Today, I am pleased to share with you the continued success we are experiencing with our National Conversation on Homeland Security Technology. Since mid-May, we’ve launched three new dialogues. I encourage you to jump in to share your insights, best practices, and thought-provoking considerations as we work together to explore how to best address these issues, their unique factors and the many interdependencies involved.
Launched on May 18, A Trusted Cyber Future: Ensuring Protection of Privacy, Commerce, and Community discusses a variety of topics relevant to protecting of our cyber ecosystem, including:
- The importance of systems assurance tools able to detect cyber vulnerabilities;
- Fine-grained software execution logging to improve accuracy and privacy of enterprise production systems;
- Language-theoretic security principles for critical information infrastructure software;
- Capturing system vulnerabilities and risk factors before they go to market; and
- Methods for real-time private access and querying of sensitive data.
In addition to activity in the S&T Collaboration Community, the DHS S&T Cyber Security Division (CSD) is busy extending the dialogue through in-person meetings designed to focus on specific issues.
Transforming Airport Borders: Ensuring Secure and Efficient Airport Border Operations, launched June 15, dives into the security and efficiency of our airport borders and examines three areas:
- The International Air Traveler of Tomorrow — what can we anticipate in regard to traveler demographics, travel trends, and use of personal smart devices?
- Emerging Trends in International Air Travel — how are security and efficiency boosted by technologies such as self-service kiosks, biometrics, and integration with smart systems/infrastructure?
- The Airport Border of the Future—how can we improve departure/arrival processes and federal inspection areas, and how should we implement risk-based programs to achieve success?
Read more about DHS S&T’s efforts in this area through its Apex Air Entry/Exit Re-engineering (AEER) program. AEER is a collaborative partnership with Customs and Border Protection to test and integrate new technologies and concepts of operation to improve the international arrivals process and ensure the integrity of our airport borders.
Our newest dialogue, Bio/Agro Security Innovation: Ensuring Protection of our Country from Foreign Animal and Emerging Diseases, involves issues related to America’s bio/agro security posture. It is intended to inform efforts of the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF), a new, state-of-the-art biosafety level (BSL) 3 & 4 facility under construction in Manhattan, Kansas. If you are a stakeholder concerned with bio/agro security, I encourage you to log in to discuss:
- How NBAF can be leveraged to help advance foreign animal disease research,
- Essential workforce needs across government and the private sector to enable collaborative work toward addressing current and emergent foreign animal disease threats, and
- How NBAF can be leveraged along with regional assets to provide One Health solutions.
Soon, our dialogue on Resilient Communities will be active. Have a topic you’d like to suggest? If so, send us an email at STIdeaScale@hq.dhs.gov. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on how we can improve the security and resilience of our nation.
Dr. Reginald Brothers
Under Secretary for Science and Technology