January2018

January 2018 Edition 

January 2018 Edition | GSN Magazine | The News Leader in Physical, IT and Homeland Security 

Automated Border Control Kiosks Reach 71% Deployment – Page 6 

Pilot Project Helps Secure First Responder Apps From Cyberattacks – Page 6 

Also in this issue: 

GSN HSA 2017 Awards Winners Announced – Page 45 

Departments of Homeland Security and Justice Release Data on Incarcerated Aliens-94% 

of all Confirmed Aliens in DOJ Custody are Unlawfully Present – Page 41 

Top five emerging cybersecurity trends for 2018 - Page 7

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NEWS 

GSN January 2018 Digital Edition 

Table of Contents 

6 

8 

14 

18 

25 

Top five emerging cybersecurity trends for 2018 from Netwrix 

Executive Order Blocking the Property of Persons Involved in 

Serious Human Rights Abuse or Corruption 

Exterior View of the Aircraft Explosive Testing 

Simulator during a Test 

Departments of Homeland Security and Justice Release Data on 

Incarcerated Aliens-94% of all Confirmed Aliens in DOJ Custody 

are Unlawfully Present 

DHS’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Program 

Consolidation Efforts 

Features 

22 

Automated Border Control Kiosks Reach 71% Deployment 

23 

35 

The kiosk: 20 years and counting 

Pilot Project Helps Secure First Responder Apps From 

Cyberattacks 

“We’re powered by new challenges. 

Our experience has made us experts 

at providing total security solutions.” 

PHIL BARRETT 

8 years • Power/Utility Business Development 

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NEWS 

GSN January 2018 Digital Edition 

Table of Contents 

27 

30 

34 

39 

Using video intelligence to protect critical public 

infrastructure 

Democrats say Trump to seek federal pay freeze and cuts to 

domestic security 

Staffing Levels at Immigration and Customs Enforcement 

Drone maker says UAVs set to take over at border patrols, 

criminal hot spots 

2017 

43 

33 

43 

45 

New NIST Spectrometer Measures Single Photons with 

Great Precision 

blob:https%3A// 

mail.google.com/bebcf019- 

U.S. Senate Report Reveals Internal Disagreements over 

f8dd-4b56-8c7c-5daf421140a9 

Funding Counterterrorism Programs in Administration’s 

FY 2019 Budget Proposal 

After recent terrorist incidents in U.S., Senators 

codify Department of Homeland Security’s Counterterrorism 

Advisory Board 

GSN HSA2017 Awards Program Winners Announced 

“We aim to protect property, and provide 

peace of mind by providing remarkable 

perimeter security products and 

unrivaled service.” 

EMILY SULLIVAN 

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Cybersecurity 

Top five emerging cybersecurity trends for 2018 

Netwrix sums up the top cybersecurity 

trends that will define the 

way organizations develop their IT 

strategies in the coming year. 

Netwrix Corporation, provider of a 

visibility platform for user behavior 

analysis and risk mitigation in hybrid 

environments, outlines the top 

5 emerging IT security trends likely 

to affect the way organizations will 

approach cybersecurity in 2018. 

Although external cyber attacks 

continue to become more sophisticated, 

the primary security threat 

still comes from insiders. To keep 

up with the evolving threat landscape, 

organizations may have to 

rethink their security strategies 

and come up with new approaches 

to tackling cybersecurity issues. 

Netwrix predicts that the following 

trends will play a significant role in 

2018: 

1. Blockchain for IT security. 

Blockchain technology enables 

data storage in a decentralized and 

distributed manner, which eliminates 

a single point of failure and 

prevents hackers from compromising 

large volumes of data. Due 

to its ability to quickly identify the 

data that has been manipulated, 

blockchain may become the core 

technology for highly regulated 

industries, like banking and law. 

2. Focus on insider threats. Netwrix’s 

IT Risks Survey found that most 

organizations lack visibility into 

user behavior, which makes them 

vulnerable to insider threats. The 

need to keep sensitive information 

secure and prevent insider breaches 

will force organizations to make 

more efforts to establish stricter 

control over user activity in their IT 

environments. 

3. Continuous Adaptive Risk and 

Trust Assessment. 

Since protection against behind-the-perimeter 

attacks is not 

sufficient today, Gartner suggests 

a Continuous Risk and Trust 

Assessment Approach (CARTA), 

which sees security as a continuous 

process that changes all the time 

and has to be regularly reviewed. 

Real-time assessment of risk and 

trust will enable organizations to 

make better decisions regarding 

their cybersecurity posture and 

mitigate the risks associated with 

aberrant user activities. 

4.Growing demand for advanced 

analytics. 

Because security software generates 

massive amounts of data, organizations 

need advanced analytics to 

gain a complete picture of what’s 

going on in their IT environments. 

The growing adoption of user and 

6 

entity behavior analytics (UEBA) 

technology will help companies 

understand their weak points better 

and promptly respond to any activities 

that might pose threat to data 

integrity. 

5. Organization-specific approach to 

IT security. 

Organizations will expect vendors 

to offer more personalized security 

solutions that address specific pain 

points depending on a company’s 

size, IT environment complexity 

and budget. This will give businesses 

an opportunity to implement 

products that better match their 

needs, and small vendors with a 

single focus will be able to compete 

with larger but less flexible software 

providers. 

In 2017, external threats, such as 

state-sponsored attacks and cloud 

hacks, were the hottest topics for 

IT professionals. We expect that 

in 2018, the main focus will be 

on insider threats, since rogue or 

negligent employees and intruders 

with stolen credentials may pose a 

bigger risk to security than outsider 

hackers. Organizations will likely 

do their best to minimize insider 

risks — by keeping a closer watch 

on user activities, analyzing user 

behavior, and regularly assessing 

risks to proactively spot weaknesses 

and improve their security posture. 

Michael Fimin, CEO and Co-founder 

of Netwrix

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21


Federal & Legislative 

Executive Order Blocking the Property of Persons 

Involved in Serious Human Rights Abuse or Corruption 

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, 

including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), the National 

Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) (NEA), the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability 

Act (Public Law 114-328) (the “Act”), section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 

1952 (8 U.S.C. 1182(f)) (INA), and section 301 of title 3t, United States Code, 

I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, find that 

the prevalence and severity of human rights abuse and corruption that have 

their source, in whole or in substantial part, outside the United States, such as 

those committed or directed by persons listed in the Annex to this order, have 

reached such scope and gravity that they threaten the stability of international 

political and economic systems. Human rights abuse and corruption undermine 

the values that form an essential foundation of stable, secure, and functioning 

societies; have devastating impacts on individuals; weaken democratic 

institutions; degrade the rule of law; perpetuate violent conflicts; facilitate the 

activities of dangerous persons; and undermine economic markets. The United 

States seeks to impose tangible and significant consequences on those who 

commit serious human rights abuse or engage in corruption, as well as to protect 

the financial system of the United States from abuse by these same persons. 

I therefore determine that serious human rights abuse 

and corruption around the world constitute an unusual 

and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign 

policy, and economy of the United States, and I hereby 

declare a national emergency to deal with that threat. 

I hereby determine and order: 

Section 1. (a) All property and interests in property that 

are in the United States, that hereafter come within the 

United States, or that are or hereafter come within the 

possession or control of any United States person of the 

following persons are blocked and may not be transferred, 

paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise dealt in: 

(i) the persons listed in the Annex to this order; 

(ii) any foreign person determined by the Secretary 

of the Treasury, in consultation with the 

Secretary of State and the Attorney General: 

(A) to be responsible for or complicit in, or to 

have directly or indirectly engaged in, serious 

human rights abuse; 

(B) to be a current or former government official, 

or a person acting for or on behalf of such 

an official, who is responsible for or complicit 

in, or has directly or indirectly engaged in: 

(1) corruption, including the misappropriation 

of state assets, the expropriation of 

private assets for personal gain, corruption 

8


related to government contracts or the extraction 

of natural resources, or bribery; or 

(2) the transfer or the facilitation of the 

transfer of the proceeds of corruption; 

(C) to be or have been a leader or official of: 

(1) an entity, including any government 

entity, that has engaged in, or whose members 

have engaged in, any of the activities 

described in subsections (ii)(A), (ii)(B)(1), 

or (ii)(B)(2) of this section relating to the 

leader’s or official’s tenure; or 

(2) an entity whose property and interests 

in property are blocked pursuant to this 

order as a result of activities related to the 

leader’s or official’s tenure; or 

(D) to have attempted to engage in any of the 

activities described in subsections (ii)(A), (ii) 

(B)(1), or (ii)(B)(2) of this section; and 

(iii) any person determined by the Secretary of the 

Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State 

and the Attorney General: 

(A) to have materially assisted, sponsored, or 

provided financial, material, or technological 

support for, or goods or services to or in support 

of: 

(1) any activity described in subsections 

(ii)(A), (ii)(B)(1), or (ii)(B)(2) of this section 

that is conducted by a foreign person; 

(2) any person whose property and interests 

in property are blocked pursuant to 

this order; or 

(3) any entity, including any government 

entity, that has engaged in, or whose members 

have engaged in, any of the activities 

described in subsections (ii)(A), (ii)(B) 

(1), or (ii)(B)(2) of this section, where the 

activity is conducted by a foreign person; 

(B) to be owned or controlled by, or to have 

acted or purported to act for or on behalf 

of, directly or indirectly, any person whose 

property and interests in property are blocked 

pursuant to this order; or 

(C) to have attempted to engage in any of the 

activities described in subsections (iii)(A) or 

(B) of this section. 

(b) The prohibitions in subsection (a) of this section 

apply except to the extent provided by statutes, or in 

regulations, orders, directives, or licenses that may be 

issued pursuant to this order, and notwithstanding 

any contract entered into or any license or permit 

granted before the effective date of this order. 

Sec. 2. The unrestricted immigrant and nonimmigrant 

entry into the United States of aliens determined 

to meet one or more of the criteria in section 

1 of this order would be detrimental to the interests 

of the United States, and the entry of such persons 

into the United States, as immigrants or nonimmigrants, 

is hereby suspended. Such persons shall be 

treated as persons covered by section 1 of Proclamation 

8693 of July 24, 2011 (Suspension of Entry of 

Aliens Subject to United Nations Security Council 

Travel Bans and International Emergency Economic 

Powers Act Sanctions). 

Sec. 3. I hereby determine that the making of donations 

of the types of articles specified in section 

203(b)(2) of IEEPA (50 U.S.C. 1702(b)(2)) by, to, or 

for the benefit of any person whose property and interests 

in property are blocked pursuant to this order 

would seriously impair my ability to deal with the national 

emergency declared in this order, and I hereby 

prohibit such donations as provided by section 1 of 

this order. 

Sec. 4. The prohibitions in section 1 include: 

(a) the making of any contribution or provision of 

funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of 

any person whose property and interests in property 

are blocked pursuant to this order; and 

(b) the receipt of any contribution or provision of 

funds, goods, or services from any such person. 

Sec. 5. (a) Any transaction that evades or avoids, has 

9


Federal & Legislative 

...Continued from page 9 

the purpose of evading or avoiding, causes a violation 

of, or attempts to violate any of the prohibitions 

set forth in this order is prohibited. 

(b) Any conspiracy formed to violate any of the prohibitions 

set forth in this order is prohibited. 

Sec. 6. For the purposes of this order: 

(a) the term “person” means an individual or entity; 

(b) the term “entity” means a partnership, association, 

trust, joint venture, corporation, group, subgroup, 

or other organization; and 

(c) the term “United States person” means any United 

States citizen, permanent resident alien, entity 

organized under the laws of the United States or any 

jurisdiction within the United States (including foreign 

branches), or any person in the United States. 

Sec. 7. For those persons whose property and interests 

in property are blocked pursuant to this order 

who might have a constitutional presence in the 

United States, I find that because of the ability to 

transfer funds or other assets instantaneously, prior 

notice to such persons of measures to be taken pursuant 

to this order would render those measures ineffectual. 

I therefore determine that for these measures 

to be effective in addressing the national emergency 

declared in this order, there need be no prior notice 

of a listing or determination made pursuant to this 

order. 

Sec. 8. The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation 

with the Secretary of State, is hereby authorized to 

take such actions, including adopting rules and regulations, 

and to employ all powers granted to me by 

IEEPA and the Act as may be necessary to implement 

this order and section 1263(a) of the Act with respect 

to the determinations provided for therein. The Secretary 

of the Treasury may, consistent with applicable 

law, redelegate any of these functions to other officers 

and agencies of the United States. All agencies shall 

take all appropriate measures within their authority 

to implement this order. 

Sec. 9. The Secretary of State is hereby authorized 

to take such actions, including adopting rules and 

regulations, and to employ all powers granted to me 

by IEEPA, the INA, and the Act as may be necessary 

to carry out section 2 of this order and, in consultation 

with the Secretary of the Treasury, the reporting 

requirement in section 1264(a) of the Act with 

respect to the reports provided for in section 1264(b) 

(2) of that Act. The Secretary of State may, consistent 

with applicable law, redelegate any of these functions 

to other officers and agencies of the United States 

consistent with applicable law. 


with the Secretary of State and the Attorney General, 

is hereby authorized to determine that circumstances 

no longer warrant the blocking of the property and 

interests in property of a person listed in the Annex 

to this order, and to take necessary action to give 

effect to that determination. 


with the Secretary of State, is hereby authorized to 

submit recurring and final reports to the Congress 

on the national emergency declared in this order, 

consistent with section 401(c) of the NEA (50 U.S.C. 

1641(c)) and section 204(c) of IEEPA (50 U.S.C. 

1703(c)). 

Sec. 12. This order is effective at 12:01 a.m., Eastern 

Standard Time, December 21, 2017. 

Sec. 13. This order is not intended to, and does not, 

create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, 

enforceable at law or in equity by any party against 

the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, 

its officers, employees, or agents, or any other 

person. 

DONALD J. TRUMP 

THE WHITE HOUSE, 

December 20, 2017. 

10


ANNEX 

1. Mukhtar Hamid Shah; Date of Birth 

(DOB) August 11, 1939; alt. DOB November 

8, 1939; nationality, Pakistan 

2. Angel Rondon Rijo; DOB July 16, 1950; 

nationality, Dominican Republic 

3. Dan Gertler; DOB December 23, 1973; 

nationality, Israel; alt. nationality, Democratic 

Republic of the Congo 

4. Maung Maung Soe; DOB March 1964; 

nationality, Burma 

5. Yahya Jammeh; DOB May 25, 1965; 

nationality, The Gambia 

6. Sergey Kusiuk; DOB December 1, 

1966; nationality, Ukraine; alt. nationality, 

Russia 

7. Benjamin Bol Mel; DOB January 3, 

1978; alt. DOB December 24, 1978; 

nationality, South Sudan; alt. nationality, 

Sudan 

8. Julio Antonio Juárez Ramírez; DOB 

December 1, 1980; nationality, Guatemala 

9. Goulnora Islamovna Karimova; DOB 

July 8, 1972; nationality, Uzbekistan 

10. Slobodan Tesic; DOB December 21, 

1958; nationality, Serbia 

11. Artem Yuryevich Chayka; DOB September 

25, 1975; nationality, Russia 

12. Gao Yan; DOB April 1963; nationality, 

China 

13. Roberto Jose Rivas Reyes; DOB July 6, 

1954; nationality, Nicaragua 

11

Special Year- End Focus Coming in December: 

Continued from page 33 

The GSN 2017 DIGITAL YEARBOOK 

OF 

Airport/Seaport and Homeland Security Awards Programs 

A Message to the GSN’s 2017 Awards Winners: 

In order to optimize worldwide exposure and publicity for all Winners and Finalists in our 

2017 Awards Programs, GSN has decided to combine the Yearbooks of the “Airport, Seaport, 

Border Security Awards” and the “Homeland Security Awards” into one Annual Yearbook that 

salutes Winners and Finalists in both programs. Here are the reasons that this is one of the 

best promotional opportunities of the year for our Awards Winners: 

• Each participating Winner or Finalist in these programs is entitled to a two-page 

spread in the Annual Yearbook at a cost deeply discounted from regular rates. 

• You don’t have to spend any time, effort or money creating an advertisement, because 

our designer posts your spread in an attractive 2-page format with logo and links 

• Based on our long experience with Awards Winners and the recognition generally 

received from Google and other search engines, plus social media, you’ll receive 

exemplary coverage on your accomplishments, which is further enhanced by a month’s 

exposure on our website. 

To Reserve Your 2-Page Spread in the 2017 Digital Yearbook of Awards Winners 

Contact GSN Publisher Chris Zawadzki, 914-888-6843 

chriszawadzki@gsnmagazine.com

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Airport & Aviation Security 

Exterior View of the Aircraft Explosive Testing 

Simulator during a Test 

Each day, more than twenty-six 

thousand commercial flights 

transport passengers and cargo to 

destinations around the world. Several 

U.S. government agencies work 

together to secure these flights, 

including the Department of 

Homeland Security (DHS) Science 

and Technology Directorate (S&T). 

S&T’s Commercial Aircraft Vulnerability 

and Mitigation (CAVM) 

program, part of the Homeland Security 

Advanced Research Projects 

Agency Explosives Division, supports 

testing and evaluation efforts 

to assess potential vulnerabilities 

and evaluate countermeasures that 

can mitigate the impact of explosives 

on commercial aircraft. Recently, 

CAVM partnered with the 

Federal Aviation Administration 

(FAA) and U.S. Army Aberdeen 

Test Center (ATC) to develop a 

reusable Aircraft Explosive Testing 

Simulator that facilitates the explosive 

testing of new generation 

commercial aircraft. 

The majority of current commercial 

aircraft have aluminum fuselages, 

and CAVM has conducted a significant 

amount of explosive vulnerability 

testing on a wide range 

of those aircraft types. However, 

newer generations of commercial 

aircraft fuselages are being made 

with composite materials, such 

as carbon fiber reinforced plastic. 

Understanding the potential vulnerability 

of composite aircraft to 

explosives requires testing, but the 

new generation composite aircraft 

fuselages are less available and 

more expensive than legacy aluminum 

fuselage structures. This made 

it essential to develop a sustainable 

and representative testing solution 

so evaluations of new composite 

aircraft structures to explosive-based 

threats could continue 

as needed. 

“The lack of availability of new 

generation composite commercial 

aircraft structures for use in destructive 

explosive testing necessitated 

development of alternate test 

methods and tools,” said Nelson 

Carey, CAVM Program Manager. 

Interior View of the Simulator’s Composite Panel Test Fixture 

“Doing so is essential to provide 

S&T and its U.S. government customers 

with accurate and efficient 

methods for conducting commercial 

aircraft explosive vulnerability 

assessments.” 

Based on this need, ATC developed 

the Aircraft Explosive Testing 

Simulator that could be used for 

repeated explosive testing. The 

simulator consists of a steel cylinder 

that can be pressurized to 

simulate conditions of an in-flight 

aircraft. The cylinder has an opening 

where composite test panels are 

installed and subjected to testing 

for a variety of explosive threat 

scenarios. The composite aircraft 

test panels are provided through 

an interagency agreement with the 

14


FAA and the National Institute for 

Aviation Research, an FAA Center 

of Excellence. 

aircraft structural response to internal 

explosive threats,” Carey explains, 

highlighting the impact the 

tool has on testing efforts. 

composite structure response for 

different and more complex threat 

scenarios. Additionally, CAVM 

recently hosted a round of tests 

with TSA, FAA, DoD, TSL, and 

the French government’s Alternative 

Energies and Atomic Energy 

Commission (CEA). The event 

was part of an international effort 

to strengthen aviation security by 

bringing together officials from 

around to globe to share findings 

and discuss shared goals. 

The Aircraft Explosive Testing 

Simulator is the latest S&T-funded 

technology that will help enhance 

the nation’s aviation security. As 

“ Interagency cooperation 

in support of CAVM efforts 

is essential for extending 

limited resources and insuring 

a maximum rate of return 

on research and development 

investment” 

During a test, evaluators place an 

explosive threat inside the simulator, 

which is then pressurized to 

simulate airline operational flight 

profiles. Once the explosive is detonated, 

instrumentation gathers data 

on internal and external pressure 

resulting from the blast, and high 

speed video instruments gather 

information on the panel’s physical 

condition, looking for any deformation, 

breach, or crack growth. 

Aircraft vulnerability experts from 

S&T’s Transportation Security Laboratory 

then conduct a post-blast 

inspection and analysis to determine 

the structural response of the 

composite test panel to the specific 

explosive threat condition. Finally, 

evaluators remove the panel from 

the simulator and install a new one 

in its place, allowing for multiple 

tests to be conducted within a short 

time period. 

“The Aircraft Explosive Testing 

Simulator provides a rapid, reconfigurable 

and cost effective tool for 

acquiring test data on composite 

Exterior View of the Aircraft Explosive Testing Simulator during a Test 

Not only does the Aircraft Explosive 

Testing Simulator help S&T 

develop a better understanding of 

how explosives affect composite 

commercial aircraft, it also allows 

experts to compare results 

with previous tests on aluminum 

structures. CAVM researchers will 

use the data to learn about composite-based 

commercial aircraft 

structure vulnerability to terrorist-based 

internal explosive threats. 

This research supports the Transportation 

Security Administration’s 

sponsor requirements to investigate 

the vulnerability of new generation 

composite construction commercial 

aircraft to internal explosive 

threats. 

S&T is already sharing its findings 

from the simulator with other 

government partners. The Department 

of Defense’s (DoD) U.S. Army 

Research Laboratory is using the 

data to develop numerical analysis 

models and tools to help simulate 

threats continue to evolve, it is crucial 

to have tools that can efficiently 

gather accurate data on potential 

vulnerabilities and the countermeasures 

employed to overcome them. 

15

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Border Control 

Departments of Homeland Security and 

Justice Release Data on Incarcerated Aliens- 

94% of all Confirmed Aliens in DOJ Custody 

are Unlawfully Present 

WASHINGTON – President Trump’s 

Executive Order on Enhancing Public 

Safety in the Interior of the United 

States requires the Department of 

Homeland Security 

(DHS) and the Department 

of Justice 

(DOJ) to collect 

relevant data and 

provide quarterly 

reports on data collection 

efforts. On 

December 18, 2017, 

DHS and DOJ released 

the FY 2017 4th Quarter Alien 

Incarceration Report, complying with 

this order.[1] The report found that 

more than one-in-five of all persons 

in Bureau of Prisons custody were 

foreign born, and that 94 percent of 

confirmed aliens in custody were unlawfully 

present. 

“While the administration is working 

diligently to remove dangerous 

criminal aliens from our streets, this 

report highlights the fact that more 

must be done,” said Secretary of 

Homeland Security Kirstjen M. Nielsen. 

“We will continue to pursue 

President Trump’s immigration priorities, 

including securing the border, 

enhancing interior enforcement, and 

pursuing a merit-based immigration 

system, but Congress must act immediately 

to adopt obvious solutions to 

strengthen DHS and DOJ efforts to 

confront dangerous criminal aliens.” 

“The American people deserve a lawful 

system of immigration that serves 

the national interest,” Attorney General 

Sessions said. “But at the border 

“Congress must act immediately 

to adopt obvious solutions to 

strengthen DHS and DOJ efforts to 

..confront dangerous criminal aliens.” 

18 

and in communities across America, 

our citizens are being victimized 

by illegal aliens who commit crimes. 

Nearly 95 percent of confirmed aliens 

in our federal prisons are here illegally. 

We know based on sentencing 

data that non-citizens 

commit a substantially 

disproportionate 

number of drug-related 

offenses, which 

contributes to our national 

drug abuse crisis. 

The simple fact is 

that any offense committed 

by a criminal 

alien is ultimately preventable. 

One victim is 

too many. It’s time for 

Congress to enact the 

President’s immigration 

reform agenda so 

that we start welcoming 

the best and brightest while turning 

away drug dealers, gang members, 

and other criminals.” 

Section 16 of the 

Executive Order 

directs the Secretary 

of Homeland 

Security and the 

Attorney General 

to collect relevant 

data and provide 

quarterly reports 

regarding: (a) the 

immigration status 

of all aliens incarcerated under the 

supervision of the Federal Bureau of 

Prisons; (b) the immigration status of 

all aliens incarcerated as federal pretrial 

detainees under the supervision 

of the United States Marshals Service;


and (c) the immigration status of all 

convicted aliens in state prisons and 

local detention centers throughout 

the United States. 

A total of 58,766 known or suspected 

aliens were in in DOJ custody at the 

end of FY 2017, including 39,455 persons 

in BOP custody and 19,311 in 

USMS custody. Of this total, 37,557 

people had been confirmed by U.S. 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement 

(ICE) to be aliens (i.e., non-citizens 

and non-nationals), while 21,209 

foreign-born people were still under 

investigation by ICE to determine 

alienage and/or removability. 

Among the 37,557 confirmed aliens, 

35,334 people (94 percent) were unlawfully 

present. These numbers 

include a 92 percent unlawful rate 

among 24,476 confirmed aliens in 

BOP custody and a 97 percent unlawful 

rate among 13,081 confirmed 

aliens in USMS custody. 

This report does not include data on 

the foreign-born or alien populations 

in state prisons and local jails because 

state and local facilities do not 

routinely provide DHS or DOJ with 

comprehensive information about 

their inmates and detainees—which 

account for approximately 90 percent 

of the total U.S. incarcerated population. 

Information Regarding Immigration 

Status of Aliens Incarcerated Under 

the Supervision of the Federal Bureau 

of Prisons 

The Department of Justice’s Bureau 

of Prisons (BOP) has an operational 

process for maintaining data regarding 

foreign-born inmates in its custody. 

On a quarterly basis, BOP supplies 

this information to U.S. Immigration 

and Customs Enforcement (ICE). 

ICE, in turn, analyzes that information 

to determine the immigration 

status of each inmate and provides 

that information back to BOP. 

Out of the 185,507 inmates in BOP 

custody, 39,455 (21%) were reported 

by BOP as foreign-born. Further 

details regarding these 39,455 foreign-born 

inmates are as follows: 

• 20,240 (51%) were 

unauthorized aliens who 

are subject to a final order 

of removal; 

• 14,979 (38%) remain 

under ICE investigation; 

• 2,374 (6%) were 

unlawfully present and 

now in removal proceedings; 

• 1,852 (less than 

5%) were lawfully present 

aliens but are now in 

removal proceedings; and 

• 10 were alienswho 

have been granted relief or 

protection from removal. 

Information Regarding the Immigration 

Status of Aliens Incarcerated as 

Federal Pretrial Detainees 

USMS identified 19,311 aliens and 

foreign-born inmates under ICE investigation 

detained at USMS facilities. 

Further details regarding these 

19,311 foreign-born inmates are as 

follows: 

• 11,459 (59%) were aliens who 

are subject to a final order of 

removal; 

• 6,230 (32%) remain under ICE 

investigation; 

• 1,261 (6.5%) were unlawfully 

present and now in removal proceedings; 

• 358 (less than 2%) were lawfully 

present but are now in removal 

proceedings; and 

• 3 were aliens who have been 

granted relief or protection from 

removal. 

Immigration Status of All Convicted 

Aliens Incarcerated in State Prisons 

and Local Detention Centers 

Throughout the United States 

The Departments continue to progress 

towards establishing data collection 

of the immigration status of 

convicted aliens incarcerated in state 

prisons and local detention centers 

through the Department of Justice’s 

Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of 

Justice Statistics and the Department 

of Homeland Security’s Office of Immigration 

Statistics. 

# # # 

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20



Automated Border Control Kiosks Reach 71% Deployment 

According to Acuity Market Intelligence, 

border authorities have 

embraced digital identification 

and biometric-based automation 

to simplify and accelerate border 

control processing. Acuity’s latest 

report on border control kiosks reveals 

that 71 installations deploying 

2283 border control kiosks are active 

at 59 ports of entry across the 

globe. These include Automated 

Border Control (ABC) Kiosks, Automated 

Passport Control (APC) 

Kiosks, and Primary Inspection Kiosks 

(PIK). 

“As airports and other ports of entry 

struggle to keep up with increasing 

volumes of global travelers, automation 

is the only solution for border 

control,” says Maxine Most, Principal 

at Acuity Market Intelligence. 

“integrated digital Identification 

technology, including document 

readers and biometrics, allow border 

agents to securely facilitate low 

risk international travelers while 

focusing expensive, high value human 

resources on genuine threats.” 

Global Airport ABC eGates & Kiosks Annual Revenue 

“The number of border control kiosks 

increased more than 60% over 

last year with CAGR projected to 

exceed 20% for the next 3 years,” 

Most says. “The US and Canada 

dominate the market landscape 

with 60% and 35% of all border 

control kiosks deployed. Though 

only about 100 kiosks are deployed 

at ten locations across the Caribbean, 

Pacific, Europe, and the Middle 

East, Acuity expects the use of these 

highly efficient and cost-effective 

border control solutions to migrate 

broadly within existing regions 

while expanding to include Asia, 

Latin America, and Africa over the 

next few years.” 

Today, kiosks are deployed at just a 

few cruise ports, but Acuity expects 

broader use of kiosks at more seaports 

and land crossings over the 

next three to five years. Vancouver 

Airport’s Innovative Travel Solutions 

group dominates the global 

market with more than 60% kiosks 

unit and installation market share. 

21



The kiosk: 20 years and counting 

by Rico Barandun , Head of Solution 

Specialists, Passenger and Bags, SITA 

What a great 20 years the SITA kiosk has had. As we 

approach the end of its 20th anniversary year, it’s exciting 

to think about what lies ahead as kiosks continue their 

rise in smoothing the flow of passengers, both on and off 

airport. 

It’s true that some naysayers have in the past pondered 

the demise of the kiosk. But we’ve witnessed the opposite 

to be the case. SITA kiosk use, the world over, has done 

nothing but spread. 

In fact, as of today SITA has installed 6,000-plus kiosks at 

more than 225 common-use airports. 

Far from retreating into the background, we’ve seen 

kiosks emerge out of the check-in domain and into the 

forefront of other airport activities, taking on more and 

different responsibilities along the steps of the journey. 

Myriad tasks 

Today they’re relied on for myriad tasks, from check-in 

to bag tagging, and more. Some 55% of airports have already 

implemented bag-tag printing at kiosks, for example 

(2017 SITA Airline & Airport IT Trends Insights). 

In the kiosk’s 20th year we also saw a milestone development 

as SITA introduced a Common Use Payment 

Service - the first and only payment solution allowing 

transactions by multiple airlines through a single payment 

terminal, which is now being deployed at SITA’s 

common-use kiosks and bag-drop stations. 

Eyes on the border 

Now, all eyes are on border, where - with the rise of 

biometrics - we see great opportunities for kiosks as we 

at SITA continue to work with airports, governments and 

border agencies around the world to bring in the changes. 

Indeed our work in the US shows that our biometric-enabled 

kiosks can securely process passengers on arrival, 

reducing the time passengers spend in line by as much as 

40%. 

I recall an Acuity Market Intelligence study a couple of 

years ago on airport eGates and kiosks at the border. It 

talked about the role of kiosks and the ‘holy grail’ for 

immigration and passenger processing being to provide a 

truly seamless and almost unnoticeable airport experience. 

Making air travel easier 

That is embodied in the visions and goals of strategic 

industry initiatives to enhance the passenger experience, 

such as Simplifying the Business, Fast Travel, Smart Security, 

and now the IATA and ACI initiative NEXTT (New 

Experience in Travel and Technologies). 

Proving its longevity, the kiosk has been very much part 

and parcel of these key industry-wide initiatives, making 

air travel ever easier and meeting air transport community 

needs as they evolve. So here’s to the kiosk, for the next 

20 years and beyond … 

23


Kiosk advances 

It’s 20 years since changed 

the face of airport departure 

halls with the introduction 

of self-service 

kiosks. With more 

than 12,000 installed 

worldwide, they 

now offer 

everything 

from check-in to 

border control to 

autonomous robotics. 

SITA’s first kiosks were introduced 

as a trial in 1997 by Air Alaska, 

designed not only to improve the 

check-in process for passengers by 

reducing queuing, but also to test 

the appetite for self-service. 

Twenty years on, nine out of 10 

airports have kiosks. What started 

as an efficient and simple platform 

for check-in has evolved to include 

bag tagging, lost baggage tracking, 

flight transfers, and border control. 

Today, a chip & pin and contactless 

payment facility allows passengers 

to pay for flights, upgrades, meals, 

even media downloads for the 

flight. 

Pervasive 

Kiosks today are all-pervasive 

across the airport, both landside 

and airside. SITA’s latest iteration 

of the kiosk can even do both, as 

an autonomous robot able to move 

independently around the airport 

as needed. 

And soon passengers will be able to 

use kiosks with fast, secure biometric 

enrolment and registration 

capabilities to create a secure single 

token as they first enter the airport, 

removing the need to show a 

passport or boarding card as they 

21 

progress to the aircraft. 

The humble kiosk of the 1990s has 

certainly matured in the past 20 

years, to become a core part of the 

airport infrastructure. 

Easier, cheaper 

“Kiosks were seen from the outset as 

offering tangible benefits for everyone,” 

according to Rico Barandun, 

Portfolio Director at SITA. 

“They could make check-in easier 

for passengers, save expensive 

terminal space, cut airline costs 

and speed up the whole process for 

everyone. 

“But I don’t think anyone anticipated 

how they would evolve into 

today’s increasingly sophisticated 

interface between passenger and 

airline/airport.” 

BORDER BENEFITS 

The border is a relatively new frontier 

for kiosks. “A key development 

has been the introduction of kiosks 

designed to speed up and simplify 

immigration procedures,” continues 

Barandun. 

“The use of secure self-service 

kiosks for verification of biometric 

travel documents is increasingly 

adopted as a means not only of 

enhancing passenger service, but at 

the same time allowing immigration 

specialists time to focus on the 

minority of higher risk travelers. 

“With an average transaction time 

of just 90 seconds, wait times for 

users of SITA iBorders® BorderAutomation 

ABCKiosks are reduced 

by up to 60%.”


CRNE 

DHS’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and 

Nuclear Program Consolidation Efforts 

What GAO Found 

GAO’s prior work has shown that 

the Department of Homeland 

Security (DHS) should complete, 

document, and make available 

analyses of key questions related 

to its ,. In August 2016, GAO 

reported that several key factors 

were not included when DHS 

evaluated its organizational consolidation 

of CBRNE functions. 

For example, DHS did not fully 

assess and document potential 

problems that could result from 

consolidation or include a comparison 

of benefits and costs. Further, 

DHS conducted limited external 

stakeholder outreach, thus 

the proposal may not sufficiently 

account for stakeholder concerns. 

Attention to these key areas, 

identified from GAO’s analysis of 

previous organizational consolidations, 

would help provide DHS, 

Congress, and other stakeholders, 

such as DHS components with 

assurance that important aspects 

of effective organizational changes 

are addressed as part of the 

agency’s CBRNE reorganization 

decision-making process. GAO 

previously recommended that 

DHS complete, document, and 

make available analyses of key 

questions related to its consolidation 

proposal, including: (1) what 

problems, if any, consolidation 

may create; (2) a comparison of 

the benefits and costs the consolidation 

may entail; and (3) a 

broader range of external stakeholder 

input including a discussion 

of how it was obtained and 

considered. DHS did not concur, 

asserting that the recommendation 

did not acknowledge the 

extent to which these questions 

were discussed both internally 

within DHS and externally with 

Congress and that DHS’s decision 

to consolidate CBRNE functions 

had already been made which 

would make additional analysis 

redundant. GAO closed this 

recommendation as not implemented. 

While GAO has not fully 

assessed DHS’s most recent reorganization 

plans, GAO continues 

to believe that documenting 

information and analyses used to 

assess the benefits and limitations 

of its consolidation plan would 

assist DHS in fully demonstrating 

how its proposal will lead to 

an integrated, high-performance 

organization. 

GAO’s prior work found that key 

mergers and organizational transformation 

practices could further 

benefit DHS in its proposed 

CBRNE consolidation. GAO 

reported in July 2003 on key practices 

and implementation steps 

for mergers and organizational 

transformations that range from 

ensuring top leadership drives 

the transformation to involving 

employees in the implementation 

process to obtain their ideas 

and gain their ownership for the 

transformation. In August 2016, 

GAO recommended that DHS use 

key mergers and organizational 

transformation practices identified 

in GAO’s previous work to 

help ensure that lessons learned 

from other reorganizations are 

considered during the consolidation 

effort. DHS concurred with 

the recommendation and stated 

in its October 2017 consolidation 

notice to Congress that it will 

consult the practices during consolidation 

implementation. GAO 

will monitor DHS’s implementation 

of the key practices which 

will help to ensure that lessons 

learned from other organizations 

are considered during the consolidation 

effort. 

More on page 31 

25


21


Infrastructure Protection 

Using video intelligence to protect critical public 

By Kimbry McClure 

infrastructure Solutions Architect, Office of CTO at Hitachi Data Systems Federal Corporation 

Law enforcement and other entities 

charged with protecting national 

security are spending more time 

than ever planning and implementing 

security measures that ensure 

national security and improve 

public safety. This is for good 

reason: from the energy grid 

to sporting events to airports, 

security personnel know these 

venues are enticing targets for 

terrorist attacks due to the large 

amount of people and resources 

clustered together in one place. 

In a world of heightened extremism, 

lone wolf attacks, and 

general global instability, it is not 

beyond imagination to foresee 

a scenario where a small team 

of terrorists seizes a U.S. airport. 

With the prospect of hostage taking 

and hijackings looming large, 

the response time for 

emergency personnel 

and law enforcement 

becomes critical. First 

responders must locate 

the terrorists and 

their hostages quickly 

to coordinate an effective response. 

This requires enhanced detection capabilities 

that can seamlessly distribute 

information to decision makers and 

emergency personnel to identify and 

respond to threats in real time. 

To stay a step ahead of attackers, 

security and emergency personnel 

need a common operational picture 

to communicate with civil and federal 

Deploying a video intelligence platform 

gives law enforcement a technological 

asset that keeps pace with terrorists 

agency authorities. This picture is not 

only essential in coordinating a rescue, 

but also in securing additional areas 

of the airport facility that the terrorists 

have yet to seize as well as collect evidence 

for both investigative and legal 

purposes. 

With many entities tasked with restoring 

airport security, organizations need 

the right technology to assist them. 

An important tool emerging in security 

today is a video intelligence system 

that assists emergency responders and 

officials in reaching their security 

objectives. 

Not Your Old-School CC-TV Cameras 

Many people imagine video surveillance 

cameras to be a single camera 

mounted on a wall pointing in a 

particular direction and transmitting 

video to a single television. In 

this scenario, multiple cameras 

in different locations within the 

same building work in isolation 

and only detect motion and 

images. 

Most people do not realize that 

video intelligence has evolved 

tremendously in recent years. 

Today’s video intelligence system 

consists of a wide range of 

disparate sensor data combined 

into a single portal. The integration 

of sensor data into one 

place is a critical development 

for law enforcement working in 

time sensitive situations. 

Back in our besieged 

airport, authorities 

do not have time to 

monitor separate video 

camera, alarm systems, 

GPS, and other audio, 

visual, and social media monitoring 

systems separately. Officials need 

data from these sensors to be organized 

in such a way that patterns can 

be quickly detected to ensure rapid 

decision-making. 

As law enforcement officials analyze 

the data received from multiple 

sensors, a video intelligence system 

triages the data received. During 

27


the airport terrorist attack, law enforcement 

is able to discern that the 

screaming coming from an airport 

personnel-only hallway is more 

important to respond to than the 

traveling high school band playing 

their instruments in the airport 

concourse. First responders have the 

ability to triage behaviors because 

the video intelligence system has automated 

the monitoring process on 

a scale much larger than manpower 

can provide. 

Automating data collection, organization 

and storage gives law enforcement 

attempting to prevent or 

respond to a terrorist attack a more 

speedy, meticulous and effective 

overall security strategy. Authorities 

no longer have to allocate manpower 

to spending time searching and 

investigating each person who is 

in a facility. Since different people 

present various behaviors, some that 

indicate a higher security risk than 

others, video intelligence systems 

flag these behaviors for law enforcement 

and give them the knowledge 

needed to make critical decisions. 

Overcoming the Unknown 

Adding automation to data collection 

and analysis provides other benefits. 

Criminals and terrorists are 

constantly changing their tactics. As 

a result, law enforcement does not 

always know the behavior profile to 

match the changing tactics. The integration 

of a video intelligence system 

provides law enforcement flexibility 

to quickly and easily input into the 

system new behaviors for the sensors 

to monitor. Without unified 

data management, authorities would 

need to take more time and manpower 

to update the sensors on what 

new behaviors to track. 

Authorities may also face uncertainty 

over which agencies, groups 

and decision makers need access to 

which data points. Today’s homeland 

security and emergency response 

strategies involve multiple 

agencies, organizations and decision 

makers. These groups require 

that data be shared in real-time to 

establish a common operating picture. 

The video intelligence system 

overcomes data sharing challenges 

by creating a single portal to store 

and view information. As a 

result, information can 

be shared with ease 

between various 

coordinating 

entities. 

How to Implement a 

Modern Video Intelligence 

System 

Many in government 

are concerned about 

how much value they 

will receive when implementing 

new technology 

systems. The good 

news is a modern video intelligence 

system is not only effective, 

but also simple to implement. The 

system’s design focuses on an interface 

that is integrated into an organization’s 

current IT systems, including 

legacy IT. Therefore, the video 

intelligence system is built based 

on customization and flexibility. 

Additionally, the video intelligence 

system includes sensors, compute 

power and on-board storage that 

can be installed and implemented 

rapidly. 

Deploying a video intelligence 

platform gives law enforcement a 

technological asset that keeps pace 

with terrorists and criminals today 

and in the future. By placing these 

tools under a single management 

layer, law enforcement can devote 

more resources to what truly matters: 

ensuring public safety. 

28



20


Federal and Legislative 

Democrats say Trump to seek federal pay freeze 

and cuts to domestic security 

Federal employees dodged a bullet 

this year, with the flop of proposed 

cuts to their retirement and health 

benefits, but they shouldn’t put away 

the flak jackets yet. 

After proposing a 1.9 percent federal 

pay raise for next year, President 

Trump will urge a pay freeze for 

federal employees and call for cuts to 

domestic security programs in fiscal 

2019, according to reports released 

by Senate Homeland Security and 

Governmental Affairs Committee 

Democrats. 

Ironically, this comes as Congress 

nears passage of tax legislation that 

Trump claims will significantly stimulate 

the economy. If that’s the case, 

then why is a freeze necessary? 

If you believe federal employees are 

over compensated, then no other 

rational is needed. 

That rationale was behind failed 

Republican proposals to cut federal 

retirement and health insurance 

benefits. 

The two reports are based on budget 

guidance from the Office of Management 

and Budget (OMB), dated Nov. 

28, overruling Department of Homeland 

Security (DHS) requests. The 

guidance was leaked to the panel’s 

Democratic staff by a whistleblower. 

Sen. Claire McCaskill (Mo.), the 

committee’s top Democrat, had the 

staff issue summaries of the OMB 

document. One report focuses on 

personnel, the other on counterterrorism 

programs. 

Although the budget documents 

concern DHS, the personnel summary 

says “OMB intends to issue a pay 

freeze for federal civilian employees 

in 2019.” Quoting the administration’s 

document, the staff report 

adds: “OMB has instructed DHS: 

‘Per governmentwide guidance, no 

civilian pay raise is included in the 

recommended level for the FY 2019 

Budget.’ ” 

The counterterrorism report says the 

administration “intends to seek $568 

million in cuts to counterterrorism 

programs” from 2017 levels. That 

would include decreases in programs 

on violent extremism, port and public 

transportation security, domestic 

nuclear detection and emergency 

management grants. 

According to the staff report, OMB 

wants to eliminate Visible Intermodal 

Prevention and Response teams, 

which “are multidisciplinary groups 

of security officers deployed to various 

locations to prevent and deter 

acts of terrorism” and cut $27 million 

from Federal Air Marshals. 

“I’m worried that the Office of Management 

and Budget is overriding 

what local, state, and national leaders 

have told me they most need to keep 

us safe,” McCaskill said. “With recent 

terrorist attacks in our country and 

throughout the globe, counterterrorism 

programs shouldn’t be on the 

chopping block.” 

The staff noted that OMB’s budget 

“Federal employees all across 

the country go to work every day 

to serve our veterans, secure our skies, 

and support our troops. And yet 

federal employees make around 

35 percent less than private setor” 

guidance does not necessarily represent 

the administration’s final spending 

plan. Agencies can appeal budget 

office guidance. The DHS appeal was 

due Dec. 1. 

Federal employees had a three-year 

freeze on their basic pay rates during 

the Obama administration. Another 

freeze “may present challenges for 

DHS components wishing to retain 

qualified employees. Morale and 

attrition within DHS have long been 

problems that the Department has 

struggled to fix,” the committee staff 

report said. 

continued... 

30



“The absence of a pay increase for 

law enforcement personnel may not 

allow DHS to remain competitive 

with other law enforcement agencies 

with whom they compete for qualified 

applicants. This is especially true 

as DHS components have historically 

struggled to meet hiring mandates.” 

OMB did not respond to a request 

for comment. Leaders of the two 

largest federal employee unions that 

represent DHS staffers and employees 

in many other agencies blasted 

the proposed cuts. 

“Federal employees all across the 

country go to work every day to 

serve our veterans, secure our skies, 

and support our troops. And yet federal 

employees make around 35 percent 

less than private sector workers 

in the same jobs.,” said J. David Cox 

Sr., president of the American Federation 

of Government Employees. 

His figure refers to data developed by 

the Federal Salary Council, but it is 

disputed by conservative researchers. 

“For the Administration to say they 

are going to freeze government 

employees’ pay next year is insulting 

to these hardworking civil servants 

and the sacrifices they make for our 

country. They know they’ll never get 

rich working for the federal government, 

but they believe in the mission 

and are willing to accept a lighter 

paycheck for the privilege of serving 

their country…Federal employees 

deserve a pay raise, not a pay freeze.” 

National Treasury Employees Union 

President Tony Reardon said “we are 

alarmed by media reports that internal 

documents contain a proposal to 

freeze pay for all civilian federal employees. 

We are still fighting for a fair 

raise in 2018, above the 1.4 percent 

across the board raise the administration 

is calling for. Private-sector 

wages for 2018 are expected to rise 

by 3 percent. 

“Unlike previous years without pay 

increases,” he added, “a pay freeze 

in 2019 would come during a time 

when the private-sector job market 

is healthy and the overall economy 

is growing…It would make it harder 

for the government to recruit and 

retain the highly-skilled professionals 

needed to protect our security, our 

economy and our public health. A 

pay freeze would be a callous attack 

on middle-class Americans who have 

chosen to serve their country and 

their fellow citizens.” 


Why GAO Did This Study 

Chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and 

explosive weapons, also known as weapons of mass 

destruction (WMD), have the potential to kill thousands 

of people in a single incident. In 2013 Congress 

directed DHS to review its WMD programs, 

including the consolidation of CBRNE mission 

functions. DHS recently notified Congress that consolidation 

would begin in December 2017. 

This testimony is based on GAO findings from an 

August 2016 report on (1) the extent to which DHS’s 

CBRNE consolidation proposal assessed the benefits 

and limitations of consolidation and (2) GAO’s key 

practices from past organizational transformations 

that could benefit the CBRNE consolidation effort. 

GAO reviewed DHS consolidation planning documents, 

interviewed relevant officials and obtained 

selected updated information on DHS planning 

efforts. 

31 

What GAO Recommends 

GAO made two recommendations to DHS in 2016 

to (1) complete, document, and make available 

analyses of key questions related to its consolidation 

proposal; and (2) use the key mergers and organizational 

transformation practices identified in GAO’s 

previous work. DHS did not concur with the first 

recommendation and it was closed as not implemented. 

DHS concurred with the second recommendation 

and has not yet implemented it. GAO 

will continue to monitor DHS’s efforts to address 

the second recommendation.



OF 





















U.S. Senate Report Reveals Internal Disagreements 

over Funding Counterterrorism Programs in 

Administration’s FY 2019 Budget Proposal 

After receiving whistleblower document, Democratic staff of the Homeland Security and 

Governmental Affairs Committee issues report showing that the White House rejected key 

counterterrorism elements of the Department of Homeland Security’s budget request 

WASHINGTON - The Democratic 

staff of the Senate Homeland Security 

and Governmental Affairs Committee 

today issued a report detailing 

the Administration’s intended funding 

cuts to Department of Homeland 

Security (DHS) state, local, and 

national counterterrorism programs 

based on an FY 2019 budget document 

DHS received from the Office 

of Management and Budget (OMB), 

which was provided to the Committee 

by a whistleblower. 

“I’m worried that the Office of Management 

and Budget is overriding 

what local, state, and national leaders 

have told me they most need to keep 

us safe,” McCaskill said. “With recent 

terrorist attacks in our country and 

throughout the globe, counterterrorism 

programs shouldn’t be on the 

chopping block.” 

Federal agencies develop their budgets 

for the upcoming fiscal year and 

submit a request to OMB, typically 

in the fall. OMB then reviews the 

proposed budget, ensuring it aligns 

with the President’s priorities, and 

communicates its funding decisions 

to the agency through a process 

referred to as “passback.” At times, 

OMB provides less money than 

requested; in other instances it provides 

more. In late November 2017, 

a whistleblower provided OMB’s 

nonpublic “passback” document to 

the Democratic staff of the Senate 

Homeland Security and Governmental 

Affairs Committee. The document 

is titled the Department of Homeland 

Security Fiscal Year 2019 Budget 

and Policy Guidance and details 

OMB guidance from the President 

to the Department of Homeland 

Security regarding its FY 2019 budget 

proposal. The Senate Homeland 

Security and Governmental Affairs 

Committee Democrat Staff report 

examines counterterrorism cuts in 

the “passback” document, including 

DHS’s initial FY 2019 budget proposal 

and OMB’s responsive guidance 

directing more drastic cuts. 

Key findings from the report, Overruled: 

White House Overrules 

Department of Homeland Security 

Budget Requests for Counterterrorism 

Programs: 

• Visible Intermodal Prevention 

and Response (VIPR) teams are 

multi-disciplinary groups of security 

officers deployed to various locations 

to prevent and deter acts of 

terrorism. Rejecting DHS’s request, 

OMB instructed DHS to completely 

eliminate VIPR Teams and cut an additional 

$27 million for Federal Air 

Marshals. 

• Denying DHS’s request, OMB 

ordered DHS to seek $11 million 

in additional cuts for the Domestic 

Nuclear Detection Office. 

• The Administration intends 

to seek $568 million in total cuts to 

DHS counterterrorism programs 

from FY 2017 enacted budget levels. 

McCaskill has previously emphasized 

the importance of DHS’s counterterrorism 

programs. She has repeatedly 

questioned DHS and other national 

security officials about potential 

cuts to the programs during Senate 

hearings, and a report issued by the 

Homeland Security and Governmental 

Affairs Committee Democratic 

staff earlier this year highlighted the 

impact of the Administration’s proposed 

FY 2018 budget cuts. 

The report from the Senate Homeland 

Security and Governmental 

Affairs Committee’s Democratic staff, 

led by the staff of Ranking Member 

Claire McCaskill, is available online. 

33


Staffing Levels at Immigration and Customs Enforcement 

On January 25, 2017, President 

Donald Trump signed an executive 

order which called for Immigration 

and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to 

hire 10,000 additional ICE Agents. 

ICE enforces federal laws governing 

border control, customs, trade and 

immigration to promote homeland 

security and public safety. For enforcement 

purposes, ICE’s jurisdiction 

is the U.S. interior, as opposed 

to the ports of entry or the border. 

ICE’s principal law enforcement 

components are Homeland Security 

Investigations and Enforcement and 

Removal Operations. 

OMB provided ICE with 

a total discretionary 

budget of $8.08 billion 

in FY 2019. OMB stated 

that this funding level 

“supports key Administration 

immigration priorities 

… such as hiring 

of 2,000 additional Law 

Enforcement Officers 

(LEOs); resources to 

support that hiring effort 

will be augmented by 

United States Citizenship 

and Immigration Services (USCIS) 

fees. Additionally, guidance is provided 

to fund 47,656 beds.” 

The OMB document indicates that 

hiring at ICE is prioritized to “enable 

additional enforcement actions within 

the interior of the United States.” 

OMB instructed the Department to 

hire more ICE law enforcement officers 

that the Department originally 

requested, explaining: 

In order to ensure the Department 

is prepared to reach the total hiring 

goal of 2,000 new law enforcement 

officers in FY 2019, OMB instructed 

ICE to provide a briefing by January 

15, 2018 on its hiring and staffing 

plan, mission support and attorney 

positions. 

OMB provides nearly $2 billion for 

the Homeland Security Investigations 

efforts, including funding to 

support the hiring of 300 new law 

enforcement officers in that unit. 

OMB anticipates these positions “will 

support the prevention and detection 

of immigration benefit fraud and the 

investigatory work necessary to adjudicate 

applications, including visa 

overstay and worksite enforcement, if 

applicable.” 

OMB provided $1.7 billion for 

Domestic Investigations, including 

a program increase of $13 million to 

cover the expansion of Visa Security 

Program locations. Enforcement and 

34 

Removal Operations (ERO) will be 

funded at $5.2 billion, which OMB 

asserted “includes adequate funding 

for the annualization of new ERO 

staff hired in 2018 and supports an 

additional 1,700 [law enforcement 

officers] in FY 2019. 

In order to support the new law 

enforcement officers in FY 2019, 

OMB includes $44 million above the 

Department’s original request to fund 

additional training and infrastructure. 

Additionally, OMB requested 

ICE to collaborate with DHS components 

and other federal agencies 

with a role in the Administration and 

“The Department’s 2019 request supports hiring just 

1,000 new [law enforcement officers].Because of the 

Administration’s priority to increase the ICE [law 

enforcement officer] workforce, additional resources 

are provided … to hire an additional 1,000 [law enforcement 

officers] above the Department’s request, for a 

total hiring goal of 2,000 new law enforcement officers 

in 2019.” 

enforcement of immigration laws to 

determine how agencies can perform 

immigration functions more efficiently 

and effectively.


Cybersecurity 

Pilot Project Helps Secure First Responder 

Apps From Cyberattacks 

Washington, D.C.—A pilot project 

by the Department of Homeland 

Security (DHS) Science and Technology 

Directorate (S&T) resulted in the 

successful remediation of potential 

cybersecurity vulnerabilities in mobile 

applications (apps) used by the 

nation’s public-safety professionals, 

supporting the creation of an on-going 

mobile app-testing program. 

In emergency and disaster situations, 

mobile devices and apps enable 

public-safety professionals to receive 

and share critical information in real-time, 

which enhances the delivery 

of life-saving services. As reliance 

on mobile technology grows, it is 

important that mobile apps used by 

public safety are free of malware or 

vulnerabilities. 

The pilot testing project—“Securing 

Mobile Applications for First 

Responders”—was a joint effort of 

the Homeland Security Advanced 

Research Project Agency’s Cyber 

Security Division, S&T’s First Responder 

Group (FRG), Association 

of Public-Safety Communications 

Officials (APCO) and Kryptowire, 

LLC, the developer of a leading 

mobile app-vetting platform that was 

funded by S&T. 

Its dual goals were to improve mobile 

app security for the public-safety 

community and determine the need 

for a sustainable model for testing 

the security and privacy-protection 

capabilities of public-safety apps. 

To these ends, the pilot sought to 

determine the degree to which the 

selected public-safety apps are vulnerable 

to cyberattacks—malware, 

ransomware and spyware—or had 

coding vulnerabilities that could 

compromise the device’s security, 

expose personal data or allow for 

eavesdropping. 

“This pilot project illustrates the 

efficacy, benefits and value an ongoing 

app-testing program will provide 

to the public-safety community and 

the nation,” said Vincent Sritapan, 

S&T’s Program Manager for Mobile 

Security Research and Development. 

“During the testing phase, numerous 

cyber vulnerabilities were identified 

and remediated. This model can be 

used to ensure all apps used by the 

public-safety professionals are secured 

against cyberattacks and other 

security and privacy weaknesses.” 

For the study, APCO selected 33 

popular apps (iOS and Android 

versions counted separately) created 

by 20 developers that are offered 

through AppComm, its public-safety 

application directory. The pilot was 

conducted over three months by the 

team using Kryptowire’s mobile app 

software testing platform integrated 

into APCO’s AppComm website. 

The testing scrutinized each app’s 

35


security, privacy, and information 

and device access. 

The pilot-testing project discovered 

potential security and privacy concerns—such 

as access to the device 

camera, contacts or Short Message 

Service messages—in 32 of 33 popular 

apps that were tested. Eighteen 

apps were discovered to have critical 

flaws such as hard-coded credentials 

stored in binary, issues with handling 

Secure Sockets Layer certificates or 

susceptibility to “man-in-the-middle” 

attacks. 

Pilot project leaders worked with 

each app developer to remediate 

identified vulnerabilities. So far, ten 

developers successfully remediated 

their apps, and as a result of the pilot 

project, the security and privacy 

concerns of 14 mobile apps were 

addressed. 

Most developers who fixed their app’s 

vulnerability(ies) reported investing 

approximately one hour on remediation. 

Remediation steps included removing 

old or unused code, enabling 

built-in security provided by the 

operating system, and ensuring the 

functionality requested is necessary 

for operations. 

“As more apps are adopted for public-safety 

missions, it is critical that 

a formal, ongoing app-evaluation 

process with incentives for developer 

participation be adopted to ensure 

current and new mobile apps are free 

of vulnerabilities,” said John Merrill, 

Director of the S&T FRG Next 

Generation First Responder Apex 

program. 

For more information about the pilot 

testing project results and recommendations, 

please visit our 

“Securing Mobile Applications for 

First Responders” website. 

ADDITIONAL INFO: PDF icon DHS S&T Report: 

Securing Mobile Apps for First Responders 

(December 2017482.29 KB) 

36


Conclusion and Next Steps 

• Mobile apps used by first responders 

and members of the public for emergency 

response or other public safety purposes 

are vulnerable 

• App security evaluation s can be accomplished 

using semi -automated testing 

based on established criteria, combined 

with human analysis to make a risk -based 

assessment 

• Continuous app security evaluations are 

necessary any time a mobile app is updated 

or a new version is submitted 

• Developers are willing to pay for app evaluations 

if the right incentives are in place 

• Education for the first responder community 

is needed to raise awareness of the 

state of mobile app security and increase 

demand for app security evaluation 

A foundational question of the pilot 

was whether there is a financial 

model to support public safety app 

evaluations . The pilot’s findings provide 

preliminary evidence for this 

financial model to be true. Developers 

recognize sufficient value in an 

app evaluation process to support a 

model in which developers pay for 

a subscription to a public safety app 

certification program. Not only did 

this finding validate the importance 

of the pilot, it suggests that expanding 

and refining a testing program for the 

broader public safety app ecosystem 

is feasible and desirable. 

Engagement with the app developer 

community for public safety apps 

is necessary to encourage and raise 

awareness of the need to build security 

in during the development process 

and to test the security of the apps 

prior to releasing them to an app store 

and the public . DHS S&T is investing 

in mobile app security R&D to integrate 

security into mobile app development 

platforms. The result of this 

research will enable developers using 

the platform to improve the security 

of their mobile apps. 

The pilot also generated several lessons 

learned about the security criteria, 

testing platform and workflow. 

Notably, a knowledgeable mobile app 

security evaluator is essential to effective 

remediation and confidence in 

the evaluations. A mobile app analysis 

tool, although automated, should still 

require a human in the loop to make 

a risk- based assessment and decision. 

It is expected that introducing additional 

variables such as the preferences, 

policies and laws for individuals or 

sponsoring public safety agencies will 

increase the nuances of app evaluations 

and the need for human judgment 

as part of the process. 

The next step is to carry the lessons 

learned from the app testing pilot 

into consultation with public safety 

stakeholders , including state and local 

public safety agencies and entities 

such as the First Responder Network 

Authority (FirstNet) and SAFECOM. 

The preferences, policies and laws affecting 

public safety organization use 

of mobile apps will dictate the ultimate 

form of a sustainable app evaluation 

process. Ongoing consultation 

and an awareness program for public 

safety stakeholders at the local, tribal, 

state and federal levels is essential 

for the establishment and continued 

success of an app evaluation process 

supporting the public safety mission. 

37



Drone maker says UAVs set to take over at border 

patrols, criminal hot spots 

Autonomous drones are set to take 

over border patrols, crime hotspot 

monitoring and more, says South 

Africa’s Unmanned aerial vehicles 

(UAV)s, commonly known as 

drones, will soon be a common sight 

over border zones, crime hotspots 

and city streets, as public safety and 

security officials and police departments 

discover the cost saving and 

efficiencies offered by drone patrol 

‘armies’, says Airborne Drones, a 

South African-based international 

manufacturer of enterprise-grade 

drones. 

“Drones provide the ideal solution to 

the problems and limitations faced 

by other surveillance methods such 

as GPS tracking, CCTV camera 

observation, biometric surveillance 

and ground patrols,” says Airborne 

Drones South Africa. “Aerial surveillance 

is increasingly being harnessed 

for security monitoring; but traditionally, 

this has been carried out using 

helicopters - which are costly to 

deploy - and with drones controlled 

by a user - which can be somewhat 

limited in terms of operating hours. 

However, drone surveillance does 

present an easier, faster, and cheaper 

method of data collection, as well 

as a number of other key advantages. 

Specialised security drones can 

enter narrow and confined spaces, 

produce minimal noise, and can be 

equipped with night vision cameras 

and thermal sensors, allowing them 

to provide imagery that the human 

eye is unable to detect. In addition, 

these UAVs can quickly cover large 

and difficult-to-reach areas, reducing 

staff numbers and costs, and do not 

require much space for their operators.” 

39 

“Autonomous, long-range security 

drones are at the vanguard of new 

policing methods”, says Airborne 

Drones South Africa. “Offering live 

video feeds to ground control stations, 

these drones can range autonomously 

over pre-programmed flight 

paths for extended periods of time, 

allowing for ongoing routine patrols 

across wide areas such as borders, 

maritime regions and high security 

installations. Should an incident be 

detected, ground crews can then follow 

objects or intruders from a safe 

distance, providing visual support to 

safety and security teams. UAVs can 

provide detailed visual documentation 

of sites, enabling effective analysis, 

risk management and security 

planning.” 

“Numerous countries are already 

rolling out security drones to support 

their public safety and defence initiatives”, 

says Airborne Drones. UAVs 

are also instrumental in managing 

transport infrastructure safety and 

security and event security, from 

event security infrastructure through 

to spectator and crowd control and 

safety, to overall health and safety 

planning around the world. 

Israel has long harnessed advanced 

drones for military surveillance, and 

recently sold a fleet of so-called ‘spy 

drones’ to the Irish army; the US 

FBI has also used drones for surveillance 

and tracking for several years. 

In Australia, a new $50 million Defence 

Cooperative Research Centre


will develop long-range drones, 

automated vehicles and robots to 

help Australian soldiers fight the 

wars of the future. India is currently 

looking to military-grade UAVs for 

maritime and other surveillance and 

intelligence gathering, Brazil’s São 

Paulo last month became the first 

Latin American city to use drones for 

public security surveillance, and the 

German city of Hamburg this week 

said it would deploy surveillance 

drones as part of its arsenal against 

an expected 100,000 demonstrators 

at the G20 summit this weekend. 

In Australia’s New South Wales, the 

authorities are even using helicopter 

and drone surveillance along the 

coast to protect holiday makers from 

rip currents and sharks. 

“Drones are ideally suited for reconnaissance 

or rapid situation awareness 

with application for ground 

force units to detect and monitor 

potential threats; and they also 

provide an additional oversight in 

instances where security guards are 

deployed to ensure their adherence 

to patrolling routines. Their speed, 

size, maneuverability and additional 

technologies make UAVs the perfect 

supplement to ground security teams 

seeking to perform monitoring tasks 

more quickly and efficiently. Drones 

have a competitive edge over stationary 

cameras, as intruders can’t easily 

step out of sight, and they can cover 

areas that are normally out of reach. 

Security drones add a whole new 

dimension to surveillance, safety and 

security, and as such, we can expect 

them to be commonly in use in every 

country in the world within just a 

few years,” says Airborne Drones. 

40


Communications 

New NIST Spectrometer Measures Single Photons 

with Great Precision 

Future communications networks 

that are less vulnerable to hacking 

could be closer to reality with an invention 

that measures the properties 

of single-photon sources with high 

accuracy. 

Built by scientists at the National Institute 

of Standards and Technology 

(NIST), the device could help bring 

about “quantum communications” 

networks, which would use individual 

particles of light to send bits 

of information. Because each bit of 

information can be embedded in the 

quantum properties of a single photon, 

the laws of quantum mechanics 

make it difficult, if not impossible, 

for an enemy to intercept the message 

undetected. 

Both the telecommunications and 

computer industries would like such 

networks to keep information secure. 

The NIST method may help overcome 

one of the technical barriers 

standing in their way by measuring 

photons’ spectral properties—essentially 

their color—10,000 times better 

than conventional spectrometers. 

“ ...information can be embedded in 

the quantum properties of a single 

photon, the laws of quantum 

mechanics make it difficult, if not 

impossible, for an enemy to intercept 

the message undetected.” 

Individual photons have a limitation: 

They cannot travel through fiber-optic 

cables for more than about 100 

kilometers (about 60 miles) without 

likely being absorbed. A quantum 

network able to handle worldwide 

communications would need periodic 

way stations that could catch 

photons and retransmit their information 

without loss. The NIST team’s 

invention could help such a “quantum 

repeater” interact effectively 

with photons. 

Key to the operation of the quantum 

repeater would be a memory component 

that uses an ensemble of atoms 

to store the photon’s information 

briefly and retransmit it at the right 

moment. Its operation would involve 

an atom’s energy structure: As an 

atom catches the photon, the atom’s 

energy level rises to a higher state. 

At the desired moment, the atom 

returns to its original state and emits 

the energy as another photon. 

Not just any photon can readily 

interact with this atom, though. It 

needs to be exactly the right color, 

or wavelength, needed to make the 

atom’s outer electron jump to a higher 

state. To make usable repeaters, 

engineers need to measure photons’ 

wavelengths far more precisely than 

conventional spectrometers can. 

The NIST team goes past convention 

with a technique called electromagnetically 

induced transparency 

(EIT), which starts out by using 

atoms’ ability to block light of a specific 

wavelength. 

Astronomers can tell what gases 

form the atmosphere of a far-off 

world because light passing through 

it makes the gas molecules vibrate 

at frequencies that block out light 

of particular colors, creating telltale 

dark lines in the light’s spectrum. 

EIT essentially creates a single dark 

line by beaming a laser at atoms 

whose vibrations block much of its 

light. A second laser, tuned to nearly 

the same wavelength as the first, is 

directed at the same atom and the interference 

between these two nearly 

identical beams alters the darkness. 

Instead of a simple dark line, it creates 

a line with a narrow transparent 

hole through which photons only of 

an extremely specific wavelength can 

pass. 

41


By making fine adjustments to the 

second laser’s wavelength, the team 

found it could move the hole back 

and forth across the dark line’s 

width, giving them a way to make 

highly precise measurements of a 

passing photon’s wavelength. 

To give a sense of how precise their 

spectrometer is, the team gave the 

example of a common laser pointer 

that shines in a single narrow color 

range, creating a pure-colored point 

on a screen. The typical spectrum 

width of a laser pointer is right 

around 1 terahertz (THz). The NIST 

invention can measure the color of a 

single-photon-level signal that has a 

spectrum 10 million times narrower 

than the laser pointer, resulting in 

a performance 10,000 times better 

than typical conventional spectrometers. 

“Additionally, we can extend our 

EIT spectrometer’s performance to 

any other wavelength range using 

other processes developed by our 

group without sacrificing its spectral 

resolution, high wavelength 

accuracy and high detection sensitivity,” 

said Lijun Ma, an optical engineer 

on the NIST team. “We think 

this will give the industry the tool 

it needs to build effective quantum 

repeaters.” 

21


Federal and Legislative 

After recent terrorist incidents in U.S., Senators 

codify Department of Homeland Security’s Counterterrorism 

Advisory Board 

WASHINGTON – In the aftermath 

of recent terrorist incidents, U.S. 

Senators Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), 

Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and Maggie 

Hassan (D-N.H.) today introduced 

bipartisan legislation authorizing the 

Department of Homeland Security’s 

(DHS) Counterterrorism Advisory 

Board, whose mission is to bring together 

the intelligence, operational, 

and policy-making elements from 

across DHS to devise joint strategies 

to deter and disrupt potential terrorist 

attacks. 

 

“This bill is about ensuring that everyone 

inside the Department of 

Homeland Security committed to 

preventing and responding 

to terrorist incidents are able 

to communicate and coordinate 

effectively with each 

other,” said McCaskill, the 

top-ranking Democrat on 

the Senate Homeland Security 

and Governmental Affairs 

Committee. “The men 

and women heroically contributing 

to our counterterrorism 

efforts are the best in 

the world and this bill will augment 

their efforts.” 

“The Counterterrorism Advisory 

Board (CTAB) is an important component 

of the Department of Homeland 

Security’s work in preventing 

terrorist attacks by identifying and reducing 

security threats and vulnerabilities,” 

said Senator Rubio. “This bill 

will ensure that the CTAB facilitates a 

cohesive operational strategy so that 

DHS components and their partners 

are best enabled to detect, deter and 

disrupt terrorist operations.” 

“ This bill will ensure that the CTAB facilitates 

a cohesive operational strategy so that DHS 

components and their partners are best enabled 

to detect, deter and disrupt terrorist operations.” 

— Senator Marco Rubio 

“The Department of Homeland Security 

is tasked with preventing terrorist 

attacks on our homeland, and we 

must ensure that the full resources of 

the Department and the entire federal 

government are coordinated in focusing 

on this critical mission,” said Senator 

Hassan. “I call on members of 

both parties to support this bipartisan 

bill that will help ensure coordination 

of the Department’s counter-terrorism 

operations and keep our communities 

safe.” 

The Counterterrorism Advisory 

Board (CTAB) was established in 

2010 after the failed “underwear 

bomber” attack on a Northwest Airlines 

flight in 2009 revealed a need 

for better coordination and ongoing 

situational awareness for senior leadership. 

Since its creation, CTAB has met 

to make recommendations about 

whether to issue a National Threat 

Alert System alert, and has aided 

in the response to aviation threats, 

border threats, homegrown violent 

extremists, and cyber threats. The 

Senator’s Counterterrorism Advisory 

Board (CTAB) Authorization 

Act of 2017 codifies 

the board for four years and 

ensures that DHS will continue 

to succeed in its counterterrorism 

mission. 

43



OF 




















GSN’s Homeland Security Awards 

CATEGORY #1 

GSN HSA2017 

AWARDS 

CYBER SECURITY PRODUCTS AND SOLUTIONS 

Judging in this category is based on a combination of client organization, technological 

innovation or improvement, filling a recognized government IT security 

need and flexibility of a solution to meet current and future organizational needs. 

Best Mobile Application Security Solution 

Appthority – Platinum Winner 

Best User & Entity Behavior Analytics Solution 

Bay Dynamics – Platinum Winner 

Gurucul – Gold Winner 

Best Anti-Malware Solution 

Bromium – Platinum Winner 

Best Application Security Solution 

Waratek – Platinum Winner 

Code Dx, Inc – Gold Winner 

Sargent and Greenleaf – Silver Winner 

Bromium - Finalist 

Best Email Security/ Loss Management 

Solution 

Bromium – Platinum Winner 

Best identity Management Platform 

Centrify – Platinum Winner 

CyberArk – Gold Winner 

Forum Systems – Silver Winner 

Lieberman Software Corporation - Finalist 

Best Continuous Monitoring & 

Mitigation Solution 

DFLabs – Platinum Winner 

Netwrix Corporation – Gold Winner 

SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC – Silver Winner 

CyberArk - Finalist 

Best Physical Logical Privileged Access 

Management Solutions 

CyberArk – Platinum Winner 

Forum Systems – Gold Winner 

Best Cyber Operational Risk Intelligence 

DFLabs – Platinum Winner 

RedSeal – Gold Winner 

RiskSense – Silver Winner 

Best Compliance/Vulnerability Assessment 

Netwrix Corporation – Platinum Winner 

Wombat Security Technologies, Inc. – Gold Winner 

Best Network Security/Enterprise Firewall 

OPAQ Networks – Platinum Winner 

Best Multifactor Authentication Solutions 

Optimal IdM – Platinum Winner 

45


Best Endpoint Detection and Response 

Solution 

Secdo – Platinum Winner 

Best Security Incident and Event (SIEM) 

Management 

SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC – Platinum Winner 

Best Industrial Cybersecurity Solution 

Veracity Industrial Networks, Inc – Platinum Winner 

CATEGORY #2 

VENDORS OF PHYSICAL SECURITY 

PRODUCTS AND SOLUTIONS 

Judging in this category is based on a combination of 

an increase in client organization, technological innovation 

or improvement, filling a recognized government 

IT security need and flexibility of a solution to 

meet current and future organizational needs. 

VIDEO SURVEILLANCE SOLUTIONS 

Best Thermo, Nightvision, Infrared 

Cameras 

FLIR Systems, Inc. – Platinum Winner 

CohuHD Costar Gold Winner – Gold Winner 

Best City-Wide Video Surveillance 

Logos Technologies - – Platinum Winner 

COMMUNICATIONS SOLUTIONS 

Best Interoperable First Responder 

Communications 

LRAD Corporation – Platinum Winner 

Best Mass Notification System 

Desktop Alert – Platinum Winner 

Best Tactical Mesh Radio 

Persistent Systems – Platinum Winner 

46 

BARRIERS 

Best Perimeter Protection, Intrusion 

Detection System 

AMICO – Platinum Winner 

PureTech Systems – Gold Winner 

FLIR Systems, Inc. – Silver Winner 

Best Crash Barriers (Fences, Gates, 

Barriers, Bollards) 

TCP-Security Solutions – Platinum Winner 

DETECTION PRODUCTS 

Best Nuclear/Radiation Detection Solution 

FLIR Systems, Inc. – Platinum Winner 

Best Chemical Detection Product or Solution 

Rapiscan Systems – Platinum Winner 

FLIR Systems, Inc. – Gold Winner 

Teknoscan Systems Inc. – Silver Winner 

Best Explosives Detection Product or 

Solution 

Rapiscan Systems – Platinum Winner 

Best Active Shooter Gunshot Detection 

Solution 

Shooter Detection Systems – Platinum Winner 

SERVICES EDUCATION 

Best College/University in Homeland Security 

Bellevue University – Platinum Winner 

Best Disaster Preparedness, Recovery, 

Clean-up 

High Rise Escape Systems Inc. – Platinum Winner 

Vendors of IT 

Best Access Control Hardware 

Sargent and Greenleaf – Platinum Winner 

CATEGORY 3


GSN’s Homeland Security Awards 


CATEGORY 3 Special Year- End Focus Most Coming Notable in December: 

The GSN 2017 Federal DIGITAL Government YEARBOOK 

Security 

GSN 2017 Government 

The 

Excellence 

GSN 2017 

Award 

DIGITAL Program, YEARBOOK 

Project of OF Initiative 

OFFederal Risk Management Process Training Program 

Judging in this Airport/Seaport category will be based on and one Homeland or more Security Awards Programs 

of the following criteria in the development of successful 

strategy and increase in public safety, providing a 

notable solution to a recognized problem, reduction in 

cost and or major increase in efficiency and effectiveness, 

decisive successful action and response to threat 

or emergency. 

Airport/Seaport and Homeland Security Awards Pro 

Year- End Focus Coming in December: 

SN 2017 DIGITAL YEARBOOK 

OF 

Special (RMPTP) Year- End Focus Coming in December: 

Department of Homeland 

OFSecurity Science and 

Technology Directorate 

Most Notable Law Enforcement Interdiction, 

Arrest, Counter Terrorism or Crime Protection 

Program – Federal, State or Local 

Federal Risk Management Process Training Program 

t and Homeland Security Awards (RMPTP) Programs 



In order to optimize worldwide exposure and publicity A Message for all Winners to the GSN’s and Finalists 2017 Awards in our Winners: 


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