The Latest from National Terror Alert Response Center

Is the Economic Crisis a Security Threat Posted: 01 Mar 2009 11:41 PM PST Could the deepening global recession boost the flagging efforts of Osama bin Laden to challenge the established global order? Probably not. But the signs are there that, as President Barack Obama’s intelligence chief Admiral Dennis Blair warned last week, the economic crisis may be the source of the primary threat to global security right now. Security experts note that the economic downturn is already creating social unrest and political instability in some strategic hot spots around the world, and they warn that a prolonged slump could undermine U.S. and Western security interests. Related Stories Blair, addressing the Senate Intelligence Committee on Feb. 12, prioritized the global recession as America’s “primary near-term security concern” and warned that the threat level would increase as the slump endures. “The longer it takes for the recovery to begin, the greater the likelihood of serious damage to U.S. strategic interests,” Blair warned, emphasizing the danger of political instability in countries allied with Washington. “Economic crises increase the risk of regime-threatening instability if they persist over a one-to-two-year period.” (See pictures of the global food crisis.) Part of the strategic challenge posed by the downturn lies in the realm of the economy itself. Emerging powers such as China or India could take the opportunity presented by U.S. economic weakness to extend their own influence in regions traditionally dominated by the U.S. China, in particular, has already established itself as a major player in Latin America and Africa, and it is investing heavily in extractive industries across the globe right now, procuring energy supplies — most recently in new oil deals inked with Russia, Venezuela and Brazil — and other natural resources for its industrial economy. Read Full Article - TIME. This story comes to us via Homeland Security - National Terror Alert. National Terror Alert is America's trusted source for homeland security news and information. Share this post

Company Discovers Marine One Security Breach Posted: 01 Mar 2009 10:57 PM PST A Pennsylvania company that monitors peer-to-peer file-sharing networks discovered a potentially serious security breach involving President Obama’s helicopter, Marine One, NBC affiliate WPXI in Pittsburgh reported. Sensitive information about Marine One was reportedly found by Tiversa employees at an IP address in Tehran. Tiversa CEO Bob Boback said a defense contractor in Bethesda, Md., had a file sharing program on one of their systems that contained highly sensitive blueprints for Marine One and financial information about the cost of the helicopter. “We found a file containing entire blueprints and avionics package for Marine One,” Boback said. Boback said the issue most likely stemmed from someone downloading the file-sharing program without realizing the problems that could result. “When downloading one of these file-sharing programs, you are effectively allowing others around the world to access your hard drive,” Boback told WPXI. via Source This story comes to us via Homeland Security - National Terror Alert. National Terror Alert is America's trusted source for homeland security news and information. Share this post

Homeland Security Response Network Launches Today Posted: 01 Mar 2009 10:51 PM PST The Homeland Security Response Network will launch today as part of our “Prepared Communities” Initiative. This network was created to promote emergency preparedness through awareness, education, community involvement and partnerships between individuals, groups and organizations. Although the site has not yet launched, registration is open and nearly 1000 people have already registered. We look forward to working with each of you and your groups as we begin building a vibrant, prepared online community. Register today! Details wil be released via a Press Release later this week. Visit The Homeland Security Response Network This story comes to us via Homeland Security - National Terror Alert. National Terror Alert is America's trusted source for homeland security news and information. Share this post

U.S. Says Iran Has Enough Material for Nuclear Bomb Posted: 01 Mar 2009 10:45 PM PST The United States now believes that Iran has amassed enough uranium that with further purification could be used to build an atomic bomb, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff declared Sunday. The statement by the chairman, Adm. Mike Mullen, went further than previous, official judgments of the Iranian nuclear threat, and it essentially confirmed a new report by the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency, which found that Iran had enough nuclear material for a bomb. “We think they do, quite frankly,” Admiral Mullen said on “State of the Union” on CNN. “And Iran having a nuclear weapon, I’ve believed for a long time, is a very, very bad outcome for the region and for the world.” The International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations agency, reported on Feb. 19 that its inspectors had found that Iran had understated by a third how much uranium it had enriched. In its study, the agency declared for the first time that the amount of low-enriched uranium that Tehran had stockpiled, estimated at more than a ton, was sufficient to make an atomic bomb, but only with added purification. Source This story comes to us via Homeland Security - National Terror Alert. National Terror Alert is America's trusted source for homeland security news and information. Share this post

Homeland Security Seeks Next Generation REAL ID Posted: 01 Mar 2009 10:41 PM PST Privacy advocates are issuing warnings about a new radio chip plan that ultimately could provide electronic identification for every adult in the U.S. and allow agents to compile attendance lists at anti-government rallies simply by walking through the assembly. The proposal, which has earned the support of Janet Napolitano, the newly chosen chief of the Department of Homeland Security, would embed radio chips in driver’s licenses, or “enhanced driver’s licenses.” “Enhanced driver’s licenses give confidence that the person holding the card is the person who is supposed to be holding the card, and it’s less elaborate than REAL ID,” Napolitano said in a Washington Times report. REAL ID is a plan for a federal identification system standardized across the nation that so alarmed governors many states have adopted formal plans to oppose it. However, a privacy advocate today told WND that the EDLs are many times worse. Read More - WND This story comes to us via Homeland Security - National Terror Alert. National Terror Alert is America's trusted source for homeland security news and information. Share this post

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