Tag Archives: Department of Homeland Security

Bridging Low Tech and High Tech for Improved Disaster Preparedness

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September is National Preparedness Month. This public service campaign is run out of the Department of Homeland Security and is focused on educating citizens about the importance of preparing for disasters and emergencies that could happen at any time. The 2022 campaign has a theme of "A Lasting Legacy," urging people to "Prepare for disasters to create a lasting legacy for you and your family."

This theme of legacy also applies to how the government responds to disasters to aid communities in prevention and recovery. Increasingly, emergency managers are relying on Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, and more to model and plan for disaster response. However, when disaster hits and electricity is unavailable, high tech solutions no longer function and first responders must rely on analog methods to communicate and execute response plans. Incorporating legacy low tech solutions into a high tech world is a critical challenge for emergency preparedness organizations. Continue reading →

Strengthening Cyber Resilience With Collaboration

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Today's organizations know that stopping 100% of cyber-attacks is not a realistic goal. Rather, the focus has shifted to cyber resilience, "the ability to anticipate, withstand, recover from, and adapt to adverse conditions, stresses, attacks, or compromises on systems that use or are enabled by cyber resources."

A critical pillar in becoming resilient is communication and collaboration. The Cyber EO focused on improving the nation's cybersecurity and highlighted the need to improve collaboration with threat intelligence sharing between public and private organizations as well as the creation of cross-government cyber boards. In recent months, key strides have been made in facilitating information sharing around cyber best practices, resource availability, as well as process and policy. Continue reading →

Ensuring Equity in Disaster Response

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Equity is highlighted in priority two of the President's Management Agenda (PMA), Delivering Excellent, Equitable, and Secure Federal Services and Customer Experience, and is a theme throughout all PMA priorities. Disaster response is possibly the most critical place to ensure equity. While a disaster does level the playing field in some ways-no matter how much money you have it won't stop a tornado from hitting your house-the recovery from disasters is not as fairly distributed.

A 2021 report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that disaster response is "uneven" across the country. The research found that small towns, rural and tribal areas, and underserved and disadvantaged communities have a hard time accessing federal disaster recovery assistance programs. Those that did access funds had difficulty achieving a full recovery with structures still damaged years later. A key to solving this gap? Data. Continue reading →

Zero Trust in Government Accelerates 0-60

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Zero Trust is a logical evolution of security in a world where remote access to networks and applications is more common than being on-site with an organization's data center. From cloud applications to the explosion of remote work, the traditional "castle and moat approach" simply does not scale or protect networks that are constantly being accessed by outside users.

The Executive Order on Improving the Nation's Cybersecurity (Cyber EO) has a strong emphasis on moving government toward a Zero Trust approach for security. It laid out deadlines for agencies to submit plans for implementing Zero Trust architectures, holding organizations accountable for changing how they allow users to access their systems. Continue reading →

Innovation: How Do We Get It In a Military Bureaucracy? Video from AFCEA/USNI 2013 West

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Posted by AFCEA International

Recorded January 30, 2013
AFCEA/USNI West 2013 Conference Panel

"Innovation: How Do We Get It In a Military Bureaucracy?"
Moderated by The Honorable Jay M. Cohen, Principal, The Chertoff Group, former Under Secretary for Science and Technology, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and former Chief of Naval Research, Department of the Navy.

Panelists:

  • Mr. Matthew E. Gaston, Director, Software Engineering Institute Innovation Center
  • RADM Matthew L. Klunder, USN, Chief of Naval Research/Director, Innovation, Technology Requirements, and Test & Evaluation
  • RADM Terry B. Kraft, USN, Commander, Navy Warfare Development Command
  • MajGen Kenneth F. McKenzie, Jr., USMC, USMC Representative to the Quadrennial Defense Review

"Innovation: How Do We Get it in a Military Bureaucracy?"