February 29, 2008
Competitive Technologies for National Security: Review and Recommendations
By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Andrew Gudgel, and Alane Kochems
(Special Report #21)
Emerging technologies will provide capabilities that include protection and possible immunity against biological agents, better screening at airports and ports, more efficient information-gathering and information-sharing ...
June 27, 2006
Successfully Securing Identity Documents: A Primer on Preventive Technologies and ID Theft
By Alane Kochems and Laura Keith
(Backgrounder #1946)
Policymakers need to examine available technologies, reviewing their capabilities, requirements, infrastructure demands, and costs; consider how these technologies could affect individual privacy and fundamental liberties; ...
May 19, 2006
When Should the Government Use Contractors to Support Military Operations?
By Alane Kochems
(Backgrounder #1938)
Decisions regarding military contractor support should involve an examination of the risks, mitigation techniques, and benefits provided. To ensure oversight and transparency in the contracting ...
May 5, 2006
One Hundred Percent Cargo Scanning and Cargo Seals: Wasteful and Unproductive Proposals
By Alane Kochems and James Jay Carafano, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1064)
Inspecting every container that is shipped to the U.S. makes no sense.
April 28, 2006
The Viability of Directed-Energy Weapons
By Alane Kochems and Andrew Gudgel
(Backgrounder #1931)
The armed services need to move from just saying that directed-energy weapons are a good idea to fully supporting their development, and the Defense Department ...
April 18, 2006
Avoiding the Hollow Force: Maintaining a Trained and Ready Military
By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Alane Kochems, and David Gentilli
(WebMemo #1043)
Three military experts discuss the current and future issue facing the U.S. armed forces.
April 3, 2006
Complete Cargo Inspection and Port Security Grants Do Not Promote Homeland Security
By Alane Kochems and James Jay Carafano, Ph.D.
(Executive Memorandum #998)
Closing the real gaps in U.S. maritime security means focusing the government on stopping terrorists and criminals and focusing the private sector on sensible, reasonable, ...
March 10, 2006
House Border Security Bill Falls Short
By Alane Kochems
(Backgrounder #1919)
Any effective solution for reducing illegal border crossings and the unlawful population in the United States must address all three aspects of the problem: internal ...
February 22, 2006
Security and the Sale of Port Facilities: Facts and Recommendations
By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., and Alane Kochems
(WebMemo #997)
A brief delay may be warranted but no more for now.
February 14, 2006
EU Privacy Directive Could Prohibit Information Sharing with U.S. Law Enforcement
By Alane Kochems
(Executive Memorandum #992)
Article 15 of the proposed European Union privacy directive would impede the ability of the U.S. to receive information needed to prosecute the war on ...
February 10, 2006
The Quadrennial Defense Review: Satisfactory but Not Sufficient
By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Baker Spring, and Alane Kochems
(WebMemo #996)
The Pentagon needs to forge long-term strategic plans.
January 27, 2006
The Hollow Force: Background and Issues
By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Alane Kochems, JD, MSLS, and David D. Gentilli
(WebMemo #972)
Will defense funding for the future be adequate to prevent the return of the hollow force?
January 26, 2006
GreenLane Maritime Cargo Security Act: A Good First Attempt
By Alane Kochems
(Executive Memorandum #989)
The GreenLane Maritime Cargo Security Act (S. 2008), recently introduced by Senators Susan Collins (R–ME) and Patty Murray (D–WA), has numerous laudable objectives.
December 21, 2005
Domestic Surveillance: Dual Priorities, National Security and Civil Liberties, Must Be Met
By James Jay Carafano, Todd Gaziano, and Alane Kochems
(WebMemo #950)
Wars cannot be won by sacrificing national security or fundamental civil liberties.
December 15, 2005
The Defense Base Act and Contractor Liability: Give Federal Courts Exclusive Jurisdiction
By Alane Kochems
(WebMemo #942)
Congress should address liability issues that have been dogging military contractors with employees working in foreign theaters.
December 15, 2005
Getting it Right: A Congressional Guide to Grading the 2005 Quadrennial Defense Review
By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Baker Spring, and Alane Kochems
(Backgrounder #1905)
The QDR must address issues of strategy, force structure, roles and missions, and budget, as well as emerging strategic imperatives including China's military modernization and ...
December 13, 2005
The September 11 Commission Report Card: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., and Alane Kochems
(WebMemo #935)
The Commission does not have all the right answers, but its call for action is well worth heeding.
December 7, 2005
When Government Regulations Hinder Security: Shoulder-Fired Missile Defenses
By Alane Kochems and David D. Gentilli
(Backgrounder #1902)
The uncertainty caused by unanswered legal and policy questions may deter companies from developing technology to counter shoulder-fired missiles. By addressing the legal issues related ...
December 2, 2005
Congress Poised to Pass Patriot Act Provisions
By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., and Alane Kochems
(WebMemo #930)
The clock is ticking. In the wake of the terrorist attacks on Washington and New York in September 2001, Congress passed the USA Patriot Act. ...
December 2, 2005
The 2005 Quadrennial Defense Review: The Role of America's Allies
By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., and Alane Kochems
(WebMemo #931)
Concluding a year-long lecture series on the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR)—a congressionally-mandated internal review conducted by the Pentagon every four years—the Heritage Foundation recently hosted ...
November 28, 2005
Military Support to Civilian Authorities: An Assessment of the Response to Hurricane Katrina
By Alane Kochems
(Backgrounder #1899)
The creation of the Department of Homeland Security and the Northern Command did not hinder response during Hurricane Katrina, but better coordination was clearly needed. ...
November 2, 2005
The Army's Future: A View from the Top
By James Jay Carafano, Ph. D., Alane Kochems, and David Gentilli
(WebMemo #906)
Francis Harvey, Secretary of the Army, lays out the Army's priorities for the next five years.
November 1, 2005
Patriot Act Provisions a Priority
By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., and Alane Kochems
(WebMemo #902)
Reauthorizing the expiring provisions should be a priority for Congress.
October 25, 2005
Risk Assessment and Risk Management: Necessary Tools for Homeland Security
By Paul Rosenzweig and Alane Kochems
(Backgrounder #1889)
To assist in prioritizing threats, we must first assess the risks we face and then manage those risks by putting our resources to work in ...
September 23, 2005
The Cornyn-Kyl Immigration Reform Act: Flawed But Fixable
By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Janice L. Kephart, and Alane Kochems
(Executive Memorandum #982)
Any effective solution to illegal border crossings and the unlawful population must address internal enforcement of immigration laws, international cooperation, and border security. Effective immigration ...
September 22, 2005
Taking a Global Approach to Maritime Security
By Alane Kochems
(Executive Memorandum #980)
As a matter of common sense, the United States should not attempt to make every cargo container and port into a miniature Fort Knox. Efforts ...
September 16, 2005
Coast Guard's Finest Hour Ignored by Congress
By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., and Alane Kochems
(WebMemo #846)
Congress should recognize the Guard's Katrina response by fully funding its modernization budget.
July 28, 2005
Rethinking Professional Military Education
By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., and Alane Kochems
(Executive Memorandum #976)
The Defense Department must restructure officer education to emphasize a broad range of education opportunities. The attribute most needed by military officers is the critical ...
July 11, 2005
Lessons from London: Implications for the Patriot Act
By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Paul Rosenzweig, and Alane Kochems
(WebMemo #791)
Congress should renew the provisions of the Patriot Act set to sunset at the end of the year.
June 23, 2005
Should Libraries Become Terrorist Sanctuaries?
By Alane Kochems, Paul Rosenzweig, and James Jay Carafano, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #772)
House-passed legislation would limit the government's ability to investigate terrorist activities.
June 21, 2005
'Buy America' Provisions Don't Help Homeland Security or National Defense
By Alane Kochems
(WebMemo #769)
Protectionism undermines homeland security and national defense.
June 17, 2005
The Homeland Security Authorization Bill: Hits and Misses
By Alane Kochems and James Jay Carafano, Ph.D.
(Executive Memorandum #972)
The first Department of Homeland Security authorization bill (H.R. 1815) is a vital step toward coherent congressional oversight of the department's allocation and use of ...
June 14, 2005
No Good Reason To Close Gitmo
By Jack Spencer, Ariel Cohen, Ph.D., Jim Phillips, and Alane Kochems
(WebMemo #763)
Why those who would close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay are wrong.
May 9, 2005
Who's On First? A Strategy for Protecting Critical Infrastructure
By Alane Kochems
(Backgrounder #1851)
With over 85 percent of U.S. critical infrastructure controlled by the private sector, the federal government needs to (1) define reasonable actions for the private ...
May 8, 2005
The First Responder Act: Congress Needs to Act
By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., and Alane Kochems
(WebMemo #742)
The recent arrest in Pakistan of Abu Farraj al-Libbi, reputedly the number 3 man in al-Qaeda, serves as a powerful reminder that the terrorists are ...
March 23, 2005
Data Protection: Safeguarding Privacy in a New Age of Technology
By Paul Rosenzweig and Alane Kochems
(Legal Memorandum #16)
When properly designed and combined with process, policy, and oversight, technology can provide a reasonable balance between security and privacy. The greatest policy challenge is ...
March 15, 2005
Encrypt E-Passports
By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Paul Rosenzweig, and Alane Kochems
(WebMemo #687)
Data on E-Passports shoud be encrypted.
February 24, 2005
An Agenda for Increasing State and Local Government Efforts to Combat Terrorism
By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Paul Rosenzweig, and Alane Kochems
(Backgrounder #1826)
The best way to respond to a terrorist attack is to prevent it from ever happening. States and local governments can assist significantly in prevention ...
February 17, 2005
Making the Sea Safer: A National Agenda for Maritime Security and Counterterrorism
By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., and Alane Kochems
(Special Report #03)
The United States must develop a "system of systems" maritime architecture with strong domestic and foreign components, as well as public-private sector partnerships. The U.S. ...
September 27, 2004
Secure Flight Takes Flight: It's About Time
By Paul Rosenzweig, James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., and Alane Kochems
(WebMemo #574)
Congress should support testing and implementation of Secure Flight.
August 17, 2004
Department of Homeland Security Needs Under Secretary for Policy
By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., Richard Weitz, Ph.D., and Alane Kochems
(Backgrounder #1788)
Congress should create an Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Policy to provide guidance for integrating current efforts, conducting program analysis, performing long-range strategic planning, ...
June 21, 2004
Biometric Technologies: Security, Legal, and Policy Implications
By Paul Rosenzweig, Alane Kochems, and Ari Schwartz
(Legal Memorandum #12)
Advanced technology is a competitive advantage for the United States, and it must be used if the country is to win its war on terrorism. ...
