Homeland Security Show | Episode 4

Tonight’s show focused on “Cyberterrorism, cyber security and pending cyber bills in Congress.“

My first guest was former (and first) Assistant Secretary for Policy at the Department of Homeland Security and former General Counsel to the National Security Agency, Stewart Baker discussing cybersecurity findings and recommendations from his book, Skating on Stilts: Why We Aren’t Stopping Tomorrow’s Terrorism.

Baker asserts from his knowledge of intrusions that have occurred in US government computers for years, that still fail to have solid cyber protections installed on them due to legislation dating to 1986, that a cyber-induced Katrina could happen anywhere in the US by any ill-meaning individual, criminal organization or state that seeks to do so.

My second guest, Rob Strayer is the National Security Director at the BiPartisan Policy Center, and was a six year Deputy Director to the Senate Homeland Security Committee, who helped draft cybersecurity legislation in Congress. We discussed whether this week’s consideration of four House of Representatives bills and two Senate bills on cybersecurity have a chance of passing, and what in those bills will survive votes, conference, and the White House’s influence.

In the Homeland Security Roundup, President Obama has put a bounty on the mastermind and leader of terrorist organization that caused over a 100 deaths in 100s wounded in Mumbai in November, 2008. My question: why did he wait so long, and what benefit does India receive by the U.S. doing this now? Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia continues to prosecute dozens of terrorists while the U.S. takes time to protest Greece building a border fence.

Homeland Security Show