Homeland Security News

via Business Wire - StreetLab Mobile is the next generation, point-and-shoot handheld unknown substance identification system developed by GE Security, Inc. Using Raman Spectroscopy for data capture and analysis, StreetLab Mobile consumes little or no substance sample and makes it easy for the operator to understand and share results. The handheld unit uses extended-range wireless technology to allow first responders to quickly deliver accurate results from the field to tactical commanders at remote command centers. The Raman Spectroscopy-based device’s chemical substance identification capability is expected to be complemented soon by the addition of biological substance identification capability. The biological identification upgrade is expected to make StreetLab Mobile the first combined chem-bio detector.

StreetLab Mobile is presently capable of identifying more than one thousand potentially dangerous chemicals, including toxic industrial substances such as formaldehyde and liquid and solid explosives, as well as the chemical components of common explosives. It can also identify chemicals such as Cresol and Benzene, exposure to which can have serious health consequences. It is expected that StreetLab Mobile will be able to recognize many biological substances when the bio component becomes available.

Utilizing Raman Spectroscopy, StreetLab Mobile identifies substances based on their molecular structure. Raman technology works by analyzing the interactions of light with the sample’s chemical bonds, allowing a sample to be analyzed without being consumed or destroyed in most cases.

Demand for security equipment and services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is forecast to reach cumulative 115 billion in 2008 - 2018. Advances will be supported by the ongoing need to detect, analyze, react and mitigate numerous threats facing Saudi Arabian establishment. The growing interest in RFID and biometrics will also benefit demand for ID management services. Ongoing concern over smuggling nuclear devices will aid implementation of next generation scanning machines in Saudi airports and seaports. These and other trends, including market segments and company profiles, are presented in Saudi Arabia Homeland Security Market Outlook - 2009-2018, a new study from Homeland Security Research Corporation, a Washington-based defence and security industry research firm.

Related Links:
Multiple Factors Ensure Robust Saudi Defense Market
Middle East Map
Saudi Oil Industry Security Market

LaserCard Corporation, a provider of secure ID solutions, announced an additional order of $2.9 million to supply secure identity cards for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s national ID program. Read more…

Since September 11 international Islamic terrorism has become the primary threat to security of the West, particularly the United States. The mass media, in general, have treated the phenomenon mainly focusing on the emotional and spectacular side or focusing their attention on the issue of religious conflict. [Read more →]

Below are excerpts from testimony of Dr. Jim Walsh, Research Associate , Massachusetts Institute of Technology, at the hearing of the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. [Read more →]

Emergency management and disaster recovery prove to become growing sectors in the recession prone U.S. economy. According to FEMA data and private sector sources the emergency management industry will employ 1.6 mln people and spend $65 Bln on wages alone by year 2012. There are many emergency services involved in handling an emergency. The planning phase starts at formulating contingency plans, where the agencies decide on how they will act in a given emergency. Response phase includes execution of contingency plans with some elements of improvisation, due to inevitable gaps between planning and reality. Recovery after the incident and mitigation involve assistance to the people to overcome mental and physical traumas as well as minimizing damage. All these efforts require an army of professionals in “standby” mode.

While spending billions on disaster management is a heavy burden even for healthy economies, lessons of Louisiana, Thailand and, more recently, Myanmar demonstrate that lack of preparedness costs even more dearly.

These are results of homeland security / defense industry survey conducted by Homeland Security Research Corporation:

Here is the answer.

ICx Technologies (NASDAQ: ICXT), a developer of advanced sensor technologies for homeland security and force protection, has been awarded a contract from the U.S. military. The contract is for $4.8 million to supply Fido explosives detectors and training services.

Source: Fido Specification

The Fido explosives detector is based on a technology called amplifying fluorescence polymer (AFP) and designed for operation in either handheld, desktop or robot-mounted implementations, and has recently been tested to detect IED (Improvised Explosive Devices) in Iraq and Afghanistan. Fido has been twice awarded the U.S. Army Top Invention of the Year. One of the Fido customized configurations has been tested in Afghanistan to detect opiates.

In addition to hardware, ICx is supposed to provide training services for troops and law enforcement personnel.

Department of Homeland Security is testing buoy sensor grid technology as a part of its Small Vessel Security Program. The buoys are connected into grid with nodes 20 miles apart from each other and anchored within 200 miles offshore. The “sonobuoys” detect signals made by vessels and passes information to the basestation. Information is analyzed and, if further action is necessary, transmitted to the Coast Guard or law enforcement agencies.

The buoy sensors analyze acoustic signatures to pick up suspicious patterns. So far two companies got contracts to develop buoy grids - Advanced Acoustic Concepts (AAC) and LewTech Company. The target price tag per sensor-quipped buoy is $15,000.

According to a report of Committee on National Security DHS faces a number of unresolved employment issues, among them inability to fill about a quarter of top Department managerial positions.

This security delinquency directly impairs our homeland security and our emergency preparedness.

Source:
CRITICAL LEADERSHIP VACANCIES IMPEDE U.S. DEPT. OF HOMELAND SECURITY, Committee on National Security, July 2007