| From The Editor November 20, 2006 |
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| QUOTE OF THE WEEK |
| Men love their country, not because it is great, but because it is their own. James Garfield |
| PROFESSIONAL ARTICLES, EDITORIALS AND OPINIONS |
As the Baker-Hamilton commission deliberates recommendations for Iraq, it faces a tremendous opportunity and responsibility. The opportunity is to help generate for the president and Congress a bipartisan way forward. The responsibility is to make the hard choices that are required to turn our Iraq policy around. If it fails to make those choices, its efforts will be in vain. |
| BREAKING NEWS FOR THE PROFESSIONAL |
Democrats Still Face Hurdles In Enacting 9/11 Panel's IdeasDemocratic leaders preparing to take control of Congress have vowed to push through a host of reforms recommended two years ago by the Sept. 11 commission, such as better port security and improved radio communications for first responders, but many of the most controversial changes are likely to face obstacles even with Capitol Hill in Democratic hands, according to experts and legislative aides. Presumptive House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has made implementing the commission's recommendations one of the centerpieces of her "first 100 hours" legislative agenda, with particular focus on requiring radiation scans of all cargo that arrives by sea.Full Story Al-Qaida plotting nuclear attack on UK, officials warnBritish intelligence officials believe that al-Qaida is determined to attack the UK with a nuclear weapon, it emerged yesterday. The announcement, from an officially organised Foreign Office counter-terrorism briefing for the media, was the latest in a series of bleak assessments by senior officials and ministers about the terrorist threat facing Britain. UK officials have detected "an awful lot of chatter" on jihadi websites expressing the desire to acquire chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear weapons.Full Story Dem Congress may scrap border fenceThe incoming U.S. Congress will review the law mandating 700 miles of fence along the U.S.-Mexico border, and may seek to scrap the plan altogether. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., told reporters this week that he expected to "re-visit" the issue when he becomes chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee in the 110th Congress, which has a Democratic Party majority. He said that the high technology Secure Border Initiative, or SBI Net -- essentially a set of monitors, cameras and other integrated surveillance systems to monitor the border -- was a viable alternative.Full Story Terrorists using comedy websites to lure recruitsTerrorists who have long embraced the internet for propaganda and planning have begun to post comedy and Top 10 lists to draw in young recruits, experts say. Bouchaib Silm, a researcher with the terrorism department at Singapore's Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, said websites are becoming more modern in design, incorporating content designed to hook a younger generation of sympathisers and potential recruits.Full Story Hunt still on in Iraq for abducted contractorsCoalition and Iraqi troops in southeastern Iraq continued their hunt Friday night for five Western security contractors abducted the day before. The five included four Americans and an Austrian, all employees of Crescent Security Corp. operating over the southeastern border in Kuwait. The Iraqi Interior Ministry said earlier Friday that police had rescued two Americans from a house but later retracted the statement. (Read full story about abducted man from Minnesota) A strike operation was conducted Friday by multinational forces in the Safwan area, where the kidnappings took place, the U.S. military said.Full Story |
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TO FILL OUT AN APPLICATION AND SUBMIT YOUR RESUME AND DD-214 CLICK HERE Questions regarding Security Consulting or Training at Blackwater (252) 435-2488 |
| SECURITY FOR THE PROFESSIONAL |
Man with nuclear data, cash arrested at Detroit airportFederal agents continue to investigate a Dallas man arrested at a Detroit airport Tuesday after arriving on a flight from Amsterdam with nearly $79,000 in cash and a laptop computer that, according to court papers, contained information about nuclear materials and cyanide. Sisayehiticha Dinssa will appear for a detention hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge R. Steven Whalen at 1 p.m. Monday. He is charged with illegally concealing more than $10,000 in his luggage and with smuggling bulk cash into the USA. If convicted, Dinssa could be sentenced to five years in prison on each charge.Full Story FBI raises terror alarm about South Pacific flying schoolU.S. authorities have raised an alarm over a plan by a German citizen - linked to the Sept. 11 terror attacks - to build a flying school in a remote South Pacific island nation, a news report said Wednesday. Wolfgang Bohringer has been linked to Mohamed Atta, the lead hijacker in the attacks on New York and Washington in 2001. The German arrived by yacht in Kiribati a year ago with plans to build a flying school, but has since left the far-flung archipelago, Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio reported. The island where the school was planned was among the country's closest to the U.S. island state of Hawaii, the report said.Full Story Al Qaida 'challenges US interests'Al Qaida is reinvigorating its operations from havens on the Afghan-Pakistani border, American intelligence officials said. It poses a growing challenge to US interests in both Iraq and Afghanistan, the officials said. Five years after the September 11 attacks and the fall of Taliban rule in Afghanistan, the network led by Osama Bin Laden has replaced leaders killed or captured by the United States and its allies with new seasoned militants.Full Story Terrorists plotting new attacks: US intel chiefThe top US intelligence official warned business leaders not to become complacent about terrorism, saying Washington's enemies were actively plotting new attacks. "I'm here to tell you there are people plotting against the security and the safety of this country as we speak," John Negroponte, the director of national intelligence, told a meeting of 1,000 corporate executives at the State Department. "We should not be complacent about that," said Negroponte, who became President George W. Bush's first director of national intelligence last year. The absence of a major terrorist incident involving the United States since the September 11, 2001, Al-Qaeda attacks on New York and Washington risked undermining public concern over the threat of terrorism, he said.Full Story Al-Jazeera English hits airwavesSpanning the globe with high-definition broadcast centres in Washington, London, Kuala Lumpur and Doha, Qatar, al-Jazeera English is finally set to launch today, taking CNN and the BBC head-on. It's the new English-language offspring of the Arabic news network, which has itself been prominently in the news, with American groups such as the Accuracy in the Media calling it "terror television" while, according to al-Jazeera, it has been referred to by some Arab critics as part of an "American conspiracy" to tear "apart the Arab ranks." Yet with today's intense media interest in al-Jazeera English and the unflagging fortunes of the emir of Qatar reportedly pumping tens of millions of dollars into the operation, it's all a world away for most Canadians, since major Canadian cable companies are not expected to pick up the network any time soon.Full Story |
| TRAINING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL |
Responder Knowledge BaseThe administrative details of emergency response are taxing on our nation's law enforcement, firefighter, and EMS personnel. Time is lost mulling over the details of responder equipment, government grants, recommended training, etc. ....The Responder Knowledge Base (RKB) was created to help relieve this logistical burden. Funded by the Department of Homeland security through the National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism, the mission of this free service is "To provide Emergency Responders, purchasers, and planners with a trusted, integrated, on-line source of information on products, standards, certifications, grants, and other equipment-related information." In collaboration with the InterAgency Board (IAB) and subject matter experts, the RKB has established an online "first-stop" for responders, collating information from sources once scattered though numerous cumbersome databases. Content includes the DHS Authorized Equipment List, the IAB Standardized Equipment List, nearly 4,000 products, operational suitability testing for hundreds of products, the results of the DHS radiation detector testing, a decontamination efficacy matrix, Lessons Learned and Information Sharing documents, Homeland Security Grant Program information, responder training, and more. The ability to "Ask an Expert" on the RKB provides responders with a reliable resource for all responder-related questions. Additionally, the ability of RKB users to provide offline "User Opinions" helps further increase the utility of the RKB. With its vast content and sophisticated integration scheme, the RKB succeeds in helping responders answer all their equipment related needs. Please register with the RKB at www.rkb.mipt.org View the IAB website at www.iab.gov |
| FRANKS REVIEW |
Service Equipment ReviewCenter of Mass KydexI had opportunity last fall to be in the company of a whole collection of contemporary warriors. Inevitably, somewhere among such a group, are a few who have come up with their own kit. This was no exception. I found myself looking at a holster, magazine pouch, cell phone pouch and multi-tool pouch, obviously made of kydex, but in gray and of a design I'd never seen before. The guy wearing it was someone whose opinion I value so the fact that he was wearing it meant I felt I should check it out. All of the items had been made by Rick Palmer, owner / operator of Center of Mass Tactical (C.O.M.). A couple months ago - after having followed up with him - I received my own set: holster, two magazine pouches and a multi-tool pouch. My cell phone wasn't on his list of available models. This week's review is of this kydex equipment from C.O.M..Full Story Can Be Viewed At: http://www.borelliconsulting.com/evals/holsters+/comkydex.htm Recreational Equipment ReviewStart Hiking SafelyI can see a few people scratching their heads already. Start hiking safely? How hard can this be, right? You just don't fall down and hiking is a nice safe activity to participate in. That said, hiking interesting trails with grand views often requires us to visit more out of the way places that have fewer resources for emergencies that might occur. Therefore, as we start hiking such trails to enjoy grand views, we have to properly prepare ourselves to deal with unforeseen emergencies. This week's Recreational Review is about planning, preparing and enjoying such hikes in places we'd all enjoy.
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The Blackwater Tactical Weekly is a free weekly e-publication. The BTW provides readers valuable information from diverse sources regarding tactical and strategic security issues. Editor-in-Chief – Gary Jackson (btw@blackwaterusa.com) Questions regarding Security Consulting or Training
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