CHDS State/Local / Our national security and prosperity depend in part on secure and competitive ports. Effective public and private sector collaboration is needed in a world with myriad security challenges and fierce global competition. Although steps have been taken in the years since 9/11 to realize these twin goals, much more needs to be done. The current maritime domain awareness (MDA) paradigm needs to be expanded to provide comprehensive awareness of intermodal operations in our ports. An effective Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) program that succeeds in leveraging intermodal data is fundamental to better port-level MDA. Developing effective port level MDA and using it to enhance the security of our ports relies on the effective organization of public and private sector resources. The joint operations centers called for in the SAFE Port Act, once broadened to include key intermodal players, provide an excellent organizational model to pursue enhanced port security. / Comptroller, U.S. Coast Guard (USCG)

CHDS State/Local / Many states currently do not have an intelligence fusion center, and therefore, their ability to prevent and deter a terrorist attack is limited by the lack of information sharing. Wisconsin in addition to many states lacks a central hub for information exchange and currently has no system in place that allows the variety of technologies to gain access to a common database to gather and/or exchange information. The vast majority of public safety agencies currently operate their own systems that are incapable of exchanging information. The inability to exchange and/or access information in user-friendly format has inhibited many state and local efforts to keep its citizens safe from the possibility of a terrorist attack. The ultimate goal is to provide a mechanism where law enforcement , public safety and private sector partners can come together with a common purpose and improve the ability to safeguard our homeland and prevent criminal activity. Terrorism Early Warning Systems (TEW's) embody the core of collaboration and are an effective tool to maximize available resources and build trusted relationships. The fusion process should be organized and coordinated on a statewide level between the major Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) areas and the statewide fusion center concept. / Wisconsin Office of Justice

CHDS State/Local / As the threat of domestic terrorism increases and the demands on Emergency Responders and the public intensify, a more distributed, efficient, and flexible training and collaboration model is needed to guide future efforts. The current blended learning strategy unintentionally limits collaboration. As learners move away from interactive learning to more static based solutions, continuing education and collaboration is severely limited. This research investigates the potential impact of Homeland Security Communities of Learning on information sharing, training costs, and innovation. This study reviewed current efforts in Internet-based interactive learning through an analysis of Networked Based Learning. A futures forecast was conducted identifying trends and events that may influence the future of Communities of Learning. The research findings support the creation of Homeland Security Communities of Learning that are designed to include collaborative technologies such that information sharing leads to enhanced capabilities and innovation. A strong correlation (r=.798) was attributed to the degree to which Networked Based Learning contributed to knowledge accumulation. The study presents a strategic plan, implementation framework, and Community of Learning pilot. The pilot includes previously excluded participants from non-Emergency Responder public and private stakeholders. Additionally the pilot identifies a significant cost savings with Communities of Learning. / Deputy Chief, Sacramento Police Department

CHDS State/Local / The Citizen Corps (CC) is the primary Department of Homeland Security vehicle for achieving civilian preparedness. CC volunteers are included in the National Preparedness System (NPS) through various sponsoring agencies who determine the roles and functions of the volunteers within their organization. However, not defining the CC as an independent support function within the NPS makes it difficult to isolate data for the purpose of creating Target Capabilities Lists, measuring performance, and including volunteers in operations plans. This thesis posits that to achieve adequate civilian preparedness, the CC's roles and functions need to be restructured to align with the certification systems of the professional emergency response disciplines. CC certifications will also bridge gaps in the response continuum. The CC reorganization will modularize and isolate roles and functions for the purpose of strategic planning, measuring performance levels, serving as a predeployment civilian response, typing, credentialing, and pre-registering as an independent resource capability (which will be essential in planning for a pandemic and surge capacity needs). For planning purposes, and to add visual clarity to the CC roles and functions, the CC should be positioned as an independent Emergency Response Function within the National Response Plan.

CHDS State/Local / The problem confronting The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Defense (DoD), and Americaâ s private sector is how to collectively protect the nationâ s critical infrastructure. The challenge for the DHS is in motivating partnerships across the public, private, and DoD domains, each with different organizational and cultural objectives governed under a federalist system. The relevance of this problem lies in the vulnerability of Americaâ s economic and military foundations to terrorist attacks or a catastrophic natural disaster. Research conducted of the regulated energy and water industries indicates federal standards can be effectively established across the public-private domains. The establishment of federal tax and insurance incentives, limiting corporate liability, and developing industry standards may motivate increased security and circumvent excessive federal mandates. The conduct of partnering is scrutinized via personal interviews to determine if the recommendation to build security partnerships with federal guidance is sufficient to secure critical infrastructure. The implementation of a dual-purpose strategy is recommended to further enhance the efficiency of security partnerships. This thesis suggests the DHS must develop an innovative CIP policy and utilize the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP) as the vehicle to integrate and synchronize the actions of all security partners. / Major, Alaskan Command (ALCOM)

CHDS State/Local / First responders have struggled to incorporate strategic direction provided by the federal government into their existing plans. An urgent call for teamwork and cooperation has changed the landscape for America's first responders. They have been required to shoulder new responsibilities and become more networked and interactive with their peer disciplines to achieve higher levels of performance and response capability. This thesis examines interactions among four key homeland security disciplines in the Seattle, Washington urban area. It evaluates how fire service, law enforcement, emergency management, and public health organizations have used federal government guidance and programs to prepare for catastrophic terrorism response. Specifically, it describes how the homeland security roles, organizational cultures, and collaboration challenges currently facing local public safety agencies have impacted the urban area environment. Based on findings from local and national inquiries, it explains how the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and the National Planning Scenarios (NPS) have impacted interagency collaboration. This study provides a detailed description of the homeland security environment from the inside by identifying challenges facing first responders and the strengths and gaps in their relationships. Finally, it offers positive policy recommendations to Seattle area public safety executives for increasing interagency cooperation in the urban area. / Captain, Seattle Fire Department

CHDS State/Local / Shortly after September 11, 2001, our nation's law enforcement community found itself ill prepared to handle the range of responsibilities required in a nation under the threat of terrorism. Police organizations hastily assigned resources to help mitigate areas hit hard by the attack while dispersing investigative capital to prevent future strikes. A stark realization would follow, exposing the demands of coping with counter-terrorism while balancing finite resources aimed at traditional crime fighting. These added challenges underscored the notion that American policing had entered a new era - Homeland Security. This thesis evaluates the options state police organizations have for adopting an appropriate style of policing for Homeland Security. A case study of the New Jersey State Police (NJSP) response to this challenge further examines how such organizations can transform their structures and processes to bolster their intelligence apparatus. The NJSP objective was to confront the challenges of Homeland Security while better equipping the organization to respond to its traditional investigative responsibilities. Using the example of the NJSP, the study provides a realistic set of solutions for other state police organizations to implement when setting their own course in the Homeland Security Era. / Detective Sergeant (DSG), New Jersey State Police

CHDS State/Local / Dependence upon the National Guard for civil support during major domestic incidents is an integral part of homeland security planning. This dependence is well-founded in a review of the Guardâ s historic roles in homeland security, but national and world conditions are quite different today from what they were when the Guard first took on this role. These differences may be creating a drain on its capabilities that is untenable on a long-term basis. Continuing use of the National Guard for homeland securityâ at least at its present levelâ may seriously endanger homeland defense. From the perspective of civil authorities, continuing dependence upon a questionable resource may prove devastating. This report considers the mutual impact of homeland defense and security roles on the National Guard, and how these conflicting responsibilities may be decreasing its ability to support civil authorities. It provides a view of one very possible future that will present significant problems for emergency planners. / Captain, Contra Costa (CA) Office of the Sheriff (Ret.)

CHDS State/Local / The author of this thesis asserts that the unique nature of the modern threat environment removes all justifiable options for the providers and users of threat information to operate at arm's length from one another. If the two communities are not integrated to the point that collaboration can proceed unhindered, the flow of information between them will likely be sluggish, unidirectional and largely irrelevant. Collaboration involves more than just the flow of new information, however. It requires the exchanging of ideas, the challenging of assumptions and biases, and leads to the formation of a networked environment that is needed to defeat our networked adversaries. An organization that fails to accomplish this level of integration and collaboration runs the risk of finding itself preparing for yesterday's attack, and failing to prevent, prepare for or adequately respond to tomorrow's threat. The 9/11 Commission's synthesized protocol for scenario development and intelligence tasking is presented as a means of fixing this problem. / Lead - Safeguards and Security Team, National Nuclear Security Administration, US Department of Energy

CHDS State/Local / The need for domestic intelligence and information sharing to detect indications and warnings of terrorist acts and prevent them has raised privacy and civil liberties concerns. The relationship between national security and privacy and civil liberties is often modeled as a scale with security on one end and privacy and civil liberties on the other. Success is said to be achieved when security and privacy are balanced. This model forces these values to be traded in a zero-sum game. A new model that decreases the "cost" to privacy and increases the "value" to security is needed. Technological, policy and organizational innovation hold promise in designing new intelligence and information-sharing architectures capable of detecting indications and warnings of terrorism and protecting the privacy and civil liberties of Americans. Using government documents that articulate attributes for a terrorism early warning system and widely accepted privacy principles as design requirements, the thesis examines technologies that could meet the challenges of both security and privacy. Designing and building a system that supports both security and privacy will benefit both. The thesis argues, this system will enable the Nation to fight terrorism while upholding the liberties that form the core values of the American people. / Captain (Capt), US Northern Command (Northcom) - NORAD J5