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HHS Will Re-examine its Disaster Preparedness Plan

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said today that her department would review its disaster preparedness plan in the wake of difficulties to manufacture and distribute H1N1 vaccine for this year's flu season.

To view the Reuters story, click here.

RAND Issues New Report on Cybersecurity

The RAND Corp. has released "Cyberdeterrence and Cyberwar," a new look at the protection of cyber infrastructure.  Pointing out that the protection of cyberspace has become a national priority since cyberspace is now the dominant information medium, the report argues that cyberwar and cyber defense are nothing like traditional defense and warfare.  "Cyberspace has its own laws; for instance, it is easy to hide identities and difficult to predict or even understand battle damage, and attacks deplete themselves quickly. The author explores these in detail and uses the results to address such issues as the pros and cons of counterattack, the value of deterrence and vigilance, and other actions the United States and the U.S. Air Force can take to protect itself in the face of deliberate cyberattack."

To read the full report, click here.

INSA Calls for Public-Private Partnership to Address Cyber Security

The Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA) has just released a white paper on cyber security, "Addressing Cyber Security Through Public-Private Partnership."  The paper proposes that a public-private partnership is the best approach for addressing cyber security issues and examines three existing models as examples of successful partnerships. The paper argues that private industry should set cyber security standards, while the federal government -- led by DHS -- should be responsible for cyber regulation, enforcement of laws, defense against threats, and response to threats.  INSA believes that a public-private partnership for cyber security can be initiated by private industry, presidential initiative, or Congresssional initiative, but stresses that no matter who takes ownership, it is crucial that one entity take ownership now and begin to systematically address the cyber security issue through a partnership comprised of all stakeholders.

To read the entire paper, click here.

President Obama Signs Emergency Declaration for H1N1 Flu

From the White House blog:

"In an effort to proactively address the ongoing pandemic, the President signed a National Emergency Declaration on H1N1 that allows healthcare systems to quickly implement disaster plans should they become overwhelmed.

As experts expected, H1N1 flu is moving rapidly throughout the country and the majority of states now have widespread influenza activity.  This declaration gives authority for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to waive certain regulatory requirements for healthcare facilities in response the ongoing pandemic. Specifically, healthcare facilities will be able to submit waivers to establish alternate care sites, and modified patient triage protocols, patient transfer procedures and other actions that occur when they fully implement disaster operations plans."

For more information, visit the White House blog site. Story also covered by the Health Business Directory.

CDC issues new H1N1 flu guidelines for higher education

The Centers for Disease and Control has released new H1N1 flu guidelines for institutions of higher education. From the preface:

This document provides guidance to help decrease the spread of flu among students, faculty, and staff of institutions of higher education (IHE) and post-secondary educational institutions during the 2009-2010 academic year. The guidance expands upon earlier guidance for these settings by providing a menu of tools that IHE and health officials can choose from based on conditions in their area. It recommends actions to take now (during this academic year), suggests strategies to consider if the flu starts causing more severe disease than during the spring/summer 2009 H1N1 outbreak, and provides a checklist for making decisions. Detailed information on the reasons for these strategies and suggestions on how to use them is included in the Technical Report. Based on the severity of 2009 H1N1 flu-related illness thus far, this guidance also recommends that students, faculty, and staff with flu-like illness remain home until 24 hours after resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications. 

• View the guidelines

Federal agencies issue new employer guidelines for coming H1N1 flu season

Department of Commerce (DOC) Secretary Gary Locke, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano this week announced new guidance for businesses to plan for and respond to the upcoming flu season.

The guidance, released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is designed to help employers prepare now for the impact of seasonal and 2009 H1N1 influenza could have this fall and winter on their employers and operations.

• Read the news release
• View new CDC guidance

DHS Sec. Napolitano calls for greater citizen involvement in homeland security

DHS Sec. Janet Napolitano delivered a major policy address this week at the Council on Foreign Relations on homeland security and the Department's approach to preventing terrorist attacks.

Here is an excerpt:

"The challenge is not just using federal power to protect the country, but also enlisting a much broader societal response to the threats that terrorism poses.

"Now, a wise approach to keeping America secure should be rooted in the values that define our nation—values like resilience, shared responsibility, standing up for what is right. These are the values that led us to fight and win two world wars—that were on display in the dark days after the September 11th attacks. We must embrace them again now.

"So how do we secure our homeland and stay true to our values? We do it with four levels of collective response. It starts with the American people. From there, it extends to local law enforcement, and from there up to the federal government, and then finally out beyond our shores, where America's international allies can serve and do serve as partners in a collective fight against terrorism."

• Read the entire address

Joint Chiefs of Staff issue new guidance on combatting WMDs

From Secrecy News:

The Joint Chiefs of Staff issued new doctrinal guidance on combating weapons of mass destruction, including the three pillars of nonproliferation, counterproliferations, and WMD consequence management.  See "Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction" (pdf), Joint Publication 3-40, June 10, 2009.

• Download the guidance as a 173-page PDF

DHS launches new weblog to communicate directly with Americans

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Monday launched The Blog @ Homeland Security, a new addition to the department’s web presence designed to increase transparency and facilitate the dialogue between DHS and the American public.

“The Blog reflects our ongoing commitment to communicate directly with the American people about the department’s efforts across the country and around the world,” DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano said in a news release.

The Blog will include frequent updates on the department’s activities, including breaking news, public events and new initiatives.

The inaugural post, found at http://www.dhs.gov/theblog, features a video message from Secretary Napolitano outlining the Department’s five overarching responsibilities and an invitation for visitors to comment on and provide suggestions for The Blog.

New report: 'Identify Theft: Trends and Issues'

The Congressional Researech Service has issued a new report, "Identify Theft: Trends and Issues."

From the introduction:

In the wake of the economic downturn, policymakers are increasingly concerned with securing the economic health of the United States—including combating those crimes that threaten to further undermine the nation’s financial stability. Identity theft is one such crime. It is the fastest growing type of fraud in the United States; in 2008 about 9.9 million Americans were reportedly victims of identity theft, an increase of 22% from the number of cases in 2007. In addition, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) estimates that it costs consumers about $50 billion annually. Identity theft is often committed to facilitate other crimes such as credit card fraud, document fraud, or employment fraud, which in turn can affect not only the nation’s economy but its security. Consequently, in securing the nation and it’s economic health, policymakers are also tasked with reducing identity theft and its impact. More details on the link exchange directory.

Download the report as a 31-page PDF.