(Article information from the Associated Press)

The military is looking to something old as a new weapon in the war on terrorism: blimps.

The blimps wouldn't be like those that hover over football stadiums and concerts. These would be equipped with cutting-edge sensors and high-resolution cameras that could scour the landscape or oceans.

The Office of Naval Research is working with Honolulu-based Science & Technology International (STI) to develop the idea.

From thousands of feet up, STI's advanced optical sensor system can spot targets on the ground or deep under water and then track their movements, said Stephen Huett, ONR's project manager for the program.

Huett envisions the blimps policing U.S. harbors to pinpoint terrorist divers, suspicious boats or other unusual activity. They also could provide increased surveillance at military bases or assist with border patrols, he said.

The helium-filled airships have a number of advantages over planes or helicopters. They're quiet and smooth-riding, which is important for those monitoring the high-tech equipment inside. They're also about 30 percent cheaper to operate and can hover over a target anywhere from 12 hours to three days, Huett said.

The Navy contract is worth about $4 million, according to Huett.

Civil libertarians expressed concern that the blimps will be another government tool that infringes on privacy.

Blimps have been used by the military before, including for anti-submarine patrols during World War II.

STI's blimp can travel up to 60 mph and fly at an altitude of about 2,000-3,000 feet -- out of reach of small arms fire, Huett said.

STI provided media demonstrations of the sensor technology as well as blimp rides this week in Manassas, Va. However, the 200-foot white blimp with a green and blue STI logo was grounded for at least two days because of mechanical problems.

The company's sensor technology is mounted in a 30-foot gondola, where the six-person crew -- including two pilots -- would sit during a surveillance mission.

From Virginia, the blimp will head to San Diego for a four-month testing period.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of State have suspended two programs that allow certain international air passengers to travel through the United States for transit purposes without first obtaining a visa. The programs, known as the Transit Without Visa program (TWOV) and the International-to-International transit program (ITI), have been suspended. The action took effect on Saturday August 2, 2003. This action does not affect U.S. citizens or citizens from visa waiver countries.

Homeland Security issued instructions to all airlines to no longer allow passengers to utilize these transit programs. Homeland Security agencies are also taking additional steps to increase security at airports and on airplanes that normally transport and process passengers under these programs. These new measures are in addition to significant increases in aviation security implemented since September 11 such as reinforced cockpit doors, deployment of federal air marshals, enhanced federalized baggage and passenger screening and armed Federal Flight Deck Officers piloting some jetliners.

It is the intention of both Departments to reinstate the TWOV and ITI programs as soon as additional security measures can be implemented to safeguard the programs from terrorists who wish to gain access to the U.S. or U.S. airspace without going through the consular screening process. Officials have already begun this process of identifying possible steps that could be taken to further secure the transit programs. Homeland Security and the Department of State are soliciting comments from the public about the action and will reassess the suspension over the next 60 days after reviewing the responses. Current intelligence will also be a factor considered when deciding to re-implement the program.

Homeland Security and State will make exceptions to these actions to accommodate travelers who may be immediately impacted.

The Transit Without Visa program has been in use in the United States since 1952. It applies to passengers who normally would be required to obtain a visa to travel to the United States. Under the TWOV program, passengers arriving in the United States from a foreign country are permitted to travel through the United States to another foreign destination without first obtaining a visa to stop and change planes in the United States. Passengers under the TWOV program go through the full border inspection process upon arrival in the U.S. Under the TWOV program, a passenger may stop at one or two U.S. airports en route to another foreign destination. If on a domestic flight to a second U.S. airport, the airline is responsible for ensuring that the passenger does not illegally enter the United States. Airlines provide contract security escorts and are required to maintain control of the passenger's passport and other travel documents.

The International-to-International transit program also allows passengers arriving from foreign countries to transit through the United States to another foreign destination without first obtaining a visa. Unlike the TWOV program, however, ITI passengers may only transit through one airport, and they may not leave the international transit lounge while connecting planes at that airport.

In 2002, the top five countries from which TWOV passengers arrived in the United States were Brazil, Mexico, Korea, the Philippines, and Peru. The greatest number of TWOV and ITI passengers transited the U.S. through airports in Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Dallas and Houston.

(Article information from Bloomberg News)

Raytheon Co., Northrop Grumman Corp. and BAE Systems PLC are among eight corporations vying for part of a $60 million U.S. contract to develop and install antimissile systems on commercial jets, the companies said Thursday.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is seeking proposals to help prevent terrorist strikes on passenger planes after a failed attempt to shoot down an Israeli aircraft at Mombasa, Kenya, in November. Law enforcement officials said operatives of the al-Qaida terrorist network, using two Soviet-style SA-7 shoulder-launched missiles, failed to hit the plane with more than 260 passengers.

The threat terrorists pose to commercial aircraft led President George Bush in April to direct the department to begin developing an antimissile program for the nation's almost 6,800 commercial aircraft.

As much as US$60 million may be available in the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1 for research and development of an antimissile system for commercial airplanes.
Raytheon, the Lexington, Mass.-based military contractor, is proposing a system that would foil incoming missiles by dropping small metal wafers into the air, according to a company spokesman. The system, relying on radar, would cost less than $1 million for each plane.

G. Kemble Bennett, Ph.D., P.E. , the vice chancellor for engineering at Texas A&M University and the director of Texas Engineering Experiment Station (TEEX) is presenting the August Homeland Security Lecture at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) at 12 noon on August 12 in the Conference Center room 1.102 on the UTD campus. The event and the reception at 11:30 a.m. are free and open to the public.

The Emergency Services Training Institute, a division of TEEX, provides training for the National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center (NERRTC) to emergency personnel around the country, including the Texas Department of Emergency Management. TEEX also has contracts with the Department of Defense, Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice to provide a variety of training on weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and terrorism and also courses in threat and risk assessment, incident management, leadership development and domestic preparedness. During this presentation, Dr. Bennett will discuss the critical role of training in Homeland Security and what TEEX is doing to prepare first responders.

In 1992, Dr. Dr. G. Kemble Bennett was named director and CEO of the Texas Engineering Extension Service and associate vice chancellor for engineering of The Texas A&M University System. In this post he established Texas Task Force One, a disaster response group. He led a team called for special duty at Ground Zero following the World Trade Center tragedy. Dr. Bennett is the executive director of the National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center. He was appointed by President George W. Bush to administer the state Domestic Preparedness Program and served as founding chairman of the U.S. Department of Justice National Domestic Preparedness Consortium. He is a member of the ECO Terrorism Committee of the National Association of Universities and Land Grant Colleges.

Registration is not required. Questions should be directed to keithly@utdallas.edu.

The Biometric Consortium Conference will be held from September 22-24 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, VA. This conference will include over two and a half days of presentations, seminars, and panel discussions on the latest trends in biometrics research and applications plus the role of biometric identification's relation to security and privacy issues. Presenters and panelists will include internationally recognized experts in biometric technologies, system and application developers, IT business strategists, and government and commercial officers. Featured at the conference will be a special session devoted to the latest scholarly research applicable to new and future biometric verification and identification technologies. For more information or to register, please see http://www.biometrics.org/bc2003/index.htm.

Sandia National Laboratories, the Isleta Police Department, the University of New Mexico, the U.S. Department of Justice, and New Mexico Tech University have teamed up with national, state, county, and local police, fire, and emergency medical agencies to organize "Tribute to America's Heroes Week." Activities will include a Homeland Security/Combating Terrorism Training Conference for public safety personnel nationwide. This conference will take place from October 27-31 in the Isleta Conference Center in Albuquerque, NM For more information, see www.sandia.gov/capabilities/homeland-security/ conference/Flyer.pdf.