By Glynn Cosker
Managing Editor, In Homeland Security
The annual Homeland Security Week conference is underway in the nation’s capital – gathering together some of the country’s top subject matter experts in fields related to national security, biometrics, intelligence, counterterrorism, border security, cybersecurity and many more industries. It’s my honor and privilege to be here in Washington, D.C. to cover this important event as one of more than 200 attendees.
Expert Speakers From Various Fields
Homeland Security Week, presented in partnership with the Institute for Defense and Government Advancement (IDGA), features a keynote speech by Tom Ridge – the first U.S. Homeland Security Secretary and former Pennsylvania Governor. Admiral Thad Allen, (23rd Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard) and Colleen Manaher (Executive Director with U.S. Customs and Border Protection) are the other keynote speakers this week. Personnel from the U.S. Army, DHS, Office of Emergency Management, FEMA, U.S. Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) and ICE are all scheduled to present at various times during the event.
Tuesday featured a focus day dedicated to improving ID scanning and biometrics. Up for discussion in various workshops were the federal law enforcement requirements for effectively capturing and quickly processing biometric data using handheld mobile devices. Other topics Tuesday included cross-spectrum face recognition using passive thermal probe imagery and enhanced information sharing tools.
Homeland Security and Nuclear Terrorism
The main conference begins Wednesday and includes a panel discussion entitled “Nuclear Terrorism Impacts and Zoned Approach to Response.” Officials from DHS, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) FEMA and the Office of Emergency Management are scheduled to address the issue. In light of today’s troubling headlines regarding ISIS-inspired homegrown terrorists, the presentation will provide information on “understanding the full severity of nuclear terrorism threats” as well as a “deep dive into DHS plans and policy for responding” to such devastating incidents.
“With recent threats from various terrorist organizations, radical factions, and lone wolves becoming more and more sophisticated, the need to ensure that our nation’s security at home and abroad are strongly monitored at all times by a multifaceted, interagency effort, is a necessity. Without superb intelligence, operational assets, and flawless unified communication across all stakeholders, the threat of a catastrophic outcome is an ever-increasing reality.” – Homeland Security Week website.
Throughout the three-day conference, more than 20 vendors will have a chance to present the tools and strategies they’re pioneering in order to support the numerous goals and missions related to homeland security. IBM, Northrup Grumman, Microsoft and Hewlett Packard are four of the featured vendors. Another is Utility which has developed a new body-cam system for law enforcement called BodyWorn:
Stay tuned to In Homeland Security as we cover Homeland Security Week in Washington, D.C.
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