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The sharing of intelligence and law enforcement information is a central part of U.S. domestic security efforts, yet there are concerns about the effectiveness of information-sharing and fusion activities and their value relative to the public funds invested in them. This report lays out the challenges of evaluating information-sharing efforts that seek to achieve multiple goals simultaneously; reviews past evaluations of information-sharing programs; and lays out a path to improving the evaluation of such efforts.
Risk, Threats and the New Normal explains the new political and technological developments that created new domestic national security threats against the nation and the people of the United States. The book traces the development of and competition between national preparedness (focused on people and property), and civil defense / security (focused on the defense of systems and infrastructure) since the latter days of World War I. Extensive policy research demonstrates a shift in federal (and hence state and local) focus over the last decade from WMD based Threats at the National Security Level (TNSL) back to more traditional hazards and disasters. A framework is offered to analyze and evaluate TNSL dangers to national power; it is applied to a case study involving a nuclear attack. Recommendations are offered to mitigate or prevent the potentially catastrophic aftermath. In Vol 3 this analysis will be extended to other TNSL events (chemical, biological, radiological, etc.) and the actors who must prepare for them.
American Muslims have played an important role in helping to counter violent extremism (CVE) and support for al-Qa'ida, and are increasingly using the Internet and social media to these ends. Discussions with a number of Muslim leaders active in social media suggest that it is possible to expand such efforts even further, and doing so is a major objective of the August 2011 White House strategy to counter violent extremism. RAND researchers reviewed literature and interviewed American Muslims experienced in social media to understand and explain key challenges facing Muslim activists against extremism, and to identify ways in which the public and private sector can help empower CVE voices online. Their recommendations include reducing the national security focus of CVE where possible: addressing sources of mistrust within the Muslim community, focusing engagement and education on those influential in social media, and enhancing both government and private-sector funding and engagement
Department of Defense (DoD) installations rely on the commercial electricity grid for 99 percent of their electricity needs, but extensive energy delivery outages in 2012 have reinforced that the U.S. electricity grid is vulnerable to disruptions from natural hazards and actor-induced outages, such as physical or cyber attacks. In the event of a catastrophic disaster--such as a severe hurricane, massive earthquake, or large-scale terrorist attack--DoD installations would also serve as a base for emergency services. To enhance energy security, DoD has identified diversifying energy sources and increasing efficiency in DoD operations as critical goals. But how to enhance energy security across...
Presents recent recommendations from various commissions and think tanks regarding U.S. homeland security policy.
Reviews a RAND workshop (Dec. 2002) on challenges faced by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the agency's potential response to increased national and homeland security needs for drugs and vaccines.
More than $3 billion is spent annually on homeland security. New threats and vulnerabilities are identified on virtually a daily basis. The McGraw-Hill Homeland Security Handbook provides first responders, security professionals, and students with a fundamental and definitive overview of critical homeland security issues. This first all-in-one reference features review and assessment of myriad homeland security risks, along with insights, strategies, and practical advice for working successfully in the new threat environment. A team of more than 70 experts supplies chapters covering terrorist tactics, intra-government coordination of information, behavioral pattern recognition, aviation and maritime passenger and cargo security, new rules for securing cyberspace, roles of media and private individuals, and more.
Understanding why terrorist attacks succeed and fail is important for homeland security and counterterrorism planning. In examining past terrorist attacks, this understanding is necessary to discern why attackers sometimes are very successful and why sometimes even reasonably well-planned operations fall apart. Discerning ways to make attacks less likely to succeed is a central goal of efforts ranging from homeland security technology development to the direct military engagement of terrorist groups. This paper argues that the past success or failure of a terrorist operation-- or the likelihood that a future attack will succeed-- can be best understood by thinking about the match or mismatch between three key sets of characteristics: terrorist group capabilities and resources, the requirements of the operation it attempted or is planning to attempt, and the relevance and reliability of security countermeasures.