The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released the “National Mitigation Investment Strategy: Mitigation Framework Leadership Group” report, which focuses on the role of the Mitigation Framework Leadership Group (MitFLG) in achieving the mitigation core capabilities of the National Mitigation Framework. The MitFLG is responsible for coordinating the implementation of...
The United States (U.S.) has a strong interest in assisting its neighbors in matters of national security. By offering resources to improve/preserve the safety of citizens in bordering countries, the U.S. ideally hopes to improve their overall quality of life; thus reducing their impetus to contemplate illegal immigration into the...
On July 9, 2015, The Government Accountability Office [GAO] released a report, FEMA: Additional Planning and Data Collection Could Help Improve Workforce Management Efforts. From 2007, the GAO reviewed FEMA’s workforce and noted the difficulties that FEMA was facing. FEMA has outlined a strategy to improve GAO’s workforce by: “[1]...
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released a report to congressional requesters titled “FAA Needs to Address Weaknesses in Air Traffic Control Systems.” The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ensures the advancement, safety, and regulation of civil aviation, as well as the development of the air traffic control (ATC) system. They...
This month, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report stating that the U.S. Coast Guard and Department of Homeland Security have not yet done enough to address cybersecurity concerns in the maritime port environment. The report, addressed to the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation...
On May 21st, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released the testimony of Mark Goldstein, Director of Physical Infrastructure Team, which informed on the work of the Federal Protective Service (FPS), a component of the Department of Homeland Security. Goldstein’s remarks constitute one of four testimonies heard at the May 21,...
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released this week a report on safety policies and procedures at U.S. chemical facilities, particularly those that deal with ammonium nitrate. Following the April 2013 explosion of the ammonium nitrate fertilizer plant in West, Texas, GAO has been examining the oversight of similar facilities to...
A new report released by the Government Accountability Office on March 31st, “TSA Needs Additional Information before Procuring Next-Generation Systems” raises concerns with the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) ability to train and screen for improvized explosive devices (IEDs). Now commonplace in major U.S. airports, advanced imaging technology (AIT) with automated...
GAO (Government Accountability Office) released this week an updated report on FEMA’s efforts to effectively integrate IPAWS (Integrated Public Alert and Warning System) into the nation’s existing Emergency Alert System (EAS). Initiated in 2004, IPAWS is meant to integrate EAS participants (e.g. broadcast radio and television, cable operators, satellite radio...
The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing yesterday titled, “Exploring GAO’s High Risk List and Opportunities for Reform.” “Every two years at the start of a new Congress, GAO [Government Accountability Office] calls attention to agencies and program areas that are high risk...
