio State is now underway to examine the issue and "is expected to find new ways to prevent foodborne-pathogen outbreaks in produce by targeting factors such as lesions caused by plant diseases, that may contribute to contamination of vegetables in the field and during transportation," the Cincinnati Post reported.

The whole article, E. coli outbreak spurs more research, is here.

Current Affairs, Opinions

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I do not subscribe to the Stratfor Reports.  Often, I wish that I did.  The Q4/06 forecast will be released shortly.  I was able to excerpt this (note that my opinions were "x’d" before I read ahead):

Iran
In the fourth quarter, Iran — particularly its relations with Washington and the reactions of its Arab neighbors — will be the driving force in the Middle East. There are signs that Tehran could encourage a new series of militant attacks inside Iraq in the near future. At the same time, there are indications of a resurgence of militants in the region, spurred by both al Qaeda and Iran.

Chinese Economy
On Dec. 11, China opens its banking sector to foreign competition as part of its commitments to the World Trade Organization (WTO). However, as that date nears, Beijing will issue numerous regulations that will actually discourage foreign competition. China will attempt to follow the letter of the WTO requirements, but will violate the spirit of the WTO’s intentions.

Al-Qaeda Targets
U.S. President George W. Bush is promoting his Republican base with a clear focus on national security issues and is ramping up efforts to capture another high-value al Qaeda target to help ensure the Republican hold on both chambers of Congress. This is going to be supported through a behind-the-scenes-deal between the United States and Pakistan.

Latin America
The radical leftist movement is at or near its peak. Four key elections in Latin America will reveal how the region is beginning to turn away from the Chavez-led radical left, and move toward a centrist-left model that looks more like a European-style social democracy.

Current Affairs, Federal Policy, International Issues, Opinions

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With the recent and disputed reports that bin Laden had succumbed to typhoid fever in the mountains of Pakistan, the question of the importance of bin Laden’s death in the total scheme of the War on Terrorism was raised.  One such comment was, "Have you ever stomped your foot down in a water puddle and watched the water fly out leaving the center of the puddle empty? What happens next?  If water remediation was your original mission… stomping the water out shouldn’t then become the focus."

The simplest response goes something like this:

The other day I was standing outside of one of my friend’s office in the technology office co-op building that we and others occupy.

From the corner of my eye I saw a roach crawling out of the greenery (its an inside atrium with lots of plants). My friend told me that it was a tree roach (a roach with wings!). I continued talking to my friend. But then the roach started crawling toward us. I told him that if the roach got too close to me, I would have to eliminate it. He looked at me, amused as we continued our discussion.

Well, the damn thing insisted on coming right at me. When it came into range (I had actually moved to a strategic position in its path), I lifted my foot, and with the swiftness of a special operations unit, stomped down. The roach, in a flash of milliseconds, was not only dead, but obliterated. At the center of the detonation lay a puddle of guts…splayed out in six directions, body parts had spread. My friend and I continued our discussion. I commented to him that he had just witnessed and example of "ten-for-one" retaliation. About an hour later, the maintenance people had removed the body, but the stain of the guts remained on the hard tile ceramic of the floor even last Friday. Of course, there are still other roaches lurking in those green bushes and plants…and I am always vigilant.

My retired spec-ops friend from SoCal and I have had this conversation a number of times, and most recently a few weeks ago on September 11th. He still doesn’t understand why a strategic operation was never mounted to search and destroy the one man who is at best, the chief conspirator and mass murderer of this conflict. bin Laden’s death will not end and may not even change the War on Terrorism. His death might only be symbolic. But if he did not die from typhoid (as now many government and counterterrorism officials doubt that he is dead), then he should die and best at our hands. With all of the resources being expended in this War on Terrorism, allocating a small portion to seek out and destroy bin Laden seems justified and right.

Current Affairs, Federal Policy, International Issues, Opinions

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It seems like "many moons ago" that in October 2001 the Nation, still reeling from the attacks of September 11th then had to endure the uncertainty of the anthrax letters.  For reference, please examine the F.B.I. Amerithrax web site and an "analysis" page on which linguistics and behavior assessments are provided.

Now, law enforcement and homeland security officials are concluding that the anthrax used in the attacks was less sophisticated than first thought.

FBI Is Casting A Wider Net in Anthrax Attacks
Five years after the anthrax attacks that killed five people, the FBI is now convinced that the lethal powder sent to the Senate was far less sophisticated than originally believed, widening the pool of possible suspects in a frustratingly slow investigation.

The finding, which resulted from countless scientific tests at numerous laboratories, appears to undermine the widely held belief that the attack was carried out by a government scientist or someone with access to a U.S. biodefense lab.

What was initially described as a near-military-grade biological weapon was ultimately found to have had a more ordinary pedigree, containing no additives and no signs of special processing to make the anthrax bacteria more deadly, law enforcement officials confirmed. In addition, the strain of anthrax used in the attacks has turned out to be more common than was initially believed, the officials said.

As a result, after a very public focus on government scientists as the likely source of the attacks, the FBI is today casting a far wider net…

If you don’t (or can’t) read the Washington Post article, here is one from the BBC and the Earthtimes.org or a Google search on "anthrax attacks."

So what now of Steven Hatifll who was designated as a person of interest.  Will this new conclusion finally let Hatfill off the hook?  I suspect not.  His suit against the government continues.  Here is some stuff I wrote previously about this matter.

On August 28, 2003 ("Anthrax Case at a Dead-end?"):
Something just isn’t right here!

There is something here that we’re all missing…obviously because the FBI and the Justice Department either aren’t willing to reveal it, or simply, they don’t have the information. But after all of this time, and all of the resources thrown at Hatfill by the government, why haven’t they arrested him?

F.B.I. Has a ‘Short List’ of Names In Its Anthrax Case, the U.S. Says
…The Federal Bureau of Investigation has identified a "short list" of 18 to 20 people who had the means, opportunity and possible motive to have sent the anthrax-laden letters last fall, law enforcement officials said.

…Both the White House and the F.B.I. denied an article in The Washington Times yesterday that asserted that investigators had identified a chief suspect in the case who had learned how to make a weapons- grade strain of the deadly anthrax bacteria at the Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick, Md., and had twice been fired from government jobs…

On August 13, 2002 (" Hatfill: Guilty Until Proven Innocent?"):
For some obvious (and some not so obvious) reasons, I have been fascinated and intrigued since October 2001 when the first anthrax letters appeared. My position then (largely unchanged) was that the anthrax letter attacks had been perpetrated by an American as an act of domestic terrorism. Even though some of the "feelings" and "theories" that I held back then have been modified, I still believe that this was an attack by an American (citizen or resident, I am not sure…attached in some way to al Qaeda or not, I am not sure).

Certainly, the events of the last month in which Dr. Steven Hatfill’s name and reputation have been raked across the coals and across the news headlines have made me even more inquisitive. Last weekend’s press conference and series of defense/denials in the face of the public character assassination and innuendo campaign added to my interest.

I’ve just gotten off of a phone call with my "friend" (described in some of my earlier posts) who believes that Hatfill is absolutely not the guy and that, in his opinion, the amount of media attention being placed on Hatfill is a purposeful smokescreen to give the appearance that the authorities are pursuing leads, while in the silent background, the more serious investigation continues…and it is felt that the White House is putting an enormous amount of pressure on the FBI to crack this case(*). Further, he reiterated his suspicion that another scientist at Ft. Detrick (earlier described by my "friend" as a Syrian, but now clarified as an Egyptian) who worked directly with anthrax at Ft. Detrick and then at the EPA (fired from both places) is the more likely culprit (Hatfill did not work with anthrax while he did work with many other even more toxic substances like Ebola).

There is no doubt that some of the inconsistencies in Dr. Hatfill’s background, some of the false representations that he has made (his résumé listing a Ph.D. and service with the Army), and yes, even the appearance of culpability because of the supposed novel that he was writing on bioterrorism raise questions. None, IMO, make this man guilty as accused in the media, and by implication by the FBI.

A lot was made of his employment at S.A.I.C., a significant government consultant and contractor.  I wonder how Hatfill was approved for employment there.

Actually there was a short link to the between the White House & Steven Hatfill - Jerome Hauer. It was at SAIC where Hatfill published a report about delivering Anthrax via postal services.

http://www.saic.com/news/nov99/news11-30a-99.html
http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2002pres/20020628a.html

And finally, there is the question of alternative suspects, especially the "Egyptian."  Arab scientists recount hostility and harassment at military anthrax lab. 

I don’t know about you, but I’m at a loss as to why this case remains unsolved.  Maybe "they" know something that we don’t.

Current Affairs, Domestic Terrorism, National Security, Opinions

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This has been sent by CENTCOM Public Affairs and is presented here with no editorial from me.

U.S. General Says Iraq Will Move Toward Stability

Excerpts:
"It’s my estimation … that the number of American forces is likely to remain about the same. We have other Reserve forces in the region that we haven’t committed yet. It’s possible that we might have to commit them; if it’s necessary, we’ll do so."

"We have put an enormous effort into training and equipping the Iraqi armed forces and security forces. But it’s also an enormous effort. It is literally building an institution from the bottom up."

"Baghdad is the main effort; it’s the point where we’ve got to get greater control of security, stability, so that peace and prosperity can start moving in a good direction there."

"It’s absolutely clear to me the enemy has made Iraq the central front in the battle, not us, but the enemy. And because of that, we are fighting at the right place at the right time, and we need to get it under control."

Current Affairs, International Issues, Iraq

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A Canadian man has been arrested by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for attempting to purchase a restricted device used to test heat exchange units on behalf of Iran [in these days, given the intense scrutiny on certain types of equipment and on State Sponsors of Terrorism, just how stupid is this guy?].

Man accused of trying to buy device for Iran

…Seyed Abolghassem Rohani Eftekhari, 44, was arrested Monday by agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on a charge alleging he violated the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and executive orders that bar U.S. exports to Iran. Eftekhari is scheduled for a bail hearing Thursday…

…Through investigation the agencies learned that officials with Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio received a suspicious inquiry regarding "guided wave equipment" technology, according to a criminal complaint affidavit unsealed Tuesday. The inquiry appeared to originate in Tehran, Iran, the complaint said…

…In July, R&D Magazine recognized the institute for a probe that uses the technology to inspect heat exchanger tubes of systems such as electric power generation plants. The magazine said the probe was one of the 100 most significant technological achievements in the past year, according to a news release from the institute…

Article also found here and here.

How stupid is this guy?  Well, maybe he didn’t think we’d notice.

Current Affairs, International Issues, National Security, Technology

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This might be silly, but maybe not such a bad idea…[sorry folks, I couldn't resist...I'll just have to post alot to push this post down on the page...LOL]

The "Brief Safe" is an innovative diversion safe that can secure your cash, documents, and other small valuables from inquisitive eyes and thieving hands, both at home and when you’re traveling. Items can be hidden right under their noses with these specially-designed briefs which contain a fly-accessed 4" x 10" secret compartment with Velcro closure and "special markings" on the lower rear portion. Leave the "Brief Safe" in plain view in your laundry basket or washing machine at home, or in your suitcase in a hotel room - even the most hardened burgler or most curious snoop will "skid" to a screeching halt as soon as they see them. (Wouldn’t you?) Made in USA. One size. Color: white (and brown). To add realistic smell, check out "Doo Drops" on Page 65.

And they’re only $9!  They also sell "accessories."

Current Affairs, Opinions, Technology

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In what is a continuing dispute, Mexican Presidential challenger, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (PRN) has formed a parallel government to that of the declared winner, Felipe Calderón (PAN).

New ‘president’ for Mexico
Hundreds of thousands of supporters of leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador elected him the leader Saturday of a "parallel government" opposed to President-elect Felipe Calderon’s administration.

“If Mexico faces any kind macroeconomic problem in the next few years, from falling oil prices to a slowdown in the U.S. economy that affects Mexico’s exports, Lopez Obrador’s movement could grow,” he said in a telephone interview…

I believe that there are two directly related issues that merit attention:

1) Mexico to destroy presidential ballots after disputed election - The paper ballots from Mexico’s disputed July 2 presidential election [JURIST news archive] will be destroyed under the order of the Federal Electoral Tribunal [official website, in Spanish], despite objections from President-elect Felipe Calderon [campaign website, in Spanish; BBC profile] who wanted the ballots preserved in an effort to strengthen public confidence in his controversial victory. 

Chavez said last week that his government had not recognized the victory of Mexican ruling party candidate Felipe Calderon because of concerns about alleged election irregularities…

This bears close watching, just "south of the border."

2) Mexico Reevaluates Venezuela Relations - Mexico said Sunday that it is reevaluating its diplomatic relations with Venezuela after Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez accused the Mexican government of stealing its country’s recent presidential election.

The symbolic "vote" - a show of hands in the packed Zocalo plaza - was the latest development in Mexico’s nearly three month electoral dispute. Lopez Obrador claims fraud and illegal government spending were responsible for Calderon’s victory by less than 234,000 votes in the July 2 election, and he has vowed to be the new leader’s biggest opponent.

It was unclear what the "parallel government," complete with its own Cabinet, would entail…

Lopez Obrador Hailed as Mexico’s `Legitimate’ Leader at Rally
…Lopez Obrador’s decision to form an alternative government could hamper Calderon’s ability to govern, said Juan Lindau, chair of the political science department at Colorado College in Colorado Springs.

Current Affairs, International Issues, Opinions

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So, is this good or bad???  I’m certain there are divergent opinions on this one.  Once again, with thanks to my email from Homeland Security Daily Newswire…

As we have all been watching the flood illegal immigration from Mexico, a large wave of legal immimgration from Muslim countries has gone almost unnoticed.  In 2005, nearly 100,000 people from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia have come to the U.S.

According to immigration officials, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services over the past three years has seen a gradual increase in the total number of visa applications. Worries about 9/11-related hate crimes, experts say, have dimmed in response to what most agree has been a wide-spread American willingness not to blame American Muslims for terrorist attacks.

More Muslims Arrive in U.S., After 9/11 Dip
This was the path for Nur Fatima, a Pakistani woman who moved to Brooklyn six months ago and promptly shed her hijab. Through the same doors walked Nora Elhainy, a Moroccan who sells electronics in Queens, and Ahmed Youssef, an Egyptian who settled in Jersey City, where he gives the call to prayer at a palatial mosque.

“I got freedom in this country,” said Ms. Fatima, 25. “Freedom of everything. Freedom of thought…”

…Immigrants from predominantly Muslim countries in the Middle East, North Africa and Asia are planting new roots in states from Virginia to Texas to California…

…Many have made the journey unbowed by tales of immigrant hardship, and despite their own opposition to American policy in the Middle East. They come seeking the same promise that has drawn foreigners to the United States for many decades, according to a range of experts and immigrants: economic opportunity and political freedom…

…Like other immigrants, Muslims find their way to the United States in myriad ways: they come as refugees, or as students and tourists. Others arrive with immigrant visas secured by relatives here. A lucky few win the green-card lottery.

Ahmed Youssef, 29, never thought he would be among the winners. But in 2003, Mr. Youssef, who taught Arabic in Egypt, was one of 50,000 people randomly chosen from 9.5 million applicants around the world…

…“This is a land of opportunity,” Ms. Fatima said. “There is equality for everyone.  I came to the United States because I want to improve myself,” she said. “This is a second birth for me.”

With all of the hatred and spewing that you often read on the Internet and in the blogsphere, a story like this one deserves to be seen.   At the same time, an argument could be made that this is not a good thing.  In fact, the alter-point of view could be found here.  And no, I am not saying that Mr. Spencer is wrong in his anger.  I myself have made similar empassioned statements about immigration control many times before.

But what we should all be outraged at is the fact that the

U.S. is still in the dark on tracking of foreign visitors.  The U.S.-VISIT program was supposed to provide information about people entering this country with a VISA and when they left.

…But 10 years after Congress first ordered the system, the Department of Homeland Security hasn’t set up a way for the same visa-holders to check out when they leave the country. Instead, the agency continues to test it at 14 airports and two seaports.

DHS officials said they didn’t know when the checkout system would be launched nationwide because of the difficulty of creating a fast and effective method that travelers could use when they left the country.

"We’re not ready," said Robert Mocny, the acting director of US-VISIT. "We’re going to make sure before we put any exit system in place that we get it right."

With the program still up in the air, some DHS officials question whether the agency should spend millions more on a system that may lead to much longer delays at airports and border crossings without detecting a single terrorist.

"We need to have exit control but I’m not sure US-VISIT is the solution," said Jayson Ahern, who oversees the 322 U.S. ports of entry for Customs and Border Protection. "We need to find that right balance of something that provides the high level of security we need but at the same time allows us to move legitimate travelers."

My day job has consumed my time is the last week or so.  Sorry I’ve been gone.  I’ll probably have a bit more time this coming week before I get buried again…[making a presentation this week on identity authentication technologies and biometrics].

Current Affairs, Federal Policy, Opinions

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Flash post: Short, direct, one article

Mexico arrests major drug cartel figure
Mexican authorities have arrested a major figure in a Colombian drug cartel responsible for nearly half of the cocaine smuggled into the United States, the U.S. ambassador to Mexico said Friday.

The arrest of Jaime Maya Duran "shows the determination of U.S. and Mexican law enforcement authorities to pursue the most dangerous criminals, including those who thought they were untouchable," U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza said.

Maya Duran, a Colombian citizen, was arrested Wednesday by agents of Mexico’s attorney general’s office…

One down…too many more to go.  Good for us, but I doubt if it will truly stem the tide.

Current Affairs, International Issues, National Security, Opinions

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It is eerie as that day approaches.  Its been five years since the attacks of September 11th changed all of our lives.  For some, their lives have returned almost to "normal."  Others feel that people like me are alarmists, especially when it comes to issues of security or "stupid things" like identity theft or traveling to certain places in the World.  And still others, remain concerned.

Over on the Counterterrorism Blog, Andy Cochran has offered a summary of the state of affairs through the eyes of the CTB experts.

Dennis Lormel: "In fact, U.S. investigative, intelligence and regulatory agencies have achieved noteworthy successes in the disruption of funding flows. Unfortunately, most of these successes cannot be made public because of investigative or intelligence considerations." (Remember the SWIFT program disclosures this year?)

Michael Cutler: "(I)t is my belief, that at least where the immigration component to the issue of national security is concerned, we are at least as vulnerable today as we were on September 10, 2001." (See his testimony last week on continued immigration vulnerabilities.)

Victor Comras: "Most countries have failed to take any action against tangible assets supporting terrorism, including businesses and other income-producing assets…" (Europe still hasn’t designated Hizbollah as a terrorist group.)

Douglas Farah: "A second example is the slow nature of the response to the crucial role that leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood have played in the radical Islamist financial infrastructure, including that of al Qaeda." (Nothing has changed.)

Zachary Abuza: "The radical Abu Sayyaf have regenerated from a group of kidnappers into a bonafide terrorist organization, who have stepped up ties to JI (Jemaah Islamayah) and hence improved their technical proficiency." (No change here either.)

Michael Kraft: "(W)hen it came to the hard work of providing the actual funding for key counterterrorism programs, both the Executive Branch and Congress have fallen short." (Guess what - no change here either.)

FWIW, from my eyes we are not "safer" than we were a year ago.  Maybe the shape of the threat has changed or morphed.  Our counterterrorism resources and assets are spread thin.  It was disclosed yesterday that Pakistan has negotiated with the Taliban and ceded Waziristan to them (also here, here and here).  The recent disruption of by the British of the liquid bomb threat has led to increased attention on baggage security.  The security of our ports, our critical infrastructure, our chemical processing facilities etc. remain quesitonable…but as I wrote yesterday, the jihad, like cockroaches, still seems to spread.  And maybe worse of all (in my opinion of course), our country and its people  seem to have lost the focus and unity against the enemy we all recognized on September 11, 2001…and we’ve devolved into partisan sniping with some people screaming and shouting that the "other guys" will simply withdraw in the fight to prevent the spread of jihadism, and to eradicate its effect.  And to this day, Osama bin Laden apparently still walks the Earth.

As I write this post, it is early (about 5am), and I may have left stuff out.

Current Affairs, Opinions

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Slightly more than a year ago I wrote a post, Global Terrorism - A Virus in which the ways in which terrorism was spreading was looking more and more like the spread of a virus.  In that post, I observed that:

It has been my contention that terrorism is spreading.  One way or another, regardless of your political leaning, I suggest that what is happening in Iraq is that the streets of Baghdad and Mosul and Fallujah have served as training grounds to terrorists, mostly of the Muslim variety, who, when they leave Iraq, go back to their country of origin, loads smarter about strategy and tactics.  So in this way, al Qaeda-type terrorism, like that being practiced by Zarqawi and friends, is penetrating countries in Europe and elsewhere.  This is a very bad implication.

Then, I concluded: 

In my opinion, this whole premise of the War on Terror being a war to be waged against nation states, not recognizing the amorphous or amoebic nature of the type of terrorism that is spreading through radical Islam, I fear will lead to additional attacks because we are underestimating the nature of the threat.  Treating global terrorism like an epidemic, actually a pandemic, in my opinion will lead to a much more satisfactory result, and probably an earlier rather than later conclusion to this conflict (using that word doesn’t sound right, or do justice to what we are facing).

Well, just the other day, James Kitfield of the National Journal wrote a cover story in the September 1, 2006 edition, Al Qaeda’s Pandemic.  I don’t know if there will be a working link to this article long term, but it might be found here.

In the collective body that is Islamic extremism, often only a few synapses stand between a spoken word and an act of wanton bloodshed halfway around the world. Tracking exactly how the organism of global jihad translates such violent impulses into distant actions is critical to grasping how the virulent terrorism that struck the United States on September 11, 2001, has mutated in the past five years. And that knowledge is key to understanding the degree to which the virus is still spreading.

“What happened to Al Qaeda and its affiliates since 9/11 is a very dangerous convergence of terrorism and a mass mobilization that would be traditionally associated with a liberation movement or insurgency, only on a global scale,” Mario Mancuso, deputy assistant secretary of Defense for special operations and counter-terrorism, told National Journal. “Quite frankly, we’ve damaged Al Qaeda the organization significantly, but the threat is much broader. The best way I can describe it is that the global insurgency reacts to Osama bin Laden’s radical ideology almost like distant and seemingly disconnected light particles respond in unison to an unseen wave. Over the long term, halting the spread of that extremist ideology will be our most important metric of success…”

These observations by Kitfield also relate to the premise posed in Swarm Intelligence and Jihadist Terrorism written July 23rd (NOTE: when time allows, a professor at a local university has suggested that we collaborate on a paper on this subject).  And this also tracks back to a June 8, 2006 post that raised a point from Doug Farah’s May 24th post (http://www.douglasfarah.com/), The Emerging Shape of Future Jihad talked about a treatise written by Spanish-Syrian strategist Mustafa Setmariam Nasar, “The Call for a Global Islamic Resistance.” Key is that the document espouses the concept of “nizam, la tanzim,” or ‘System, not organisation.’ Jihadist groups should develop a template that allows them to create structures wherever they are, and carry out recruitment, fund-raising and attacks.

I remain convinced that without taking these  factors into consideration, the strategies of war, of the Global War on Terrorism (or more appropriately, the War on Global Extemist Jihadism), will be faulty.

International Issues, Opinions

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FEMA urban rescue teams understaffed, unprepared

The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s urban search and rescue teams are under-funded, understaffed and in need of better oversight, according to a report by the Homeland Security Department’s inspector general.

On the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s landfall, lawmakers pointed to the report as a reminder that agencies responsible for overseeing disaster response are in need of reform…

DHS inspector general criticizes FEMA oversight of search and rescue teams

[Quoted from Homeland Security Daily Newswire - #article2106]

At least Lassie’s dog food should be covered. According to a recent report by DHS’s inspector general, FEMA’s urban search and rescue (US&R) teams are not only grossly underfunded, what is funded suffers from inadequate oversight. The National US&R Response System consists of twenty-eight task forces in nineteen states, many of which have been involved in rescue missions ranging from the destruction of the space shuttle Columbia to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

FEMA is authorized to activate the teams–made up of 210 members with nineteen different specialties and twelve canines–for any real or potential "Incident of National Significance."

After auditing seven of the teams, the inspector general listed a number of operational failings:

• Five of the seven task forces reviewed rated themselves below 50 percent for operational readiness, including one task force that rated itself at 13 percent

• Many forces either did not conduct required exercises or did not require an adequate number of team members to participate

• Some task force members had not received all the training required by FEMA, including WMD training and functional or specialty training based on the member’s position description

• Many canines did not meet US&R System requirements, nor did many have necessary medical certifications

• None of the task forces surveyed performed comprehensive physical inventories or maintained perpetual inventory records of cache equipment. Maintenance records for major equipment was haphazard

Oversight could clearly be improved, but without adequate funding it is hard to see how the US&R teams can live up to their potential as "a rapidly deployable federal source for first response to nationwide emergencies." As detailed in the inspector general’s report, "After September 11, 2001, Congress provided substantial increases to US&R System funding. Federal preparedness funding for the US&R System reached a high of $65 million in fiscal year (FY) 2004, or about 550 percent higher than FY 2001, but fell to $30 million in FY 2005."

Recommendations of the DHS Inspector General’s Report, Audit of the National Urban Search and Rescue Response System

(1) Coordinate with each task force and their sponsoring organizations to ensure that they have sufficient full-time staff to administer day-to-day activities and to achieve and maintain System objectives and standards;
(2) Obtain for each task force a detailed comprehensive analysis of grant funding needed to complete and maintain present and future grant goals and System standards; and
(3) Develop and implement a plan for effective oversight of the US&R System, including on-site operational reviews.

Yeah!  That’ll do it!

Current Affairs, Federal Policy, National Security, Opinions

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Recently there has been some press regarding the security of the new Electronic Passport that employs an embedded RFID chip.  A few weeks ago at the Blackhat Hackers Convention in Las Vegas, the e-passport chip was cloned.  Cloning does not enable the cloner to change information on the chip though, we are assured by the State Department. 

An issue not widely discussed is the possibility of the information on your RF chip to be read by a mischievious person, or worse, a terrorist on the prowl for American tourists…[discussion below]

From the Homeland Security Daily Newswire: When the U.S. government announced that the new e-Passports would use RFID technology, privacy activists began worrying that the personal data contained within would be vulnerable to unauthorized reading, or "skimming" (also known as digital pick-pocketing). A skimming hacker may walk about an airport lounge with an RFID reader in his hand, picking off personal information from an RFID-enabled e-Passport.

New passport holder claims to block unwanted RFID signals

Related articles:

First Look: Paraben’s StrongHold Passport Holder

Infineon supplies RFID chips for US passports

Blackhat 2006: Explosive risks in RFID-enabled passports?

"Faraday caged apparel" - RFID-blocking wallets introduced

Also: First Look: Paraben’s anti-RFID Passport StrongHold bag

Read more about this new change to the passport system and RFID technology:

• Wired News: Feds Rethinking RFID Passport
• RFID Passport Cracked
• Blackjacking and RFID passport exploits star at DEF CON

Imagine that you’re walking through a European airport.  You are dressed unassumingly.  Nothing in your outward appearance or attire would flag you as an American tourist.  But you are carrying (unshielded) one of the new e-passports issued by the United States that has an embedded RFID chip.  On the chip is alot of information, including that you are an American…or simply a foreign tourist.

Blackhat 2006: Explosive risks in RFID-enabled passports?
Security experts speaking today at Blackhat 2006 warned about potential vulnerabilities in RFID-enabled passports. Criminals can identify very specific passports from several meters away - which creates a whole new threat: Security firm Flexilis claims that terrorists could build explosives that would detonate in the proximity of certain passports…

…shielding does not fully protect passport against remote scans…a medium powered scanner could detect a partially opened passport from four to six inches away. The theoretical maximum detection range is more than 10 feet, but…that would require a "huge amount of power…"[and it continues].

Unintended consequences?

Disclosure: I am currently passportless.

Current Affairs, Federal Policy, National Security, Opinions

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