Homeland Defense & Security

In this webinar, Chief Warrant Officer 3 US Marine Corps (Retired) Kerry O’Connell, Senior Training Manager, CBRNE/HAZMAT at the Guardian Centers of Georgia, provides an overview of the science and technology used in radiation detection and response. The presentation will start with an overview of basic radiation terminology, types of meters, and types of ionizing radiation before covering decontamination principles, techniques, and radiation dose understanding.

In this video podcast, CWO3, US Marine Corps (Retired) Kerry O’Connell interviews George Baade, Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) Specialist with the Fire Department New York (FDNY).  The conversation centers on radiation detection and response in New York City (NYC), with a spotlight on the types of HAZMAT threats that the FDNY most commonly responds to, some of the challenges of HAZMAT response in NYC, and the tools and technologies most useful to FDNY HAZMAT Specialists.

In this video podcast, HDIAC analyst Tara Barsotti interviews Monte Hawkins, Director of the National Vetting Center (NVC), in a conversation that overviews the NVC’s origins, mission, and operations.  The interview touches on NVC’s role in the watchlisting process, the future of border security, and the importance of information sharing in protecting the homeland.

In part two of this two-part podcast series, the conversation shifts to the rise of electrification and the intersection of the electric vehicle industry and the Department of Defense. Dr. Hart and Dr. Robyn also discuss the battery supply chain, touching on issues with foreign sourcing and production, as well as how best to educate the next generation about building toward sustainable energy solutions.

In part one of this two-part podcast series on Battery Technology and Impact on National Security, Dr. Hart and Dr. Robyn overview drivers of battery innovation and how the needs of both warfighters and military installations shape the Department of Defense's role in creating energy storage solutions. The future importance of different energy storage technologies that are currently in use is also discussed.

The webinar planned for March 10, 2020 has been postponed. We will provide information regarding the new date and time as soon as possible. As Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to engage the world and its leaders, the HDIAC presents a Special Edition Webinar, hosting infectious disease expert, Dr. Stephen Thomas. Dr. Thomas will provide an overview of the epidemiology of the virus, information on transmission, its current global distribution, and cases and spread within the U.S. Dr. Thomas will additionally present details on the clinical manifestation of COVID-19, management, diagnosis, and prevention strategies.

In the third installment of Rethinking Culture in the Context of Civil-Military Relations, Dr. Zoli and Dr. Rubinstein continue the conversation around different cultural models of risk and security and discuss the broader impacts of taking a militarized approach to security abroad.

This presentation focuses on the role of communication, coordination, and collaboration for critical infrastructure resilience. The webinar will discuss the increasing importance of multi-stakeholder partnerships - across the public, private, and academic sectors - in promoting resilience within and across the four increasingly interdependent critical infrastructure sectors: energy, transportation, water, and communications.

In Part 2 of Rethinking Culture in the Context of Civil-Military Relations, Dr. Rubinstein and Dr. Zoli discuss the strategic effectiveness of DoD efforts to engage culturally in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as debate enduring questions regarding these efforts’ processes and outcomes.

In the second installment of this two-part series, Ambassador Rich Kauzlarich and Dr. Andrew Light discuss opportunities for global cooperation on energy innovation and climate policy. The conversation includes how the economic and development needs of India and China create opportunity for cooperation, the Paris Agreement, and China's Belt and Road Initiative.

In this presentation, a historical review of infectious disease-related combat injuries and deaths will be presented with an emphasis on the 1918 Influenza Pandemic during WWI, dengue and US Marine Forces in Saipan during WWII, dengue and US Forces Haiti and Somalia, malaria outbreak in US Marines deployed to Monrovia, and leishmaniasis and multi-drug resistant bacteria in US Forces during Persian Gulf War II. Lessons learned for future deployments will also be discussed.

This podcast is the first in a multi-part series discussing the impact of culture in the context of civil-military relations.  In this episode, Dr. Corri Zoli and Dr. Robert Rubinstein explore definitions of culture and discuss how different organizational cultures have led the U.S. military and humanitarian groups to pursue divergent on-the-ground security strategies in conflict zones.

In the first installment of a two-part series on the Geopolitics of Climate Change, Ambassador Rich Kauzlarich interviews Dr. Andrew Light, discussing the evolution of climate change diplomacy alongside the emergence of climate vulnerability through the lens of global security.  The conversation overviews emerging climate threats to U.S. interests overseas, the future of the global energy economy, and considerations for global cooperation.

Dr. Tonya Neaves interviews Dr. J.P. Auffret and Dr. Paul Houser regarding changes in the energy supply chain and implications for national security. The discussion includes an overview of the critical importance of reliable energy, the push toward renewables, emerging threats to the power grid, challenges specific to the Washington, DC region, and considerations for building stronger energy resiliency.

Responding to today's nuclear threat environment requires a commitment to developing technologies that enable effective deterrence, detection, survivability, and dominance in the nuclear domain. This presentation provides an overview of the evolving mission of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) in nuclear technology research and development. The current nuclear threat environment and DTRA's resulting top priorities will be discussed. The presentation will also review relevant new technologies and their applications to the warfighter.

Dr. Tom Webster, a professor of chemical engineering at Northeastern University in Boston, is studying the ways that nanotechnology can be used to improve the future of medicine. The use of nanosensors shows great promise in revolutionizing medical device performance. These micro sensors can detect cell attachment on devices, such as hip implants, to determine at an early stage if medical device implantation can be successful and prolonged.

Securing our critical infrastructure is vital to national security. This presentation demonstrates techniques that can be used to detect cyberattacks or equipment failures. A typical industrial control system is used as an example, with data collected to monitor and control the system. Data science techniques to prepare the data for machine learning will be analyzed. Various machine-learning approaches used to detect anomalies due to cyberattacks or equipment failures will be demonstrated and their efficacy discussed.

This video podcast focuses on using alternative energy technologies to enhance resilience. Eliza Hotchkiss, Technical Lead for Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), explains the importance of energy resiliency and how alternative energy systems can be designed to enhance resilience. She will also discuss how alternative energy solutions are currently being used for resilience.