Update 12/18/2015 12pm: The House and Senate have now passed the omnibus bill, including the new version of CISA. Privacy advocates were aghast in October when the Senate passed the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act by a vote of 74 to 21, leaving intact portions of the law they say make it more amenable…
Iran: A Rising Cyber-Power?
“A Brown Water Navy” Through a series of attacks over the last three years, Iran has revealed a limited offensive cyber capability but a willingness to use it to meet its geopolitical goals. In testimony calling out Iran for attacks on Sands Casinos, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper put Iranian cyber capability in the…
Cartel Corner #37: Drug Traffickers “Spoofing” Border Surveillance Drones
The homeland security agency, and local law enforcement as well, are looking to harden its drones against attack, but that comes at a price. The drug cartels aren’t just buying golden Uzis anymore. As the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency, or CBP, has upped its drone patrols along America’s Mexican border, narcotics traffickers have…
Thinking About War Underground
No one has done better than the great British comic illustrator Heath Robinson to illustrate the intrinsically reciprocal dynamic of military engineering in general and mining and countermining in particular. This cartoon is from a collection Heath Robinson at War I found in a rummage sale years ago–no doubt there are abundant reprints. I would guess,…
Military History: 6 Rare Facts about the Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a Hail Mary pass by a führer who was quickly running out of options. Hitler desperately needed a decisive victory on either his Western or Eastern front. Remembering his series of victories after sneaking through the Ardennes forest in 1940, he went for a repeat in 1944. On Dec. 16,…
DHS Official Gets Berated by South Carolina Rep Trey Gowdy about Constitutional Rights
Entertaining bit of Government Theater here. Entertaining because this supposedly EDUCATED DHS official has no ideal what Gowdy is talking about in relation to the Constitution..makes you wonder how many more “Government Employees” are ignorant of the Constitution, from the way things have been going lately, My guess is a bunch.SF
Peering into the Past and Future of Urban Warfare in Israel
I traveled recently to Israel to visit a state-of-the-art military training facility in the southern Negev Desert opened by the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) last year. The facility, at the Tze’elim army base, is meant to simulate urban operations of the kind the Israelis have so often faced in their conflicts with Palestinian and Lebanese…
Holiday Travel Tips: Concerns over Active Shooter Threats at Airports
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, critical infrastructure and key resources are the backbone of our nation’s economy, security, and health. One key component of critical infrastructure is the security of our nation’s airports from mass casualty incidents such as an active shooter scenario. With over 450 commercial airports, in addition to the…
Forged ISIS Video Praises Obama’s Backing
Is is Real or is it Memorex Folks?? An apparently forged ISIS video disseminated online Monday praised President Obama and called for joint U.S. action with the terrorist group against Russian intervention in Syria. The five-minute video also called for designating Obama as the caliph, or ruler, of ISIS. ISIS supporters on Twitter were quick…
Crusader Corner #11: FBI Alerted after Muslims buy Large Quantities of Cell Phones
Muslims buy cellphones in large quantities in the middle of the night at a rural Walmart. The FBI was alerted, but people are worried that their concern was “racist.” Sheriff Merritt said: “You’re not being racist or anything like that you’re just protecting yourself.” Why shouldn’t people have been concerned? Cellphones have been used by…