Napolitano Says Al-Qaeda-Style Terrorists Are in U.S.
October 12, 2009 by Homeland Security NTARC News
Filed under Homeland Security News
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said terrorists with al-Qaeda leanings are in the U.S. and that the threat of attack “is always with us.”
“It is fair to say there are individuals in the United States who ascribe to al-Qaeda-type beliefs,” Napolitano said in an interview with Bloomberg Television today. “And so it makes information-sharing, it makes effective law enforcement and it makes the shared responsibility of law enforcement ever so important.”
Information-sharing between federal, state and local law- enforcement agencies is “much improved” since the Sept. 11 attacks, she said.
In September, U.S. authorities indicted Najibullah Zazi, 24, an Afghan immigrant and former Denver airport shuttle-van driver, on federal terrorism conspiracy charges. They found bomb-making instructions on a laptop computer in his rental car.
Attorney General Eric Holder said the case had connections to al-Qaeda, the terrorist group that attacked the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001.
Napolitano said she met in New York today with leaders in financial security in order to discuss ways to protect the nation’s financial system from cyber-terrorism or other attacks.
“The financial institutions of this country are part of our bedrock infrastructure,” she said. “They need to be protected. We need to be able to protect them.”
Local Partners Essential In The Fight Against Terrorism
October 6, 2009 by Homeland Security NTARC News
Filed under Featured
During the recent Homeland Security National Dialogue (QHSR), I had the opportunity to take part in two DHS round table discussions for Bloggers. During those discussions I was able to see first-hand the commitment DHS now has in reaching out to both the public and private sectors. My hope is that this commitment is extended beyond the QHSR and that the open dialogue and round tables are continued and eventually expanded to include other community leaders and stakeholders.
Today, in another show of the Department’s interest in partnerships, Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano delivered remarks at the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Conference in Denver, Colo., emphasizing her commitment to enhanced information sharing with state and local law enforcement partners to combat threats of terrorism.
“Effective information sharing is essential to our partnerships with state and local law enforcement as we work together to secure our country,” said Secretary Napolitano. “DHS will continue to strengthen fusion centers and other collaborative initiatives across the country to enhance our capabilities to combat terrorism and serious crime.”
In her remarks, Secretary Napolitano stressed the Department of Homeland Security’s role as the central conduit of information for state and local partners regarding all threats to the homeland—including terrorism, drug trafficking and border security.
She discussed the vital role of partnerships between DHS and federal, state and local law enforcement and highlighted the success of collaborative initiatives—including the Joint Terrorism Task Forces that strengthen information-sharing between federal partners and 72 fusions centers nationwide.
Secretary Napolitano also outlined the ways DHS is strengthening these partnerships—from creating a new program management office to coordinate the Department’s support of fusion centers to collaborating on the Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) initiative that trains frontline officers across the country to identify and document activities possibly linked to terrorism-related crime.
Napolitano Emphasizes Shared Responsibility for Readiness and Resilience
September 29, 2009 by national
Filed under Homeland Security News
Secretary Janet Napolitano today marked the conclusion of National Preparedness Month by delivering a speech emphasizing America’s shared responsibility for preparedness and stressing the important role that individuals play in building a national culture of readiness and resilience.
“When families are prepared—when communities stand together and stand tall—so does our nation,” said Secretary Napolitano. “United, we send a powerful message to those that seek to do us harm: we cannot be broken, we are America—strong and resilient.”
Secretary Napolitano delivered the speech at the American Red Cross Hall of Service in front of more than 300 volunteers and employees representing the Red Cross, DHS Citizen Corps, and local and regional emergency management agencies from around the National Capital Region—as well as employees of DHS and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
“America’s history is not written by the tragedies that have befallen us, but by how we responded to them,” said Secretary Napolitano. “Since our earliest days, every time we have been challenged or have seen tragedy, Americans have shown a sense of purpose and resilience.”
During her remarks, Secretary Napolitano recognized Citizen Corps and Red Cross volunteers who donate their time and energies to train others in critical readiness and emergency response skills while contributing to a culture of preparedness.
“We should measure our nation’s security not just by the borders we strengthen and the laws we enforce, but also by the strength and resilience of the communities we build,” said Secretary Napolitano.
Secretary Napolitano’s remarks on preparedness today build on previous speeches outlining her approach to counterterrorism, delivered in New York City in July, and border security, delivered in Texas in August—and reflect her commitment to ensuring readiness and resilience among all citizens.
DHS Secretary Napolitano To Give Major Preparedness Speech
September 29, 2009 by national
Filed under Homeland Security News
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano will deliver a major speech on national preparedness today at 2:00pm ET. The speech will be streamed live at www.dhs.gov.
In the speeech Secretary Napolitano will thank all of our Citizen Corps volunteers, the Ready Campaign, national partners, and the thousands of others in the National Preparedness Month Coalition for all their hard work.
She’ll also challenge our country to see preparedness as a shared responsibility, and urge Americans to build a year-round culture of readiness and resilience in our communities.
DHS Launches ‘The Blog @ Homeland Security’
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced the launch of a blog it calls The Blog @ Homeland Security.
It’s described as a new way for DHS to offer an inside-out view of what they’re doing each day to secure the nation.
The blog features a video message from Secretary Napolitano outlining the Department’s five overarching responsibilities, an invitation for visitors to comment and the latest “tweets” from @dhsjournal.
At NTARC we are excited to see the Dept. of Homeland Security moving in this direction, providing the public an opportunity to interact and share their ideas and opinions on some very important issues. Our hope is that Secretary Napolitano will also consider re-starting the Bloggers Roundtable or something of a similar nature in the near future. (please keep us in mind)
You can visit the site at The Blog @ Homeland Security
Swine Flu – First U.S. Death Is Reported
April 29, 2009 by national
Filed under National Interest
American authorities confirmed the first death outside of Mexico from swine flu on Wednesday, as the number of confirmed cases of the disease continued to rise in Europe.
President Obama, in a morning news conference, called on local authorities to be vigilant in reporting new suspected cases, and called on schools to consider closing temporarily if a confirmed case was reported among its students.
[...]
Dr. Richard Besser, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Wednesday in an interview with CNN that the first American death of the disease was a 23-month-old child in Texas. He gave no other details about the child. The death was confirmed by President Obama, who said his “thoughts and prayers” were with the child’s family.
Swine Flu – World Counting Down To Pandemic Says Top Virologist
April 27, 2009 by national
Filed under National Interest
A Chinese virologist who helped fight SARS and bird flu warned on Monday of a possible swine flu pandemic that the most populous countries in Asia, China and India, would be ill-prepared to handle.
“We are counting down to a pandemic,” said Guan Yi, a professor at the University of Hong Kong who helped trace the outbreak of SARS in 2003 to the civet cat.
“I think the spread of this virus in humans cannot possibly be contained within a short time … there are already cases in almost every region. The picture is changing every moment.”
Guan, who has been studying and tracking the spread of the H5N1 bird flu virus ever since it was discovered in people in Hong Kong in 1997, said there would be “many problems” if swine flu reached China and India, “where populations are so dense and health infrastructure is still insufficient.”
The virus, which carries swine, avian and human DNA and the designation H1N1, has already killed up to 103 people in Mexico, infected 20 in the United States and six in Canada.
There are many questions surrounding this virus, such as why it appears milder in the United States and deadlier in Mexico.
“It may seem weaker for now in the United States, but we do not know if it will get more virulent when it goes to another place as it mutates constantly,” said Guan.
Mexico Swine Flu Death Toll Rises To 103
April 27, 2009 by national
Filed under National Interest
The probable death toll from a swine flu epidemic in Mexico has reached 103 people, Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova announced.
The minister said on national television that the number of those hospitalized due to the epidemic stood at about 400.
The previous probable death toll, announced Saturday, stood at 81 confirmed and suspected swine flu fatalities.
Meanwhile, the number of cases under observation has reached 1,614, up from 1,324, according to the minister.
Swine Flu – U.S. Declares Public Health Emergency
April 26, 2009 by national
Filed under National Interest
The United States has activated an emergency plan to combat swine flu as the Obama administration announced measures Sunday to contain the sometimes deadly virus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified the strain of swine flu and is prepared to distribute a quarter of the U.S. stockpile of 50 million doses of anti-viral medications in places around the country where swine flu has been located or may be expected to spread, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said in a briefing at the White House.
Travel advisories have not been issued by the State Department, Napolitano said, nor is the United States going to screen passengers on flights arriving from Mexico. She said funds have been freed up in case a larger response is needed.
Hand-washing, mask-wearing and other measures will help prevent the spread, Napolitano said explaining how the public can help slow potential contaminations.
“If you are sick, stay home,” Napolitano said. “Take all of those reasonable measures that will help us mitigate and contain” the illness.
People who are ill should not go on airplanes, to school or other places, added Dr. Richard Besser, the acting head of the CDC.
Besser said the United States is working with the World Health Organization, Canada and Mexico as well as other organizations to reduce the spread of the virus, which appears to have originated in Mexico and has resulted in up to 81 deaths there.
Homeland Security Secretary Clarifies Canadian Border Remarks
The US Homeland Security Secretary suggests there are “instances” when suspected terrorists have attempted to enter the United States from Canada.
In a statement, Janet Napolitano said “some of these are well-known to the public such as the Millennium Bomber, while others are not due to security reasons.”
Napolitano issued the statement to reassure Canadians she knows that no 9-11 terrorists entered the US through Canada.
Napolitano said earlier this week on the CBC that terrorists routinely enter the US through Canada, including the perpetrators of the September 11th attacks.
America’s 9-11 commission concluded in the 2004 that none of those terrorists made it into the US through Canada.
Napolitano: Groups Want To Commit Domestic Terrorism
The head of homeland security said Sunday she regrets that some people took offense over a report warning that right-wing extremist groups were trying to recruit disgruntled troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
But Secretary Janet Napolitano added that “a number of groups far too numerous to mention” want to commit domestic terrorism attacks and are looking for new recruits.
She told a cable news network the warning report that went out to American law enforcement agencies was consistent with reports that were issued before.
“Here is the important point. The report is not saying that veterans are extremists. Far from it. What it is saying is returning veterans are targets of right-wing extremist groups that are trying to recruit those to commit violent acts within the country. We want to do all we can to prevent that,” she said.
