HOMELAND SECURITY
24 Mar 09. New terror strategy to be issued. Details of the UK’s updated counter-terrorism strategy are to be published, including concerns about the weapons that could fall into terrorist hands. The strategy has a new section about the risk of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons. It also says the al-Qaeda leadership is likely to fragment, but the threat from those it inspires will remain. Ministers earlier said 60,000 workers were being trained to help respond to a terror attack as part of the strategy. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said: “Terrorists will try to stay one step ahead of us. “But we’ve made sure that we’ve invested the resources, built the people – both in the police and in the agencies – and built the widest partnership necessary to give us the best chance of being able to deal with that threat.” (Source: BBC)
23 Mar 09. Infosecurity Europe Says Google Street View Poses threat To UK’s National Security. The organisers of the Infosecurity Europe, Europe’s No. 1 information security event, say that they are expecting a storm of controversy to erupt over the introduction of the Google Street View facility in the UK. “The introduction of this service in the UK, which has already attracted vociferous criticism in the US, is regarded by many as a voyeuristic intrusion of privacy. But the invasion of personal privacy is nothing compared to threat this service poses to the national security of the United Kingdom,” said Tamar Beck, Group Event Director, Infosecurity Europe. “I find it deeply disturbing that critical sites such as police stations and army facilities are accessible on the service, thus posing a serious threat to national security, since terrorists now have the electronic equivalent of a dummies’ guide to 25 of the UK’s major cities,” she added.
25 Mar 09. US to boost Mexico border defence. The US government is to increase security at the country’s border with Mexico in an attempt to combat drug cartels, the White House has announced. Immigration, customs and anti-drug agents and gun law enforcement officers will be reinforced as part of a $700m (£475m) undertaking. Barack Obama pledged his administration would do more to support Mexico in its fight against drugs cartels if needed. Some 8,000 have died in Mexico in the past two years in drug gang turf wars. The south-west US has also seen rising violence and kidnappings. (Source: BBC)
23 Mar 09. SELEX Galileo is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a $9.2M contract from TKC Aerospace, Inc. to upgrade the Customs and Border Protection C-550 Citation Tracker Aircraft with its Vixen 500E intercept radar and associated mission management system. This contract is for the first two radars and mission management systems, with options for additional systems to upgrade the remainder of the fleet. This success represents a further step into the US market for the SELEX Galileo E-Scan technology, following last year $32M contract extension for the next phase of the supply of the Seaspray 7500 E to the US Coast Guard for its HC-130 H fleet. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) operates interceptor aircraft to detect, deter and mitigate threats to the United States homeland such as terrorists, acts of terrorism, drug smuggling and other unlawful movement of people, money, and goods across U.S. borders.